Big Ten Bowl Games Ranked By Watchability

With So Many Bowl Games, Here Are Some Rankings to Help You and Your Binge Watching

Bowl season is quickly approaching as the kickoff is just a day away with the first small installment kicking off on Saturday afternoon. It’s truly a wonderful time of year for college football fans as bowl season gets underway. For the teams its a chance to play an uncommon opponent and end 2016 on a high note. For the fans, its a chance to throw on your old sweatpants, eat your filling, and binge in the last bit of college football before the seemingly unbearable off-season. While you can never have too much football, some games are much more intriguing than others, and as members of the Big Ten Conference we felt to help our fellow fans we would rank each Big Ten Bowl Game to keep you in tune with the conference match ups all bowl season long. Whether you root for your conference as I do, or root against your biggest rival, this list should help you decide which game to watch if for some reason you cannot catch them all (I know you’ll try).

. Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

#10 Quick Lane Bowl (ESPN-Dec. 26th, 1:30 PM)

Maryland vs. Boston College

The Big Ten has Ten teams that made a bowl, and coming in at number ten in our watch rankings is the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Michigan. Both teams come into the game at 6-6, each needing wins in the final weeks to become bowl eligible. The match up doesn’t scream excitement, but sometimes these games turn out to be the best ones. These two teams were once conference foes during the realignment days, which adds some old school ACC fun to the game. Both teams run the ball decently well, and Maryland QB Perry Hills has had a solid season. It’ll likely be an ugly game, but it’ll be close, which is all we can really ask for at this point.

Oct 29, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow (21) hands the ball off to Indiana Hoosiers running back Mike Majette (24) during the second half of the game at Memorial Stadium. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Maryland Terrapins 42 to 36. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

#9 Foster Farms Bowl (Fox- Dec. 28th, 7:30 PM)

Indiana vs. Utah

I feel like this match up should come with more excitement, but it really doesn’t do much for me. Again, its a Wednesday night so it could provide some quality entertainment, but it seems like a really blah matchup for me. Its another match up between the Big Ten and Pac 12, and again could be a measuring stick for the conference. If a 6-6 Indiana team can upset an 8-4 Utah, it shows you the depth or lack of depth for some. Utah did beat a tough USC and BYU team, so a 9 win season would go a long way on their path back to true title contenders. Indiana’s best win is… Michigan State I guess? Might be whats adding to the blah. Either way, it could get interesting, but Indiana always seems to just miss during the big games, and I see that happening again here. It’s the night game on the 28th, so maybe its something you drift off or maybe it keeps you from getting a good night sleep.

Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

#8 Holiday Bowl (ESPN- Dec. 27th, 6 PM)

Minnesota vs. Washington State

A few weeks ago, these two teams potentially playing would have certainly came with a lot more intrigue. Both teams come into the game at 8-4, one finishing second in their division and the other finishing fourth. The Washington State passing game against Minnesota’s defense will be something to watch, and the game could feature a lot of points depending on what Mitch Leidner shows up…………… but that’s if the game is played at all? Yes, you read that right. A day after Minnesota suspended 10 players for an alleged sexual assault case the Gophers Football team has decided to boycott and could refuse to play in this years Bowl game. While there is still time to resolve, the process is moving fairly slow. Northern Illinois has already been choosen as the replacement team if Minnesota does not show. If that be the case it wouldn’t make this list, which is why it falls in at #9.

. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

#7 New Era Pinstripe Bowl (ESPN-Dec. 28th, 1 PM)

Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh

I personally have always enjoyed the New Era Pinstripe Bowl since its inception just a few years ago. It always has the pageantry of playing at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, which certainly adds to the intrigue. Most bowl destinations are warm, so seeing teams slug it out in the snow is a nice change of pace to the norm. In terms of the match up, this one I feel is quality. Pittsburgh comes into the game at 8-4 with wins over ACC Champion Clemson and Big Ten Champion Penn State Pittsburgh has a really quality resume. The Panthers have the ability to put up big amounts of points (76 against Syracuse), and if Pat Fitzgerald’s defense for Northwestern can’t hold up, it could get ugly fast. Either way the pageantry and potential keeps this one on the radar.

. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

#6 Music City Bowl (ESPN-Dec. 30th, 2:30 PM)

Nebraska vs. Tennessee

In the 90’s this match up would be a game of epic proportions as these teams dominated the decade. Today however, each program is in a very different state than it was back then. Tennessee is the team that is picked every year to make a jump to the next level of contenders, while Nebraska is on a similar path toward trying to prove its impact on the Big Ten as a whole. Both teams were once top ten teams this season, but have fallen off in November. Nebraska lost two straight to Wisconsin and Ohio State before falling to Iowa in the last game of the regular season. Tennessee lost three in a row in October and finished November off with a bad loss to Vanderbilt. Both teams have talent on their roster, so the contest is still pretty intriguing. Its the final career games for Josh Dobbs and Tommy Armstrong, and each team is looking to send them out on top. A bowl win could save Butch Jones, so there is plenty of intrigue in this one.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

#5 Outback Bowl (ABC-Jan. 2nd, 12:00 PM)

Iowa vs. Florida

Both teams come into this game at 8-4, but the end of the regular season ended differently for each. For Iowa, they answered the bell as to why some thought they were a top ten team in the preseason as they rattled off three straight wins over Michigan, Illinois, and Nebraska to finish second in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start this year, but come into the bowl game stronger than ever. The same can’t be said for the Gators, as they come into the game losers of two straight including a dismantling by Alabama. It will certainly be a low scoring game as both sides have strong defenses and lathargic offenses, so if you like those type of battles this one is certainly for you. The Outback Bowl is always a good contest to start the New Years Day so if you’re planning on binge watching football this along with our next contest will be one to flip back and fourth between.

. Wisconsin won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

#4 Goodyear Cotton Bowl (ESPN-Jan. 2nd, 12:00 PM)

Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan

While the previous match up is certainly an entertaining one, I have a reason to believe most of our readers will be primarily watching this game during that same time slot. While we all love and follow Wisconsin, the bowl game doesn’t quite carry as much appeal as the others which is why they come in at #4. Overall, yes Wisconsin fans should be extatic that the Badgers were able to make a New Years Six Bowl after the year they were pegged to have. Despite that, its a fair assessment to say that the game they ended up in brings a certain factor of more to be desired. Overall it should be a compelling game, but for Wisconsin it doesn’t carry much merit. If they win, they get minimal credit, and if they lose, they are a laughing stock for losing to a MAC team. While they are still playing in one of the best venues in an exciting game, I was forced to settle it at #4.

. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

#3 Capital One Orange Bowl (ESPN-Dec. 30th, 7:00 PM)

Michigan vs. Florida State

The Orange Bowl carries quite a bit of excitement and should be a good match up between two quality teams with much superior strengths. Michigan’s defense against Florida State’s offense is the best match up this Bowl season on any scale. The Wolverines are one of the best units in football defensively, but they will certainly have their hands full in Dalvin Cook, one of the nations top running backs. This match up will certainly determine the outcome, and if Cook is shut down and FSU is forced to rely on Francious ability to throw under pressure it could be a long day for the Seminoles. Michigan has the best pass rush in college football, and while FSU Quarterback Deonadre Francois is as tough as nails, it might be hard for him to finish out this game if he takes the kind of abuse he takes on a regular basis. Michigan feels as though they were snubbed from the CFP, and a quality bowl win would go a long day in their argument.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

#2 Rose Bowl (ESPN-Jan. 2nd, 4:00 PM)

Penn State vs. USC

This to me is the best match up of the hottest teams right now, and I was hard pressed to not put it in at #1. If our remaining game didn’t have title implications, this would surely be the top choice. Each teams comes in on fire, with USC winning 8 in a row and Penn State winners of 9 in a row including a Big Ten Title (yup still hurts to say that). Both teams have taken similar paths after slow starts, but have been on a roll since then. The player to watch is All American’s Adoree Jackson and JuJu Smith-Shuster who have had incredible seasons so far this year. Each player is a high caliber NFL talent that has teased returning next season to bring playoff hopes back to LA. A Penn State win just might deflate the USC bubble, and put the Nittany Lions back on the grand stage of college football. Obviously the history of these two programs is second to none, and that along with the pageantry of the Rose Bowl makes it an obvious pick for #2 on our list and arguments for the top spot.

. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Fiesta Bowl (ESPN-Dec. 31st, 6:00 PM)

Ohio State vs. Clemson

Our #1 spot goes to the semifinal game between Ohio State and Clemson. Its an interesting match up that has quite a bit of weight to it. The winner will likely go on to play the might Tide of Alabama and assert themselves as the #2 program in all of college football. Each team has similar qualities so I see this one going back and fourth with a lot of excitement. Quarterbacks JT Barrett and Deshaun Watson are similar in their style of play, and will certainly be the focal point for both offenses. It’ll be very high scoring, and the defense who forces the most turnovers will likely come out on the winning end. While normally I tend to root for the Big Ten in Bowl games, something about this one has me rooting for Clemson. The Buckeyes have always rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m sure that many Wisconsin fans have that same attitude towards THEE Ohio State. That being said, there’s nothing sweeter than watching a bitter rival go down, so simply watching for that possibility is enough to put it at the #1 spot on our watch ability rankings.