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The Bowl
Page
Created
10/11/00;
Updated 1/16/10
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The Grand Quest Continues
For
the second straight year, Northwestern came one overtime play away from
scoring its first bowl victory in three generations. NU's wild
performance in the 2010 Outback Bowl will be discussed for years to
come. But the final score leaves the Wildcats' Quest unfinished,
and Northwestern again sets out to return to the postseason and to win
its bowl.
NU will attempt to do so within a conference that finished 2009 very
strong, and should remain strong in '10. Penn State and Ohio
State should remain all-powerful, Michigan State and Minnesota are on
the rise, Iowa and Wisconsin will try to stay close to their level of
performance in '09, and Purdue and Michigan have nowhere to go but
up. The fight for the Big Ten's bowl slots will be fierce.
However, that fight will only be for position, since a bowl will now be
virtually guaranteed to any bowl-eligible Big Ten team. The
conference
has eight tie-in bowls this year, more than the Big Ten has ever had
before. At least four of those slots are now January 1, with the
return of
the Gator Bowl into the Big Ten fold. There could actually be
five
January 1 games for the conference if the Dallas Football Classic ends
up being held on January 1. See below for the new Big Ten bowl
lineup.
As we get close to the season
kickoff HailToPurple.com will begin to provide, as always, the estimated
likelihood for NU's appearance in each bowl.
Schedule of Possible Bowls, 2010-'11
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Bowl
(and Date)
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| NU's Chances
(will post in August)
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BCS Title Game
(at the Fiesta Bowl)
Jan. 10, 2011
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ESPN
| *** |
BCS: Big Ten #1
vs. Pac 10
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Rose Bowl
Jan. 1
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ABC
| *** |
(BCS)
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Orange Bowl
Jan. 3
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ESPN |
*** |
| (BCS) |
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 1
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ESPN |
*** |
| (BCS) |
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 4
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ESPN |
*** |
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Big Ten #2
vs. SEC
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Capital One (Citrus) Bowl
Jan. 1
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ABC
| *** |
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Big Ten #3
vs. SEC
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Outback Bowl Jan. 1
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ESPN
| *** |
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Big Ten #4
vs. SEC
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Gator Bowl Jan. 1
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ESPN
(1 or 2?)
| *** |
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Big Ten #5
vs. Big 12
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Insight Bowl
Dec. 31
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NFL Net.?
| *** |
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Big Ten #6
vs. Big 12
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Texas Bowl Dec. 31?
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ESPN?
| *** |
Big Ten #7
vs. Big 12 or C-USA
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Dallas Football Classic
Jan. 1?
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*** |
Big Ten #8
vs. MAC
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Pizza! Pizza!
Dec.
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Take a Look Back at
NU's Last Bowl Win
Be sure to check out this 2008 Website feature from Northwestern Magazine,
featuring an outstanding article by William Weinbaum that revisits the
1948 Wildcat team on the 60th anniversary of its '49 Rose Bowl win!
The site includes great trivia, interviews, and rare film footage of
NU's victory in Pasadena.
Northwestern Bowl History
Select a link to view details about NU's eight bowl appearances, bowl records, and other special games.
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