Rejoice college football fans. These days we never really go without college football in-between the conference championship games and the bowls, but as the postseason gets going, it feels like college football has taken center stage yet again.
The Big Ten is in the thick of it all too because what was once nine teams making travel plans, it’s now gone up to ten with Rutgers replacing Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl because of COVID-19 issues within the Aggies program.
We’ve yet to see a Big Ten team kick things off for the conference, but that’s coming here in a few days when Minnesota takes on West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday, December 28.
With so many games and enticing matchups for the conference, we thought we’d go ahead and put our name on the line and predict every outcome of Big Ten teams. So, off we go — our best attempt to not look foolish during the 2021 bowl postseason. Here’s how we see all ten Big Ten games and the bonus other CFP matchup going.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Details
Tuesday, Dec. 28
Fox, 10:15 p.m. EST
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12
Bowl Matchup: Minnesota (8-4) vs. West Virginia (6-6)
Tipico Line: Minnesota -3.5
Prediction
Minnesota 28, West Virginia 24
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Details
Wednesday, Dec. 29
ESPN, 2:15 p.m. EST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. ACC
Bowl Matchup: Maryland (6-6) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)
Tipico line: Maryland -3.5
Prediction
Virginia Tech 35, Maryland 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Details
Thursday, Dec. 30
ESPN, 3 p.m. EST
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Matchup: Purdue (8-4) vs. Tennessee (7-5)
Tipico line: Maryland -4.5
Prediction
Tennessee 42, Purdue 38
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Details
Thursday, Dec. 30
ESPN, 10:30 p.m. EST
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Matchup: Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4)
Tipico Line: Wisconsin -6.5
Prediction
Wisconsin 30, Arizona State 21
Taxslayer Gator Bowl
Details
Friday, Dec. 31
ESPN, 11 a.m. EST
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC*
Bowl Projection: Wake Forest (10-3) vs. Rutgers (5-7)
Line: Rutgers -3.5
*Rutgers replaces Texas A&M because of COVID-19
Prediction
Wake Forest 27, Rutgers 24
Outback Bowl
Details
Saturday, Jan. 1
ESPN2, noon EST
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Matchup: Penn State (7-5) vs. Arkansas (8-4)
Tipico Line: Penn State -1.5
Prediction
Penn State 24, Arkansas 20
VRBO Citrus Bowl
Details
Saturday, Jan. 1
ESPN2, 1 p.m. EST
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Iowa (10-3) vs. Kentucky (9-3)
Tipico Line: Kentucky -2.5
Prediction
Kentucky 27, Iowa 20
NEXT … New Year’s Six Bowls for the Big Ten
Rose Bowl presented by Capital One Venture X
Details
Saturday, Jan. 1
ESPN, 5 p.m. EST
Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Matchup: Ohio State (10-2) vs. Utah (10-3)
Tipico Line: Ohio State -6.5
Prediction
Ohio State 38, Utah 26
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Details
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Matchup: Michigan State (10-2) vs Pitt (11-2)
Tipico Line: Michigan State -2.5
Prediction
Michigan State 34, Pittsburgh 28
NEXT … College Football Playoff Matchups
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, Dec. 31
ESPN, 3:30 p.m. EST
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP (1) vs. CFP (4)
Bowl Projection: Alabama (12-1) vs. Cincinnati (13-0)
Tipico Line: Alabama -13.5
Prediction
Alabama 48, Cincinnati 24
Capital One Orange Bowl
Details
Friday, Dec. 31
ESPN, 7:30 p.m. EST
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP (2) vs. CFP (3)
Bowl Matchup: Michigan (12-1) vs. Georgia (12-1)
Tipico Line: Georgia -7.5
Prediction
Georgia 34, Michigan 20
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