FanPost

Will Nebraska Help the Big 10 Bowl Performance?

The biggest problem the Big 10 has faced in recent bowl games has been bad matchups.  Some teams overachieve during the course of a season and are placed in a more prestigious bowl against a better opponent (MSU).  Other schools simply get leapfrogged by a team that the bowl thinks will bring more fans (Michigan over Iowa).  The fact that the Big 10 regularly receives 2 BCS invitations also adds to the unbalanced matchups.

 

For argument's sake lets take a look at how the Big 10 Bowl matchups might've played out with Nebraska in the mix

Big Ten Standings:

 

Of course we don't know how Nebraska or anybody else would've faired record-wise in the Big 10 but I think we can agree that Nebraska probably would've ended up somewhere around the level of a MSU/WISC but above Iowa.

 

Big 10 Standings (Nebraska Big 12 Record included)

 

Ohio State     7-1 12-1

Michigan State 7-1 11-1

Wisconsin      7-1 11-1

(Nebraska       6-2 10-2)

Iowa           4-4 7-5

Illinois       4-4 6-6

Penn State     4-4 7-5

Michigan       3-5 7-5

Northwestern   3-5 7-5

 

Big 10 Bowls:

 

1.   Rose/BCS vs. Pac-10/BCS

2.   BCS vs. At-Large

3.   Capital One vs. SEC

4.   Outback vs. SEC

5/6. Gator vs. SEC

5/6. Insight vs. Big 12

7.   Texas vs. Big 12

8.   Ticket City vs. C-USA or Big 12

9.   Little Caesers Bowl vs. MAC

 

2010 Hypothetical Match-Ups:

 

Rose: Wisconsin vs. TCU

Sugar: OSU vs. Arkansas

Capital One: MSU vs. Alabama

Outback: Nebraska vs. Florida

Gator: PSU vs. Miss. St

Insight: Michigan vs. Mizzou

Texas: Iowa vs. Baylor

Ticket City: Illinois vs. Texas Tech

Little Caesers Bowl: Northwestern vs. Toledo

 

Arguments can be made for/against PSU actually getting picked over Michigan and if Nebraska would've had a better record than MSU had they actually played etc.

 

At first glance I like the match-ups but the big question for me is how Nebraska would've done against Florida.  I would like to think that they would be more motivated to play a SEC opponent in a New Year's Day bowl than playing a team they had already beaten in a throw-away bowl.   

 

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive look....more of a talking point for discussion.  What does everybody think?

This is a FanPost, written by a member of the TOC community. It does not represent the official positions of The Only Colors, Inc.--largely because we have no official positions.