illinois going bowling?

I've held off until now, but with their 6th win of the year, the Illinois Fighting Football Illini are bowl elgible. Where will they end up? Here are the possibilities for Big Ten teams, in descending order:

1. National Championship (New Orleans)
2. Rose (Pasadena)
3. Capital One (Orlando)
4. Outback (Tampa)
5. Alamo (San Antonio)
6. Champs Sports (Orlando)
7. Insight (Tempe)

Here's a look at the 2006 Big Ten Bowls, with overall and conference records entering the bowl games:

1. National Championship: Ohio State 12-0/8-0
2. Rose: Michigan 11-1/7-1
3. Capital One: Wisconsin 11-1/7-1
4. Outback: Penn State 8-4/5-3
5. Alamo: Iowa 6-6/2-6
6. Champs Sports: Purdue 8-5/5-3
7. Insight: Minnesota 6-6/3-5

The way it worked out, the Big Ten had 7 eligible teams, and with 2 in BCS Bowls, there were enough spots for all 7. Interesting that the Alamo chose an Iowa team with a worse record than Purdue (and worse conf. record than Minn.)

So what's in shape this year?

It's too early to tell, but there could be some disappointed teams. I think it's likely that Michigan will be in the Rose Bowl. In fact, if they beat OSU, they could be in the Rose and OSU would be shut out of a BCS Bowl, and land in the Capital One. It's much better for the Illini if OSU lands in the Championship, saving more spots for the rest of the Big Ten.

It's also likely that Wisconsin and Penn State will get chosen ahead of Illinois. Assuming 2 conf teams in the BCS, that leaves Illinois fighting with Purdue and the rest of the Big Ten teams. Unfortunately, with 4 non-conference games this year, there could be 10 bowl eligible teams. Illinois needs to finish strong with wins over Minnesota and Northwestern to sew up a bowl appearance. One thing that might be in our favor? Ron Zook and a Chicago fan base might be more appealing than Indiana/Purdue and the like. Also, for anyone considering making the trip, all the bowls are nice spots to be around New Year's--there's no Detroit or Boise or Charlotte or Birmingham that would foul up any travel plans.

Site note: The Bonerjam is on the bye, just like the Chiefs. Suffice to say, that I hate the Patriots for ruining the NFL. 52-7? They've single-handedly erased parity.