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What if the Big Ten had it's own Bowl Season?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 1, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr (4) waits during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the second half at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 31-16. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

What a Big Ten bowl season might look like.

As we are close to yet another night game on the road, there’s only so much you can read about pertaining to Buckeyes Football. It seems to be all of the same old stuff. Whether its recapping the OT win at Camp Randall or previewing the Penn State game – it’s starting to get old. I decided to try to have some fun with this one, putting together seven hypothetical match-ups using the current Big Ten standings.

So the Big Ten East and the Big Ten West each have 7 teams. At this point in the season, the standings are finally starting to form.

What if the conference broke off from the rest of the CFB world? What would happen if the Big Ten had their own bowl games? Would the Big Ten East or Big Ten West win? Let’s find out.

The Bottom-Feeders Bowl:

Illinois (West) vs. Rutgers (East):

These are currently the worst two teams in the Big Ten. Both of them are 7th in their division and have no hope whatsoever.

Head Coaches Lovie Smith (Illinois) and Chris Ash (Rutgers) are doing their best at achieving relevance, but neither have had success so far. These teams played just last week and it was tough to watch.

I thought it would at least be so bad that it was entertaining, but I was wrong. It was sad. Rutgers is so bad that they lost to a fellow bottom-feeder 24-7. This game was an embarrassment to the Big Ten.

West: 1, East: 0

The Loser’s Bowl:

Michigan State (East) vs. Purdue (West):

Michigan State is yet to win a Big Ten game in 2016. What even happened to them?

Sparty made the College Football Playoff last year and now they have a tall mountain to climb to even beome bowl eligible this season. Michigan State is bad. But Purdue is worse.

I mean they don’t even have a Head Coach anymore. The Boilermakers program has no direction and there’s no way they could even win the Loser’s Bowl.

West: 1, East: 1

The Disappointment Bowl:

Indiana (East) vs. Wisconsin (West):

It’s truly unfair to put these teams in the Disappointment Bowl, but at this point in the season, that is where they fall. I think both of these teams are good and will end up in the top 3 of their respective divisions.

Indiana’s losses came to undefeated Nebraska and undefeated Ohio State, and Wisconsin’s losses both came by 7 points to nationally ranked Top-3 teams. But if the season ended today, this is the bowl they’d end up in thanks to their B1G conference records.

Unfortunately we aren’t lucky enough to be able to see these two teams play each other this year, because I think it could be a good game. Wisconsin would likely come out on top of this one due to the fact that they are just bigger and better at every position, but I think it’d be a lot closer than many think.

West: 2, East: 1

The Average Bowl:

Minnesota (West) vs. Maryland (East):

With a stroke of luck, there’s a chance that Minnesota is 6-0 this year. They are 4-2 and their 2 losses came by a combined 10 points. I think the Gophers are a lot better than most people think.

Maryland on the other hand, isn’t so great. Yet. I made the statement a few weeks ago that the Terps would be a Top-25 team within 4 years.

I think they’ve got a good thing going with coach DJ Durkin, but they just aren’t quite there yet. These two teams have already played this season and Minnesota won by three touchdowns. Tally another one up for the West.

West: 3, East: 1

The Decent Bowl:

Northwestern (West) vs. Penn State (East):

This was really tough for me. If it wasn’t for Northwestern’s unlucky and rocky start, they’d be 5-1. The Wildcats lost their season opener and week two match-ups by a combined three points.

Penn State on the other hand, is 4-2 with both of their losses coming on the road. These teams share no common opponents, so it’s hard to say who would win this hypothetical match-up.

Overall, I think the Nittany Lions are the better team in this one. At a neutral site, Vegas would likely have the over/under at 2. And I don’t know who it favors.

As it could go either way, I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to James Franklin’s squad because they have the better record.

West: 3, East: 2

The Big Ten Playoff:

In 2014, we witnessed the inaugural College Football Playoff. What if there was a 4-team B1G playoff? The current standings would give us semi-finals of Michigan vs Iowa and Ohio State vs Nebraska.

Big Ten Playoff Semi-Final #1:

#2. Nebraska (West) vs #3 Ohio State (East):

Currently, Ohio State and Michigan are tied atop the Big Ten East, but the tiebreaker goes to Michigan. The tiebreaker does not matter at all in week 6, but for this hypothetical situation, it helps me seed.

The Cornhuskers are the higher seed in this game, but by no means does that mean they’d be favored. Ohio State would be way too much for Nebraska and lose them by the 3rd quarter.

This is exactly what will happen when the two teams face off on November 5th in Columbus. The Buckeyes are headed to the Big Ten Playoff Championship! Also, tally up another one for the Big Ten East.

West: 3, East: 3

Big Ten Playoff Semi-Final #2

#4. Iowa (West) vs #1. Michigan (East)

The Hawkeyes don’t stand a chance in this one. Michigan is way too much for them. The two teams play later in the season, and Michigan will blow them out.

Iowa lost to an FCS team, and Michigan is ranked number 3 in the nation. There’s not much more to say about this one. Oh, and that does it – the East got more wins in the Big Ten Bowl Season than the West!

FINAL: East: 4, West: 3

Big Ten Playoff Championship Game: