Bowl Buzz: Early look has Badgers bound for New Year’s Six
November 01, 2016 | Football, Andy Baggot
A weekly look at bowl projections for the Badgers
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Each week leading up to the announcement of the Badgers' bowl destination on Dec. 4, Andy Baggot will take a look at one of Wisconsin's potential destinations. More information is available at UWBowlcentral.com.
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin football team is bowl eligible for 15th-consecutive season, which represents the longest streak in the Big Ten Conference and the sixth-longest among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
So where will the Badgers go bowling and who will they play?
At this point it doesn't seem too complicated.
UW (6-2 overall) was eighth in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday. The weekly process will continue until the final ranking is compiled on Dec. 4.
The top four in the current arrangement – Alabama, Clemson, Michigan and Texas A&M – would play in the national semifinals in the Peach and Fiesta bowls on Dec. 31.
At the nine-week juncture, the Badgers are in a pool of teams that would play one of the New Year's Six bowls on or around New Year's Day. ESPN, Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports project Wisconsin will face Atlantic Coast Conference entry Louisville (7-1) in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Dec. 30. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Madison time.
In contrast, Bleacher Report has UW matched up against Western Michigan (8-0) out of the Mid-American Conference in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 2. Kickoff is noon Madison time.
The Badgers have never faced Louisville and have won three of four meetings with Western Michigan in a non-conference series that dates back to 1963. The most recent encounter was in 2000.
Wisconsin, which plays at Northwestern on Saturday, is one of five Big Ten schools in the top 12 of the initial CFP rankings. The others are No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 Nebraska and No. 12 Penn State.
For complete details on potential bowl destinations, ticket information and travel packages, be sure to check out UWBowlCentral.com.
