Bowl Buzz: New destinations add intrigue to postseason possibilities
November 11, 2017 | Football, Andy Baggot
A weekly look at bowl projections for the Badgers
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The debate whether unbeaten Wisconsin is worthy of a berth in the College Football Playoff obscures one attractive postseason reality.
As long as the Badgers continue to have success, they're sure to be in the running for bowls they've never appeared in before and that should appeal to fans eager to have new travel experiences.
Despite being one of five unbeaten Football Bowl Subdivision teams heading into its Big Ten Conference game with Iowa, UW (9-0 overall) is ranked eighth in the latest CFP rankings.
Fellow unbeatens Georgia (9-0) and Alabama (9-0) are first and second, respectively, followed by two one-loss squads in Notre Dame (8-1) and Clemson (8-1).
Given how the CFP committee sees things, if the season ended today, Wisconsin would be bypassed for a slot in the CFP semifinals even though it's the lone remaining unbeaten outfit in the Big Ten (6-0).
But things can change in a hurry. UW can clinch the Big Ten West Division title with a victory over the Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.
That would assure the Badgers of three more cracks at impressing the CFP committee. In addition to regular-season games vs. Michigan and Minnesota, they would draw the East Division titlist — Michigan State and Ohio State currently share the top spot — in Indianapolis on Dec. 2.
#OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 7, 2017
For now, everything about the UW postseason is speculation, including the forecast from SB Nation that the Badgers will make the playoff and face Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1.
Wisconsin has never played in the Sugar Bowl. Same goes for the Fiesta, Peach and Orange, which are all potential New Year's Six destinations for top teams left out of the playoff.
Athlon and ESPN project UW will appear in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 in Miami, Florida, opposite either Clemson or Miami (Fla.).
Sports Illustrated, meanwhile, forecasts the Badgers will play in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30 in Glendale, Arizona, opposite Oklahoma State.
There's lots of debate and discussion today about the #CFBPlayoff Rankings Barry Alvarez shares his thoughts on the rankings and @BadgerFootball
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 8, 2017
