MSU possibly heading to San Antonio

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The Spartans’ 40-37 win against Purdue on Saturday made them bowl-eligible for the third straight season. It marks the first time the Spartans have done so since 1995-97, and just the third time in program history.

Still, six wins don’t guarantee MSU a bowl game, but an Ohio State victory against Michigan next Saturday would. There currently are seven Big Ten teams that are bowl eligible and U-M could become No. 8.

There are seven Big Ten bowl tie-ins and the first four are all but guaranteed for No. 9 Ohio State, No. 13 Penn State, No. 15 Iowa and No. 17 Wisconsin. The final three are up for grabs between MSU, Northwestern and Minnesota.

Next Saturday, MSU plays Penn State, Northwestern hosts Wisconsin and Minnesota travels to Iowa.

Here are projections for where each Big Ten team will play in the postseason.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State

It’s hard to believe that the Buckeyes have won six Big Ten titles under Jim Tressel but never have gone to a Rose Bowl. Ohio State’s overtime victory against Iowa Saturday gave the team its fifth-straight Big Ten championship, and since the Big Ten won’t have a team in the national championship, it is likely that Ohio State finally will have a Rose Bowl appearance. Good news for the Big Ten, too — USC won’t be going to the Rose Bowl thanks to Stanford’s drubbing of the Trojans, so the Big Ten might have a chance to keep this season’s Rose Bowl competitive.

Capital One Bowl: Iowa

First, Iowa’s undefeated hopes were smashed. Then their Big Ten title dreams were, too. Losing quarterback Ricky Stanzi may prove to be a blessing in disguise if James Vandenberg plays like he did in Ohio Stadium. The Hawkeyes were the only Big Ten team to win a bowl game last season and their fans always have traveled extremely well. A loss could slide them down to the Outback Bowl or Champs Sports Bowl.

Outback Bowl: Penn State

Penn State has an outside chance at making a BCS bowl, but with the Big Ten’s poor BCS performances and nonautomatic qualifying teams high in the BCS rankings (TCU and Boise State), Penn State likely will be heading to Tampa Bay, Fla., to play in the Outback Bowl. Iowa’s victory against the Nittany Lions will put the Hawkeyes ahead of Penn State.

Champs Sports Bowl: Wisconsin

Every season the Badgers seem to be heading to Florida. This winter, they’ll likely head back to Orlando to compete in their second straight Champs Sports Bowl. If MSU upsets Penn State and Minnesota upsets Iowa, the Badgers could make the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl.

Alamo Bowl: Michigan State

Regardless of whether the Spartans defeat Penn State, this is a realistic destination. If the Spartans beat Penn State and finish 7-5, they likely will jump Northwestern because of head-to-head and the Spartans’ ability to travel well. If Minnesota defeats Iowa, the Gophers could go to San Antonio instead. Of these three teams (MSU, Northwestern and Minnesota), the Spartans likely will bring the most fans, which will help their cause. An MSU loss coupled with upsets by Northwestern and Minnesota could have the Spartans fall to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Insight Bowl: Northwestern

The Wildcats have come up with seven wins this season and are bowl eligible for the third straight season under Pat Fitzgerald. The Wildcats were able to feast on lowly nonconference competition early in the season. Northwestern likely won’t bring many fans wherever they go, so they won’t be a popular pick for a bowl committee. But a seven- or eight-win Northwestern team likely will be taken ahead of a six-win Minnesota or MSU team.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Minnesota

The newly renamed bowl would love to have the Spartans play in Detroit, in the same stadium where the men’s basketball team played for the Final Four, but another bowl likely would grab the Spartans before they fell this low. Minnesota barely got by South Dakota State to become bowl eligible and now has to travel to Iowa to try for its seventh win.

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