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The Bowl
Page
Created
10/11/00;
Updated
4/27/14
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'Cats Will Look to Return
to Postseason in 2014;
B1G Debuts New Bowl Lineup
The 'Cats will attempt to return to the postseason in
'14. When they do, it will be with a new bowl lineup.
The Big Ten unveiled last summer its new bowl arrangements, including
11 different bowl games that will rotate to fill nine spots per
year. Nine landing places for the conference is a record for the
B1G.
More importantly, the selection process has changed.
Rather than each bowl having a spot in a one-by-one pecking order, the
bowls are tiered, and each bowl within a tier will work together and
with the Big Ten Conference to determine which eligible team is the
best "fit" within the tier. The criteria are a labyrinth of
financial and media-driven rules. However, they are influenced by
how many times a team has recently played in the bowl in question.
Note that between now and the start of the season, this lineup and selection sequence will likely change.
Because of the new system, HailToPurple.com has stopped predicting NU's
chances for each individual bowl. Instead, we will forecast in
which tier NU will land (see below).
Annual "Way Too Early" Bowl Projections
Updated
April 27-- As we do every year, HailToPurple.com has projected NU's
bowl chances coming out of spring practice. Below are the
projected chances for each tier of bowl spots.
Coming out of an uncertain spring, with some questions on the offensive
line and a few depth issues on defense, NU will have some work to do
during the fall preseason practices. However, the biggest factor
in NU's success this season will likely be the size of the distractions
caused by the union issue. Unfortunately, we predict that the
division among the team because of this issue will seriously hamper the
Wildcats' potential this fall.
As of the end of April, HTP projects NU as having a 43% chance of making it back to the postseason. The most likely tier is four.
The next update to the projections will be during Camp Kenosha.
Schedule of Possible Bowls, 2014-15 (Initial List)
AND Schedule for the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game
Postseason
Tier |
Bowl
(and Date) |
Network
(may change) |
NU's Chances*
(end of April) |
West #1
vs. East #1 |
Big Ten Championship
Lucas Oil Stadium
Dec. 6, 2014 |
Fox
Sports |
<1% |
Tier One
Big Ten #1
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Rose (vs. Pac-12)(not in play for
2014 season: Rose will host Playoffs)
Jan. 1
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ESPN |
<1%
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Orange Bowl (alternate to Rose/
Capital One)
Dec. 31
|
ESPN |
Tier Two
Big Ten #2-4
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Capital One (vs. SEC)
Jan. 1
|
TBD |
5%
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Holiday Bowl (vs. Pac-12)
TBD
|
TBD |
Outback Bowl (vs. SEC)
Jan. 1
|
TBD |
Tier Three**
Big Ten #5-7
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TaxSlayer (aka Gator) (vs. SEC?)
Jan. 2
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ESPN |
14%
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Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (vs. Pac-12)
TBD
|
TBD |
Music City Bowl (vs. SEC)
TBD
|
TBD |
Pinstripe Bowl (vs. ACC)
TBD
|
TBD |
Tier Four**
Big Ten #8-9
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Armed Forces (vs. Big 12)
TBD
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TBD |
24%
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Detroit (?) Bowl
TBD
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TBD |
Heart of Dallas
TBD
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TBD |
*The
likelihood of each bowl is a simple projection by
HailToPurple.com. The likelihood numbers are additive. So,
if for
instance the chance for a tier three bowl is given as 10%, that should
NOT be read as saying that NU has only a 10% chance of making any bowl
at that level or higher. To calculate that
likelihood, simply add all the chances above tier three to
it. The sum of all the listed chances equals the projected
likelihood that NU will make any bowl game in 2014. 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.
** There are more bowl games in these tiers than there are Big Ten team
slots. It is likely that a Big Ten team will not be chosen for
both the Music City and Gator Bowls in a given year. This is also
the case with the Heart of Dallas Bowl and the Armed Forces Bowl.
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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