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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Phil Harrison

Big Ten bowl projections and College Football Playoff predictions after Week 5

The Big Ten has a rich history in bowl games, and the expectations are it will continue in 2023 — we think.

Here at Buckeyes Wire, we keep the tradition going and look at where we think all of the teams in the conference will end up when the dust settles on the season. We re-evaluate after each week’s games and predict where teams will be traveling for the holidays based on what our little eyeballs tell us.

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As it stands, Ohio StateMichigan and Penn State should be shoo-ins for the postseason. Others such as Iowa and Wisconsin should be no-brainers as well. Additional teams could be on the fence with a game here or there making a huge difference on whether they make travel plans for the postseason.

Keep in mind the scenarios are very complicated with bowl tie-ins and contractual preferences for teams that have not been involved in certain locations, so we do our best to track it all. We also throw in the College Football Playoff picks as a cherry on top of it all.

Below is a look at the bowl predictions for Big Ten teams and complete playoff picks after Week 5.

Quick Lane Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Tuesday, Dec. 26
TV | ESPN, 5:30 p.m. ET
Venue | Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. MAC
Bowl Prediction | Nebraska vs. Ohio

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Tuesday, Dec. 26
TV | ESPN, 9 p.m. ET
Venue | Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. Big 12
Bowl Prediction | Minnesota vs. TCU

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Thursday, Dec. 28
TV | ESPN, 2:15 p.m. ET
Venue | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, N.Y.
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. ACC
Bowl Prediction | Rutgers vs. NC State

Transperfect Music City Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Saturday, Dec. 30
TV | ESPN, 2 p.m. ET
Venue | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction | Maryland vs. Ole Miss

ReliaQuest Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Monday, Jan. 1
TV | ESPN2, Noon ET
Venue | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction | Iowa vs. Tennessee

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

What We Predict

Date | Monday, Jan. 1
TV | ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Venue | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Prediction | Wisconsin vs. Kentucky

NEXT … Big Ten teams in the New Year’s Six bowls

Cotton Bowl Classic

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What We Predict

Date | Friday, Dec. 29
TV | ESPN, 8 p.m. ET
Venue | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Bowl Tie-Ins | CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction | Ohio State vs. Washington

Capital One Orange Bowl

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

What We Predict

Date | Saturday, Dec. 30
TV | ESPN, 4 p.m. ET
Venue | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | ACC vs. Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Prediction | Penn State vs. Notre Dame

NEXT … College Football Playoff games

CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl Game

What We Predict

Date | Monday, Jan. 1
TV | ESPN, 5 p.m. ET
Venue | Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Bowl Tie-Ins | CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction | Michigan vs. Texas

CFP Semifinal Allstate Sugar Bowl

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

What We Predict

Date | Monday, Jan. 1
TV | ESPN, 8:45 p.m. ET
Venue | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Bowl Tie-Ins | CFP at-large
Bowl Prediction |  Georgia vs. Florida State

College Football Playoff National Championship game

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What We Predict

Date | Monday, Jan. 8
TV | ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue | NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Bowl Tie-Ins | CFP semifinal winner vs. CFP semifinal winner
Bowl Prediction | Georgia vs. Texas

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

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