The Big Ten's Brave New Bowl World

First off ... the Big Ten now has eight bowl affiliations?

OK, so you have 11 teams and eight of them have to go 6-6 or better to fill your bowl "obligations" in 2010 and beyond. And that's if you don't have two teams picked for BCS games. In which case, you'd need nine teams that are 6-6 or better. And they all play eight conference games, meaning Big Ten teams lose exactly 50 percent of all those.

It will take at least eight Big Ten teams with .500 records or better for the league to send one to the ...

Is it any wonder Wisconsin hosted Wofford this year, and Michigan is feasting on Delaware State this Saturday?

You can't get all those teams to bowl-eligibility playing, you know, competition. It's just a matter of time before the NCAA allows FBS teams to count two wins a year against FBS teams toward bowl-eligibility. Or four, for that matter.

The Big Ten announced its bowl partnerships for 2010 through 2013 Tuesday. It's like this:

1. BCS (Rose Bowl). The Rose is the only real bowl game.

2. Capital One Bowl. The best non-BCS team of the Big Ten against presumably the best non-BCS team of the SEC.

3. Outback Bowl. No need to change the top three when they're working.

4. (rotating/alternating/whatever) Gator and Insight bowls. The Gator will be yet another Big Ten-SEC confrontation on Jan. 1. The Insight moves up the pecking order. Give me the Insight. Tempe over Jacksonville is a no-brainer, especially in winter.

6. Texas Bowl. The Houston game is new to the Big Ten roster, and adds a new market and a dynamic NFL stadium to the conference's mix in place of the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando's decaying Citrus Bowl.

7. New Dallas bowl. What in tarnation is this? Yet another new bowl, that's what. As if there weren't enough of these things, now Dallas joins New York City in adding a game pitting mediocre teams. It won't be in the new Cowboys Stadium, but in the little-used Cotton Bowl stadium at the Texas State Fairgrounds.

Oh joy. Now, Dallas is a big-time city with much to offer. But it's cold there in late December, at least compared to Phoenix or Tampa. The Cotton Bowl stadium is a relic.

For more on this game, click here.

8. Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Formerly, the Motor City, it usually doesn't get Big Ten games under the present situation with the No. 7 Big Ten pick. Starting next year, it will be a Big Ten bowl in a name only, and can look forward to more matchups like last year's between Florida Atlantic  and Central Michigan.

Ugh. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to watch the rest of the fabulous game currently on ESPN2 between Arkansas State and Louisiana-Monroe. Arkansas State, so competitive at Iowa 10 days ago, is laying a huge egg so far in Monroe, trailing 16-0 at halftime.

It's the kind of drama one will expect at the GMAC Bowl or Papajohns.com Bowl or International Bowl.