Assessing Indiana's bowl possibilities

Indiana is bowl eligible. Now what?

What follows is a lengthy look at the Big Ten bowl field, and the opportunities for IU. I do not claim to possess great skill picking bowl match-ups. Just trying to make some sense of a field that has gained clarity last night.

BOWL TEAMS

First thing's first -- the Big Ten has eight bowl-eligible teams right now. They are:

Iowa (12-0)

Michigan State (11-1)

Ohio State (11-1)

Northwestern (10-2)

Michigan (9-3)

Wisconsin (9-3)

Penn State (7-5)

Indiana (6-6)

Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska are all 5-7 and might still land bowl invites, since the field won't be full. I'm not speaking to their specific candidacies, just pointing out a few 5-7 teams will go bowling. It won't affect the above-listed teams.

BOWL TIE-INS

Here's a good breakdown of the Big Ten's bowl tie-ins. If you'd rather not click on the link, the Big Ten's tie-ins are:

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)

Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)

Outback Bowl (Tampa, Fla.)

Holiday Bowl (San Diego)

Music City Bowl OR TaxSlayer Bowl (Nashville, Tenn./Jacksonville, Fla.)

Pinstripe Bowl (New York)

Foster Farms Bowl (Santa Clara, Calif.)

Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit)

Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas)

It's important to remember this doesn't represent a rigid hierarchy, though it won't bend too much.

WHAT MAKES IU APPEALING?

Nate Taylor did a good job of summing this up last week, but a quick breakdown:

>> Indiana's large and national alumni base.

>> An offense that virtually guarantees points (and, I suppose, a defense that does too), making for entertaining viewing.

>> The likelihood that IU fans will be excited for and appreciative of a bowl, as it has been eight years since their last one.

SO, WHERE ARE THE HOOSIERS HEADED?

Here's where I remind you again that I'm not a bowl projection expert. This should be taken as armchair analysis. But here's how things might shake out:

>> Iowa or Michigan State is virtually guaranteed a place in the College Football Playoff, depending upon the winner of next weekend's Big Ten title game. It stands to reason that the loser would get picked up by the Rose Bowl.

>> That would probably split the Outback and Citrus Bowls up between Ohio State and Michigan. The Holiday Bowl could take Wisconsin or Northwestern.

>> Let's say the Holiday Bowl takes Northwestern. That leaves Wisconsin, Indiana and Penn State for the Music City Bowl/TaxSlayer Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl and the Foster Farms Bowl. Penn State cannot go to the Pinstripe Bowl, having played there last year. The Big Ten put Iowa in the Gator Bowl last season, so it's possible the Music City Bowl will get first pick there this year, though I'm admittedly not sure how that works.

In this scenario, both the Music City Bowl and the Pinstripe Bowl would make sense for Indiana, which has large alumni bases in Nashville and New York.

We're still waiting for all the bowl projections to be updated, but the Foster Farms Bowl and the Pinstripe Bowl have been popular picks. The Music City Bowl is a long shot, although given Nashville's proximity to Bloomington, it's a popular choice among fans.

AN ALTERNATE SCENARIO ...

... and one that might bolster the hopes of those wishing for Nashville.

>> Ohio State sneaks into the playoff, giving the Big Ten two teams in the final four, OR the Big Ten gets a team into the New Year's Six field at large, giving the conference a playoff team, a Rose Bowl team and a New Year's Six team. Michigan gets sent to the Citrus Bowl and Northwestern/Wisconsin to the Outback/Holiday.

>> That leaves Indiana and Penn State for the Pinstripe Bowl, the Foster Farms Bowl and the Music City or TaxSlayer bowls. It's entirely possible that still leaves the Hoosiers in New York, but it opens the field up a bit more, if slightly.

This latest projection from SB Nation considers that very possibility.

BUT WHERE ARE THE HOOSIERS HEADED?

If you made me pick a spot, I would say New York, and the Pinstripe Bowl. That would take advantage of Indiana's large East Coast fanbase and pit the Hoosiers against an ACC opponent of similar caliber.

Also, as noted in that link to bowl tie-ins, there's an unofficial desire to have eight teams in that bowl in eight years. Indiana hasn't gone bowling often. The Big Ten will want to be wise in how it places the Hoosiers this winter.

ONE LAST THING

Provided that bowl structure holds up -- and I don't know why it wouldn't -- Indiana will get something it wants next month, wherever it goes.

Both Kevin Wilson and Fred Glass talked Saturday about hoping the Hoosiers would be handed a strong opponent. In any of the bowls discussed, that would almost certainly be the case, whether Indiana's counterpart was from the ACC, the SEC or the Pac-12.

Indiana got Oklahoma State last time it went bowling. Expect another Power Five opponent now.

Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.