It’s spring time. So, it must be time for 2013 bowl projections! At least it is in the world of CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm. And I’m not gonna argue with him. The guy has a degree in computer science from Purdue. He was in the marching band, but I won’t hold that against him.

The regular season is over. All that’s left is the Big Ten title game, which could alter the Big Ten bowl projections at the top of the pecking order.

The Big Ten bowl picture continues to solidify. Nebraska remains the favorite to get to the Rose Bowl. But with Notre Dame—my projection last week to play the Huskers in Pasadena–now projected to play in the BCS title game, the Cornhuskers have a new foe: Oregon.

This much we know: Wisconsin will play either Nebraska or Michigan in the Big Ten title game. All three are coming off wins and figure to land nice bowl slots, regardless of what the matchup ends up being in Indianapolis.

No changes at the top of my bowl projections this week with Nebraska and Michigan taking care of business, and Wisconsin and Northwestern being off. But the “lower-tier” bowls are in flux.

With just over a month to play, the bowl picture is starting to come into focus. You can’t talk bowls without talking bowl payouts. And, in 2012, the Big Ten’s postseason bottom line may take a hit.

The bowl picture got a bit jumbled after a topsy-turvy weekend. The big winner was Nebraska, which moved into the Rose Bowl slot with its triumph over Michigan. The Legends Division is the Cornhuskers if they win out, which could set up a likely clash with Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. The Huskers beat the Badgers, 30-27, earlier this season.

Michigan further solidified its status as the Rose Bowl front-runner in the Big Ten with a third win in a row. This time, the Wolverines dumped Michigan State, 12-10, ending the Spartans’ four-game winning skein in the series.

Northwestern became the first Big Ten team to reach bowl eligibility with its 21-13 win at Minnesota. Wisconsin also enhanced its bowl prospects with a dominating 38-14 win at Purdue, as the Badgers now look like the clear favorite to represent the Leaders Division in the Big Ten title game.

Six weeks are in the books, and the bowl picture is coming into a bit sharper focus … a bit. To review: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—but it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are banned from the postseason in 2012.

Five weeks are in the books, and the bowl picture is coming into a bit sharper focus … a bit. To review: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—but it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are on NCAA and banned from the postseason in 2012.

Four weeks are in the books, but the bowl picture remains a work-in-progress—as usual To review: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—but it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are on NCAA and banned from the postseason in 2012.

Three weeks are in the books, but the bowl picture remains a work-in-progress. To review: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—but it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are on NCAA and banned from the postseason in 2012.

The season is still in its infancy, so the bowl picture remains lucid. Very lucid. The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—and it has only 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are on NCAA and banned from the postseason in 2012.

One week is in the books, but not much has changed in my Big Ten bowl projections (posted here every Monday). Remember: The Big Ten has tie-ins with eight bowls—and it has just 10 bowl-eligible schools, as Penn State and Ohio State are banned from the postseason in 2012.