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The Bowl
Page
Created
10/11/00;
Updated 5/5/09
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2009 Brings Unfinished Business
The
'Cats topped off their impressive nine-win season last year with a trip
to the Alamo Bowl, the team's highest bowl placement since their last
trip to San Antonio in the wake of the 2000 championship. NU put
on a fantastic performance in the '08 edition of the Alamo, but fell in
overtime to Missouri. And so NU's bowl win drought has hit 60
years and counting. With a solid defense returning, can the 2009
Wildcats bring in the long-sought bowl trophy?
They will attempt to do so within a conference that should be mildly
improved from last season. Ohio State, the Big Ten's annual BCS
sacrifice, should be even better in '09. Michigan has no place to
go but up. However, NU faces neither team this season, and
instead will return to playing Wisconsin (which should be mid-pack in
'09) and Penn State (which, though likely dropping slightly in talent
from '08, should still be in the top four). Iowa, the
conference's only bowl winner in 2008, has lost its star to the NFL and
can't seem to keep the rest of its players off the police blotter.
The 2009 bowl slate will be unchanged for the
Big Ten. The conference still has its agreements with-- in order
of pecking-- the Rose, former Citrus, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports,
Insight, and Motor City. The Alamo Bowl, typically one of the
earliest-played of the mid-tier bowls, will now be played on January
2. Although the bowl will still feature the #4 Big Ten selection
vs. the #4 Big Twelve pick, there is word that the Alamo is looking to
upgrade its conference picks. Last year's great game likely
helped bolster the Alamo's cause. All of the bowls will have
their conference contracts renegotiated after this season, so it is
possible that the Big Ten slate will change next year. Hopefully,
a certain bowl game played in Tampa will drop off the conference's bowl
list.
Here are the bowls where NU might go in 2009, provided
it reaches bowl eligibility. As it does every summer,
HailToPurple.com has provided its (very rough) pre-season guess of NU's
chances for each bowl. The chances will be updated each week
throughout the season, until the bowl matchups are announced. As
of May 2009, HailToPurple.com estimates a 69% chance that NU will return to a bowl in 2009, and the most likely bowl is the Insight Bowl.
Schedule of Possible Bowls, 2009-'10
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Bowl
(and Date)
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| NU's Chances
(as of May '09)
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Citi BCS Title Game
(at the Rose Bowl)
Jan. 7, 2010
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ABC
| <1% |
| BCS: Big Ten #1 |
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1
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ABC
| 3% |
(BCS)
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Orange Bowl
Jan. 5
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Fox |
<1% |
| (BCS) |
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 4
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Fox |
<1% |
| (BCS) |
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1
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Fox |
<1% |
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Big Ten #2
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Capital One Bowl
Jan. 1
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ABC
| 4% |
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Big Ten #4 or 5
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Alamo Bowl Jan. 2
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ESPN
| 11% |
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Big Ten #4 or 5
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Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. ??
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ESPN
| 16% |
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Big Ten #6
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Insight Bowl
Dec. 31
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NFL Net.
| 19% |
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Big Ten #7
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Motor City Bowl
Dec. 26?
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ESPN
| 13% |
(At large)
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Other |
NA |
1% |
You
might have noticed that one bowl is missing from the schedule of
possible bowls. That is because the 'Cats have no realistic
chance of being picked by...
The Outback.
Yes, the Wildcat-hatin' Outback. In 2008, for the second time in its history,
the Outback passed over NU to pick a less-deserving team. The Outback chose Iowa, for reasons that had nothing to do
with on-field results. Money, not record, rankings or
head-to-head results drove the Outback again away from the 'Cats.
Ratings and attendance (or, as Iowa fans liked to point out, "asses in
seats") were the factors here.
Well,
lets take a look at those factors, in the cold light of 2009, comparing
the December 2008 Alamo Bowl and the January 2009 Outback Bowl:
TV Ratings (per Nielsen):
- Outback Bowl: 3.03 million homes; 4.09 MM viewers (#9 show for the week)
- Alamo Bowl: 4.47 MM homes; 6.07 MM viewers (#2 show for the week)
So much for ratings. How 'bout them asses?
Attendance:
- Outback Bowl: 55,117
- Alamo Bowl: 55,986
NU
sold out its ticket allotment for the Alamo Bowl, and the NU Alumni
Association sold out its Alamo travel package in three days.
The 2008 Alamo Bowl, with spectacles on both offense and defense, and a
rousing overtime finish, made it to the top three on nearly every media
list of the best bowls of the 2008 season. And the Outback?
But, hey, at least the Outback Bowl and Tampa got just what they
wanted... and deserved.
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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 seven bowl appearances, bowl records, and other special games.
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