Written by BTN.com staffWe already knew Wisconsin was headed to the Rose Bowl this bowl season. That much was decided with Saturday night’s thrilling victory over Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game. The rest of the bowl pairings were announced Sunday night, and when all was said and done, the Big Ten accepted a record 10 invitations. Here’s the list: Illinois (Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl), Michigan (Sugar Bowl), Michigan State (Outback Bowl), Nebraska (Capital One Bowl), Northwestern (Meineke Car Care Bowl), Ohio State (Gator Bowl), Penn State (TicketCity Bowl), Purdue (Little Caesars Pizza Bowl) and Wisconsin (Rose Bowl). See all the pairings in this post.
Big Ten Bowls
| BOWL GAME | SITE | MATCHUP | TV | TRACK IT |
| Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Tue., Dec. 27 @ 4:30 p.m. |
Detroit, MI | Purdue vs. Western Michigan | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| Insight Bowl Fri., Dec. 30 @ 10 p.m. Insight Bowl |
Tempe, AZ | Iowa vs. Oklahoma | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas Sat., Dec. 31 @ 12 p.m. |
Houston, TX | Northwestern vs. Texas A&M | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Sat., Dec. 31 @ 3:30 p.m. |
San Francisco, CA | Illinois vs. UCLA | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| TicketCity Bowl Mon., Jan. 2 @ 12 p.m. |
Dallas, TX | Penn State vs. Houston | ESPNU | Live scoreboard |
| Capital One Bowl Mon., Jan. 2 @ 1 p.m. |
Orlando, FL | Nebraska vs. South Carolina | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| Gator Bowl Mon., Jan. 2 @ 1 p.m. |
Jacksonville, FL | Ohio State vs. Florida | ESPN2 | Live scoreboard |
| Outback Bowl Mon., Jan. 2 @ 1 p.m. |
Tampa, FL | Michigan State vs. Georgia | ABC | Live scoreboard |
| Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO Mon., Jan. 2 @ 5 p.m. |
Pasadena, CA | Wisconsin vs. Oregon | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl Tue., Jan. 3 @ 8:30 p.m. |
New Orleans, LA | Michigan vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN | Live scoreboard |
For all other bowl games, check out our complete 2011-2012 College Football Bowl schedule.
Michigan State disrespected again! Two years in a row. Michigan going to the Sugar Bowl is hilariously ridiculous.
The Big Ten needs to negotiate better times for these bowl games. How come four Big Ten teams are playing at the same time on January 2nd. I would like to watch all of our teams play! Go Green! Beat those Bulldogs!
It is too much of a good thing on one day! I agree. It would be nice to “spread the wealth” so we could enjoy the games over more days. Oh, well! We’ll make it work!
Looks like MSU and Georgia are playing in the “we lost in our last game/we lost the conference championship game” bowl.
Noce to see the Big 10 get 10 of 12 in the postseason.
Big Ten, please explain how you continue to support a system that penalizes a team for losing in the championship game? Michigan State would have been better off to boycott the game. Not that making a BCS game would have made a big difference – the whole system is a joke. It’s just incredible that a team that finished below Michigan State in the regular season can somehow jump over them to a supposed better bowl game without playing a game.
This is something that happens almost every year. Georgia is in the same boat as MSU. South Carolina is going to the Capital One Bowl over Georgia despite UGA winning the SEC East ahead of South Carolina. One of the worst examples was 2007, when Missouri beat Kansas in the regular-season finale, won the Big 12 North, then lost the Big 12 title game to Oklahoma. What was Mizzou’s reward? A trip to the Cotton Bowl, while Kansas went to the BCS Orange Bowl!!! I still can’t figure that one out.
I will say, most of the Big Ten teams are lined up against big name opponents. I’m not sure all of them deserve it though. I hate to say it, but I don’t see many victories ahead for the Big Ten this year in Bowls. I hope I’m wrong.
I think the B1G may be an underdog in its BCS bowls and matchups vs. the SEC. Check it out;
Oregon-Wisconsin, Rose
Va Tech-Michigan, Sugar
South Carolina-Nebraska, Capital One
Georgia-MSU, Outback
Florida-Ohio State, Gator
Again, I don’t think the B1G will be favored in any of these games. The Gator may be a pick ‘em. The SEC teams look to be slight favorites in each other game–I think.
This might be interesting to ponder for future years: Illinois is NOT chosen by a big 10 bowl, but actually ends up going to a better bowl… (The Kraft San Fransisco bowl pays more money, gets better ratings than the Pizza bowl)… should the Big 10 allow the “worst” or “least desirable” to actually slip so far that they get a “better” bowl? (if the big 10 had only received one BCS team, then this would have happened to two big 10 teams–the worst two might have gotton better bids than the teams that went to the pizza bowl and ticketcity bowl)… What does everyone think?
It’s a good deal for the Big Ten. The league’s bowl slots were filled up–and it found a postseason home for Illinois that pays better than some of the Big Ten-affiliated bowls? I’d say that’s pretty good for the B1G. Instead of sitting at home and earning nothing and not giving players a postseaon experience, Illinois will get to try to finish the season on an up note after losing six games in a row.
Congrats to all the teams and their perspective bowls. Should be a nice holiday season! As far as who gets what bowl is at best controversial. Unfortunately, super conferences (12+ teams) with CCG’s games usually causes the loser to drop in their bowl selection appearance; unfair, yes!
As far as the B1G having control of who goes to what bowl is non-existent (less the Rose as it is always the Champs of the B1G). Guaranteed slots they do have; but not what team is appointed in any bowl. Michigan’s “at large berth” into the Sugar Bowl was consider first for the money the fan base generates and secondly their win/loss record.
MSU is the Legends Champs that has been won on the field in divisional play. When MSU squares off against Georgia, I will be cheering GO GREEN! As well as Go Big Red on the other channel.