Way-too-early bowl game projections for every Big Ten team in 2024
As we continue to wade through down parts of the offseason in the world of college football and bide our time until the spring season rolls around, it’s been fun to take the information we have about current roster dynamics and try to project it into the future.
Earlier this year, we gave our way-too-early Big Ten power rankings, this time expanded to include the new additions from the West Coast. We also gave our early record predictions for each team in the conference, trying to project who will be among the top teams in the Big Ten next year.
Now it’s time to see if we can accurately predict where each team will end up when it comes to bowl season.
Of course, things are going to look a lot different in 2024 when it comes to the postseason because of the expansion of the College Football Playoff. While the first-round games will take place at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program, the quarterfinals and semifinal games will be played at traditional bowl sites. In 2024-25, those games will look as follows:
2024 quarterfinals: Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl
2024 semifinals: Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl
For the non-CFP teams, though, bowl season will commence as normal, with each conference. Here’s where we project all bowl-eligible Big Ten teams will end up in the 2024-25 postseason:
Non-Bowl-Eligible Teams
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According to our preseason projections, half of the Big Ten Conference will likely be ineligible for a bowl game in 2024, not making it to the 6-win threshold. Here is who I project those teams will be:
Michigan State
UCLA
Maryland
Northwestern
Rutgers
Minnesota
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue
Quick Lane Bowl
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. MAC
Prediction | Nebraska vs. Bowling Green
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. Big 12
Prediction | Washington vs. Kansas State
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Yankee Stadium, New York City, New York
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. ACC
Prediction | Wisconsin vs. Miami
Music City Bowl
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Prediction | Iowa vs. Tennessee
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. ACC
Prediction | USC vs. Louisville
ReliaQuest Bowl
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Prediction | Penn State vs. LSU
Cheez It Citrus Bowl
Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. Big 12
Prediction | Michigan vs. Oklahoma
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Sugar Bowl)
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Ceasars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Prediction | Oregon vs. Arizona
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Rose Bowl)
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The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Prediction | Ohio State vs. Utah
College Football Playoff Semifinal (Orange Bowl)
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Prediction | Oregon vs. Georgia
College Football Playoff Semifinal (Cotton Bowl)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Way-Too-Early Prediction
Venue | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Prediction | Ohio State vs. Texas
