Iowa was exactly who we thought they were yesterday, and unfortunately your Illinois Fighting Illini could not overcame the muck. Having to sit through any game involving the Hawkeyes should automatically grant you a treat, but alas, Illini Nation came away from last night with nothing.
Now Bret Bielema’s squad will have to gain bowl eligibility in the final game, at home versus Northwestern for the Land of Lincoln trophy.
My WGN News Now Segment Previewing Both Northwestern and Illinois:
(For the Northwestern bowl game projections go here)
With that in mind, we get to the fresh bowl projections for this week, and for that we turn to the Disney musical “The Happiest Millionaire” which provides us the perfect song, about the “Land of Golden Chariots.”
(It’s also “the Paris of the Midwest”)
It’s the land with golden chariots
All molten out of dreams
Detroit! Detroit!
Detroit! Detroit!
It’s Detroit!
Quick Lane Bowl, Ford Field, Detroit, 1pm, Tues. Dec. 26, 1pm
ESPN (Schlabach) opponent: Ohio
College Football News opponent: Northern Illinois
24/7 Sports opponent: Ohio
Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Chase Field, Phoenix, 8pm, Tues. Dec. 26
ESPN (Bonagura) opponent: West Virginia
Las Vegas Bowl, Allegiant Stadium, 6:30pm, Sat. Dec. 23
CBS opponent: UCLA
Athlon Sports opponent UCLA
Sporting News opponent: Utah
By the way, if you’re wondering about getting in via the 5-win scenario, here is a link explaining how that works. You probably already know that once the bowls go looking for 5-win teams, it’s all about APR.
Here is a link that explains where Illini football ranks in that regard.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.
