Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor, July 1, 2013

Phil Steele released his highly anticipated 2013-14 bowl projections Monday. Big Ten fans will be even more interested in the list this year, as Steele forecasts nine (!) bowl teams and Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. See Steele's full bowl slate, plus predicted opponents, in this post.

[ PhilSteele.com: 2013-14 Bowl Projections ]

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Minnesota vs. Bowling Green
Texas Bowl: Indiana vs. Kansas State
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Northwestern vs. Baylor
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Iowa vs. Tulsa
Gator Bowl: Michigan vs. Ole Miss
Capital One Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU
Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Florida
Rose Bowl: Nebraska vs. Oregon
BCS National Championship Game: Ohio State vs. Alabama

Best matchup: Ohio State vs. Alabama. Easiest selection ever. For real. Pretty much every BCS title game features an enticing matchup, but Ohio State vs. Alabama would be something really special.

Under-the-radar matchup: Northwestern vs. Baylor. If you like points, you'd love this potential battle. Honestly, the way these two teams play offense, points almost certainly would be aplenty. And based on Northwestern's recent history of playing nearly every opponent close, this would figure to come down to the final minutes.

Biggest surprise: Iowa bowling. It's not too crazy to think the Hawkeyes will bounce back and return to a bowl following last season's disappointing 4-8 clip. But it won't be easy – not when you call the competitive Legends Division home.

Biggest surprise II: 9 Big Ten bowl teams. This being the case, Steele thinks the Big Ten will have 10 teams win at least six games. Remember, Penn State, fresh off a 8-4 season, is ineligible for a bowl due to NCAA sanctions.

About Brent Yarina BTN.com web editor Brent Yarina covers football and men's basketball for BTN.com. He writes the popular uniform feature "Clothes Call," which also focuses on the latest cosmetic changes across Big Ten arenas and stadiums. Read all of his work here. You can subscribe to Yarina's RSS feed and follow him on Twitter @BTNBrentYarina.