How the bowl process works
You know the basics at the top. The College Football Playoff is in its sixth season. A committee gathers. It ranks teams weekly in November (this season's first poll is Nov. 5). The top four reach the playoff. The next-best six to eight teams, plus the top non-Power Five side, comprise the New Year's Six games (a rotation of the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls).
From there. it's up to individual conferences to determine how they want to handle their schools. Each league has its unique style. The Southeastern Conference, for example, lets the Citrus Bowl have first pick, and then the league takes charge and assigns schools to bowls (while consulting with bowl representatives).
The 14-team Big Ten has a bit more structured, if not unwieldy, process to determine its bowl selection. The league has been signing six-year agreements around which it sends teams and attempts to spread the wealth, with different teams in different cities, as much as possible.
This year is the perfect time to examine the conference's exercise, with it being the final season of the current agreement from the 2014-2019 seasons. (The league's new arrangement begins in 2020.) We'll look at the options based on the conference's determined bowl hierarchy. All year designations listed below are relative to the fall season associated with that team's placement.
Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Fla.): The Big Ten's participation is often dependent on whether a team from the league is chosen to participate in the Orange Bowl. If the conference is left out, then the Citrus swoops in. Over the six-year period, the Citrus is to take five different schools when applicable. Schools selected: Minnesota (2014), Michigan (2015), Penn State (2018).
Outback Bowl (Tampa, Fla. MN vs. Auburn): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. The bowl has already used its repeat choice, and Iowa fans are pretty sure they know who that is. Translated: The Hawkeyes won't be returning this New Year's. Nor will any of the other listed schools selected: Wisconsin (2014), Northwestern (2015), Iowa (2016, 2018), Michigan (2017).
Holiday Bowl (San Diego): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. Long a bit of a white whale for the Hawkeyes, who haven't been back since 1991. (I've read many a Chad Leistikow paragraph echoing this sentiment the past few years.) And the Holiday is out of the next Big Ten rotation, so it's now or never for the fan base. The way this season is shaking out, this destination is quite plausible (more on this below). Schools selected: Northwestern (2014), Michigan State (2015), Minnesota (2016), Wisconsin (2017), Nebraska (2018).
Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tenn.) and TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Fla.):These bowls are a package deal. Each gets three Big Ten schools over the six-year agreement, and a Big Ten school can't repeat at the same site in that time frame. In this current round, the Big Ten has had three Music City participants and two Gator participants. So it's almost certainly a Gator year to close this round, and the Hawkeyes have already been. Cross this pairing off the list, too. Music City schools selected: Nebraska (2016), Northwestern (2017), Purdue (2018). Gator schools selected: Iowa (2014), Penn State (2015).
Pinstripe Bowl (New York): The Big Ten says its "goal" is to get eight schools to the Yankee Stadium in the eight-year agreement it signed with the game. The conference's history with this bowl dates to 2014. At minimum, six different schools must play in the game. The Big Ten is 5-for-5 so far in this venture. With Iowa having recently visited New York, a repeat trip, though not impossible, doesn't seem likely here, either. Schools selected: Penn State (2014), Indiana (2015), Northwestern (2016), Iowa (2017), Wisconsin (2018).
Redbox Bowl (Santa Clara, Calif.): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. The Bay Area bowl has fulfilled this requirement already, so a repeat is possible here. Iowa hasn't participated in that time frame, so this is a potential landing spot if November goes south. Schools selected: Maryland (2014), Nebraska (2015), Indiana (2016), Purdue (2017), Michigan State (2018).
Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit): This bowl will pick a Big Ten school if there are any left to be taken. This one's usually for the 6-6 crowd. Schools selected: Rutgers (2014), Minnesota (2015), Maryland (2016), Minnesota (2018).
First Responder Bowl (Dallas): Similar to the Quick Lane, this is another leftover landing spot. The Big Ten has an alternating-year agreement with the bowl, but the matchup is usually left to the non-Power Five hodgepodge. Schools selected: Illinois (2014).
