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The Bowl
Page
Created
10/11/00;
Updated 4/21/13
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'Cats Prepare to Extend Bowl Winning Streak;
HTP Projects Wings Bowl for 2013
The
Wildcats have finally obliterated their nagging bowl win drought and
now enjoy a bowl winning streak of one. Now begins the work for a
successful 2013 season and for an extension of their postseason success.
With
the core of NU's talent returning from last season (except for
offensive line, where NU will be very young), the 'Cats are in a good
place to secure a winning year in '13. However, they face a
daunting schedule, and their work in the Legends Division will be
challenging.
2013
will be the final year of the current B1G Division alignment, and it
will be the final season for the B1G's current bowl slate. In
2014, the conference will again be fundamentally changed, when Rutgers
and Maryland enter the B1G, and the divisions will be
restructured.
Also
in 2014 the B1G will have a very different bowl game lineup. The
conference is possibly moving away from the glut of Florida games (bye
bye Gator...) and eyeing games on the west (Kraft) and east (Pinstripe)
coasts.
Below
is the lineup of B1G bowls for the 2013 season. This could also
possibly change as we approach the season, and the dates and networks
certainly will change and will be updated.
Now that spring practices are done, it's time to post the initial bowl projections!
Last Year's Recap
Last year, as the above graph shows, HTP underestimated the 'Cats' bowl
prospects early in the season. There were three reasons for
short-changing the prediction for NU's bowl hopes early on:
- I
had taken into account the effect of Ohio State and Penn State's
ineligibility, but had woefully underestimated Penn State's power this
year, as it tore through the B1G and lessened other team's prospects
for major bowls, particularly Iowa and Wisconsin.
- The
B1G was, top-to-bottom, a much weaker conference than I had
expected. I'd have predicted Wisconsin would be the Leaders
representative in the B1G championship, but not with a 7-5 record.
- Northwestern's defense, particularly its ground defense, was better than I had expected.
It
should be noted, though, that HTP was predicting the Gator mid-way
through the season as the most likely destination for the 'Cats, at a
point when nearly every major media site was predicting Dallas,
Meineke, or Wings for NU. The Gator stopped being HTP's front
runner only when the Chicago Tribune reported that its "sources"
informed it that the Capitol One was about invite NU.
2013 Too Early Projections
As of April 21, HailToPurple.com gives the Wildcats an 84% chance
of returning to the postseason in 2013. This is the highest
preseason projection by HTP in the 14 seasons that the site has offered
odds! It should be noted, however, that the previous
record-holder for preseason bowl chances was 2001. HTP set the
2001 preseason bowl chances at 80%; NU ended up having a losing season.
The strength and depth of NU's offensive secondary, combined with the
ever-improving defense, put the 'Cats in a great position at a major
bowl run. As with last year Penn State is not eligible, and
several B1G teams are rebuilding. The most likely bowl right now
appears to be Wings, which picks ahead of Gator this year. NU seems to have a legitimate shot at an upper-tier bowl as well.
The next update to the bowl projections will be in August, during Camp Kenosha.
Schedule of Possible Bowls, 2013-14
AND Schedule for the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game
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Bowl
(and Date)
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| NU's Chances*
(posted Apr. 21)
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Legends #1 vs.
Leaders #1
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Big Ten Championship
Lucas Oil Stadium
Dec. 7, 2013
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Fox
Sports
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14%
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BCS Vizio Title Game
(at the Rose Bowl)
Jan. 6, 2014
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ESPN
| <1% |
BCS: Big Ten #1
vs. Pac-12
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Rose Bowl
Jan. 1
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ESPN
| 6% |
(BCS)
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Orange Bowl
Jan. 3
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ESPN |
<1% |
| (BCS) |
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 1
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ESPN |
<1% |
| (BCS) |
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 2
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ESPN |
<1% |
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Big Ten #2
vs. SEC
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Capital One (Citrus) Bowl
Jan. 1
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ESPN?
| 7% |
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Big Ten #3
vs. SEC
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Outback Bowl Jan. 1
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ABC?
| 13% |
Big Ten #4
vs. Big 12
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Wings Bowl (will pick 4th
in 2013) Dec. 29
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ESPN? |
17% |
Big Ten #5
vs. SEC |
Gator Bowl
Jan. 1 |
ESPN2 |
8% |
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Big Ten #6
vs. Big 12
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Meineke Texas Bowl Dec. 28?
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ESPN
| 14% |
Big Ten #7
vs. Big 12 in 2012
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Heart of Dallas Bowl
Jan. 1
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ESPNU |
9% |
Big Ten #8
vs. MAC
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Pizza! Pizza! Dec. 26
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ESPN |
5% |
| n/a |
At large bowl
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n/a |
3% |
*The
likelihood of each bowl is a simple projection by
HailToPurple.com. The likelihood numbers are additive. So,
if for
instance the chance for the Gator Bowl is given as 10%, that should
NOT be read as saying that NU has only a 10% chance of making any bowl
at the level of the Gator Bowl or higher. To calculate that
likelihood, simply add all the chances above the Gator Bowl to
it. The sum of all the listed chances equals the projected
likelihood that NU will make any bowl game in 2013. When adding, remember not to
include the likelihood for the Big Ten championship game, since its
chances overlap with the other postseason games. During the
season, this list will change after each game.

Northwestern Bowl History
Select a link to view details about NU's 11 bowl appearances, bowl records, and other special games.

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