<p>According to ESPN, both "experts" (Mark Schlabach & Bruce Feldman) think our team will be heading to Outback Bowl and the Badgers to Champs Sports. I am not sure why because they have a slightly better overall record (9-3 vs 8-4; assuming they'll beat Hawaii this weekend). Both teams have the same conference record but we won the head to head battle. </p>
<p>Last year, Outback Bowl officials picked Iowa over us even though we finished ahead of them. Given that, I don't see how we will get invited. Does any of you understand the rationale behind those ESPN guys?</p>
<p>I think Northwestern having beaten Wisconsin might be the primary factor, not to mention NU’s been on a roll lately, having beaten ranked Iowa the week before.</p>
<p>But a spot in the Outback bowl would be amazing, even if that might decrease our chances of actually winning a bowl game. :P</p>
<p>Someone sent me a link showing what other sports columnists predicted. Those two ESPN guys turn out to be outliers. Most think the Cats are going to Champs Sports in Orlando on Dec 29. Still an awesome bowl in great location. Techically, Alamo bowl is higher in the pecking order but the Cats already went there last year. It seems to me more people are more excited about going to Orlando.</p>
<p>I will take this one over. If the Big Ten gets two teams in BCS bowls, which looks likely, NU will probably either be going to Champs or Outback. With bowl rotations, Alamo is below Champs on the pecking order, and so the only way we go to San Antonio again is if the B10 gets 1 BCS team. </p>
<p>Its very likely that the B10 will have two BCS teams, short of a crazy upset of Nebraska over Texas in the B12 championship game. </p>
<p>Wisconsin could potentially get upset by Hawaii who shocked a deceny Navy team last weekend. That would be good. Still, its probable that the bowl committee would take Wisconsin anyways. Wisconsin has the larger national fan base – although Northwestern travelled great for the Alamo bowl last year, the crowd was at least half if not more than half purple. Wisconsin also lacks some of the bad losses that NU has but also not the good wins. Further muddling it, Wisconsin has played a lot in Florida these last couple years so it may depend which city wants the badgers the least. </p>
<p>Its looking like Orlando and the Champ Sports bowl right now, which is just fine for me.</p>
<p>yes, i just realized i was wrong about alamo vs champs. to me, orlando = tampa > san antonino. so i am rooting for texas even though i really dislike the fact that they’ve played nobody this season.</p>