Each week leading up to the announcement of the Badgers' bowl destination on Dec. 8, Andy Baggot will take a look at one of Wisconsin's potential destinations. More information is available at UWBowlCentral.com.
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The second installment of the College Football Playoff rankings was a bit of a downer for Wisconsin, which lost ground despite a victory over a top-20 opponent.
But with three regular-season games left, the Badgers remain solidly in the hunt for a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game and bowl forecasters have put some intriguing options on the postseason table.
Wisconsin (7-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten) fell one spot to No. 14 in the CFP rankings despite its 24-22 win over No. 18 Iowa.
The Badgers will try to take care of business Saturday at 11 a.m. when they face Nebraska (4-5, 2-4) in Lincoln.
In the meantime, Wisconsin fans will try and decipher the latest round of possible bowl bids for the 18th consecutive season.
New this week is a prediction from Jerry Palm of CBS Sports, who has the Badgers playing Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California. His forecast is based on the belief that Wisconsin will overtake Minnesota (9-0, 6-0) and win the Big Ten West Division. For that to happen, the Badgers would have to win out — including their regular-season finale at Minnesota — and the Gophers would have to lose at least one other of their remaining three contests.
Palm also has Ohio State winning the Big Ten title and qualifying for the four-team CFP field.
Meanwhile, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, remains a popular guess for other bowl prognosticators where Wisconsin is concerned. Depending on the forecaster, the Badgers could draw Auburn (Athlon, Sports Illustrated) or Florida (Bleacher Report) in the Jan. 1 assignment.
The Athletic has Wisconsin penciled into the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida, where it will face Tennessee in the Jan. 2 game.
