Yesterday was indeed the baddest of bad beats. The bowl possibilities are not as attractive as they were 24 hours ago. But hope lingers on.
Let's start with some OPTIMISTIC ASSUMPTIONS for Saturday:
1) We beat Sparty. This not only improves our record, it gets them out of the way.
2) Minnesota captures Paul Bunyan's Axe; no bowl for Wisconsin.
3) Indiana holds on to its playoff spot. Unless they drop a nasty deuce into the Old Oaken Bucket, I think they will.
IF (big "if") those assumptions hold, then we have seven bowls:
- Orlando
- Tampa
- Charlotte
- Nashville
- NYC
- Phoenix
- Detroit
And only six teams to fill them:
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Rutgers
We wind up in Phoenix at worst. I very much doubt the Pinstripe takes us two years in a row.
BUT if you are a PESSIMIST, which after yesterday is quite understandable, then MSU beats us to attain bowl eligibility, and lands in Detroit. Wisconsin beats Minnesota and pushes everything down a slot. Now there are eight teams vying for seven bowls. Maybe nine, if Indiana slides out of the playoffs. If that happens, I can easily see up in a pre-Christmas at-large bowl against a G5 opponent.
There is still much to play for.