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...ns-iowa-state-big-12-iowa-big-ten/4097308002/
You know the basics at the top. The College Football Playoff is in its sixth season. A committee gathers. It ranks teams weekly in November (this season's first poll is Nov. 5). The top four reach the playoff. The next-best six to eight teams, plus the top non-Power Five side, comprise the New Year's Six games (a rotation of the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls).
From there. it's up to individual conferences to determine how they want to handle their schools. Each league has its unique style. The Southeastern Conference, for example, lets the Citrus Bowl have first pick, and then the league takes charge and assigns schools to bowls (while consulting with bowl representatives).
The 14-team Big Ten has a bit more structured, if not unwieldy, process to determine its bowl selection. The league has been signing six-year agreements around which it sends teams and attempts to spread the wealth, with different teams in different cities, as much as possible.
This year is the perfect time to examine the conference's exercise, with it being the final season of the current agreement from the 2014-2019 seasons. (The league's new arrangement begins in 2020.) We'll look at the options based on the conference's determined bowl hierarchy. All year designations listed below are relative to the fall season associated with that team's placement.
Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Fla.): The Big Ten's participation is often dependent on whether a team from the league is chosen to participate in the Orange Bowl. If the conference is left out, then the Citrus swoops in. Over the six-year period, the Citrus is to take five different schools when applicable. Schools selected: Minnesota (2014), Michigan (2015), Penn State (2018).
Outback Bowl (Tampa, Fla. MN vs. Auburn): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. The bowl has already used its repeat choice, and Iowa fans are pretty sure they know who that is. Translated: The Hawkeyes won't be returning this New Year's. Nor will any of the other listed schools selected: Wisconsin (2014), Northwestern (2015), Iowa (2016, 2018), Michigan (2017).
Holiday Bowl (San Diego): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. Long a bit of a white whale for the Hawkeyes, who haven't been back since 1991. (I've read many a Chad Leistikow paragraph echoing this sentiment the past few years.) And the Holiday is out of the next Big Ten rotation, so it's now or never for the fan base. The way this season is shaking out, this destination is quite plausible (more on this below). Schools selected: Northwestern (2014), Michigan State (2015), Minnesota (2016), Wisconsin (2017), Nebraska (2018).
Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tenn.) and TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Fla.):These bowls are a package deal. Each gets three Big Ten schools over the six-year agreement, and a Big Ten school can't repeat at the same site in that time frame. In this current round, the Big Ten has had three Music City participants and two Gator participants. So it's almost certainly a Gator year to close this round, and the Hawkeyes have already been. Cross this pairing off the list, too. Music City schools selected: Nebraska (2016), Northwestern (2017), Purdue (2018). Gator schools selected: Iowa (2014), Penn State (2015).
Pinstripe Bowl (New York): The Big Ten says its "goal" is to get eight schools to the Yankee Stadium in the eight-year agreement it signed with the game. The conference's history with this bowl dates to 2014. At minimum, six different schools must play in the game. The Big Ten is 5-for-5 so far in this venture. With Iowa having recently visited New York, a repeat trip, though not impossible, doesn't seem likely here, either. Schools selected: Penn State (2014), Indiana (2015), Northwestern (2016), Iowa (2017), Wisconsin (2018).
Redbox Bowl (Santa Clara, Calif.): At least five schools in the six-year agreement. The Bay Area bowl has fulfilled this requirement already, so a repeat is possible here. Iowa hasn't participated in that time frame, so this is a potential landing spot if November goes south. Schools selected: Maryland (2014), Nebraska (2015), Indiana (2016), Purdue (2017), Michigan State (2018).
Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit): This bowl will pick a Big Ten school if there are any left to be taken. This one's usually for the 6-6 crowd. Schools selected: Rutgers (2014), Minnesota (2015), Maryland (2016), Minnesota (2018).
First Responder Bowl (Dallas): Similar to the Quick Lane, this is another leftover landing spot. The Big Ten has an alternating-year agreement with the bowl, but the matchup is usually left to the non-Power Five hodgepodge. Schools selected: Illinois (2014).
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...ns-iowa-state-big-12-iowa-big-ten/4097308002/
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