Bowl Buzz: Forecast looking sunny
November 24, 2018 | Football, Andy Baggot, Bowl Central
Still plenty of options heading into season finale
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin's bowl picture may look distorted right now, but clarity is in the offing.
With one regular-season game remaining, national forecasters have the Badgers linked to four potential assignments, including three in Florida with two of those staged on Jan. 1.
A clearer picture will emerge Saturday after Wisconsin closes out the regular season by hosting Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference at Camp Randall Stadium.
A victory for the Badgers (7-4 overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten) would put them in line for a coveted New Year's Day slot for the 19th time in program history.
Both involve familiar Florida destinations for Wisconsin fans: The Citrus Bowl in Orlando hosted the Badgers after the 2005, '06 and 2013 seasons and the Outback Bowl in Tampa featured Wisconsin after the 1994, '97, 2004, '07 and 2014 seasons.
USA Today and SB Nation project the Badgers will face Kentucky (8-3) of the Southeastern Conference in the Citrus.
Meanwhile, The Athletic has Wisconsin taking on Texas A&M (7-4) of the SEC in the Outback, while another ESPN analyst has the Badgers facing Mississippi State (7-4) of the SEC in the Outback.
The third possible Florida berth for Wisconsin is a new one: The Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Dec. 31.
CBSSports.com projects the Badgers will face Texas A&M, while an ESPN analyst has Vanderbilt (5-6) of the SEC as the opposition and the Orlando Sentinel has Missouri (7-4) of the SEC as the opponent.
Another possible first-time destination for Wisconsin would be the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Dec. 27.
Sports Illustrated forecasts an intriguing matchup between the Badgers and Pittsburgh (7-4) of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to taking over at his alma mater in 2015, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst had his first head coaching job with the Panthers from 2012 to '14.
Of course, a win for the Badgers against Minnesota (5-6, 2-6) is the biggest piece of the bowl puzzle.
Another involves Penn State. If the Nittany Lions knock off Maryland on Saturday and stay among the top 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, they would be in line for a New Year's Six bowl game.
That would have a trickle-down effect on Northwestern, the Big Ten West Division champion, should it lose in the conference title game to either Michigan or Ohio State.
A loss would likely send the Wildcats to the Citrus and Wisconsin would lose one of its potential landing spots.
Wisconsin vs. Minnesota Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe It's bigger than one man It's bigger than one game It's bigger than one streak #OnWisconsin
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 20, 2018
