With a 10-2 season, Ball State will go to its second consecutive bowl, and its fourth bowl since the 2007 season. While the goal of being Mid-American Conference champion fell short in the loss to Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill., the season will continue in one of 70 different postseason bowls. The question of which bowl Ball State will go to will be partially answered by Northern Illinois itself. If the Huskies continue their undefeated season through the MAC Championship on Friday, they have a better chance of going to a BCS bowl, possibly the Fiesta Bowl. In that scenario, Ball State would go to a more prominent bowl. There are four different bowls that Ball State is most commonly projected to go to — the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the GoDaddy Bowl and the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. This bowl season will give Ball State an opportunity to win a bowl game for the first time in its history.
All bowl projections are current as of Dec. 3.
1. Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Dec. 26 Detroit, Mich. MAC vs. Big Ten No. 8
Lowdown on bowl: The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is on life support. In August, a new bowl was announced in conjunction with the Detroit Lions to be played at Ford Field, currently the same location of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. It is currently unknown if the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl will be continuing past the 2013 bowl. It became the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2009, formerly the Motor City Bowl. Although the eighth-ranked Big Ten school is scheduled to appear against a MAC team, teams from other conferences have played due to a lack of eligible Big Ten teams.
Distance from Scheumann Stadium to Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.: 240 miles
Previous matchups:
2012: Central Michigan (6-6) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)
2011: Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)
2010: Toledo (8-4) vs. Florida International (6-6)
Latest Bowl Projection:
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach
Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh
ESPN.com’s Brad Edwards
Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh
CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm
Ball State vs. Pittsburgh
SportsIllustrated.com’s Stewart Mandel
Toledo vs. Pittsburgh
sbnation.com’s Jason Kirk
Bowling Green vs. Syracuse
2. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Dec. 21 Boise, Idaho MAC No. 3 vs. MWC
Lowdown of bowl: Named the Humanitarian Bowl until 2011, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl plays host to a MAC team and a Mountain West team. Ball State has never played in the bowl, but MAC teams have come into it with an average record of 9-3 the last few years. With a 10-1 record, Fresno State is currently leading the Mountain West Conference.
Distance from Scheumann Stadium to Bronco Stadium, Boise State University: 1,883 miles
Previous matchups:
2012: Utah State (10-2) vs. Toledo (9-3)
2011: Ohio (9-4) vs. Utah State (7-5)
2010: Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Fresno State (8-4)
Latest Bowl Projection:
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach
Buffalo vs. Colorado State
ESPN.com’s Brad Edwards
Bowling Green vs. UNLV
CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm
Toledo vs. UNLV
SportsIllustrated.com’s Stewart Mandel
Colorado State vs. Buffalo
sbnation.com’s Jason Kirk
Buffalo vs. Colorado State
3. GoDaddy Bowl Jan. 5 Mobile, Ala. MAC vs. Sun Belt No. 2
Lowdown on bowl: Technically, Ball State has previously played in the GoDaddy bowl. Following Ball State’s undefeated 2008 regular season, it played in the GMAC Bowl in 2009. It ended up being the last GMAC Bowl ever played. GoDaddy.com took over the naming rights the following season. The current No. 2 team in the Sun Belt is Arkansas State, which has already accepted an offer to participate in the GoDaddy bowl.
Distance from Scheumann Stadium to Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.: 797 miles
Previous matchups:
2012: Arkansas State (9-3) vs. Kent State (11-2)
2011: Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Arkansas State (10-2)
2010: Miami (OH) (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee State (6-6)
Latest Bowl Projection:
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach
Ball State vs. Arkansas State
ESPN.com’s Brad Edwards
Ball State vs. Western Kentucky
CBSSports.com’s Jeremy Fowler
Bowling Green vs. Arkansas State
SportsIllustrated.com’s Stewart Mandel
Ball State vs. Arkansas State
sbnation.com’s Jason Kirk
Ball State vs. Arkansas State
4. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg Dec. 23 St. Petersburg, Fla. Tropicana Field C-USA vs. American Athletic Conference 2 p.m. ESPN
Lowdown on bowl: This is a familiar sight for Ball State fans and players, as the Cardinals played against Central Florida in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s bowl last season. Technically, the Conference USA is scheduled to play against an American Athletic Conference, but the MAC has jumped in the bowl in the past. It could happen again.
Previous matchups:
2012: Central Florida (9-4) vs. Ball State (9-3)
2011: Marshall (6-6) vs. Florida International (8-4)
2010: Louisville (6-6) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-4)
Latest Bowl Projection:
ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach
Ohio vs. Middle Tennessee State
ESPN.com’s Brad Edwards
Ohio vs. Rice
CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm
Ohio vs. Middle Tennessee State
SportsIllustrated.com’s Stewart Mandel
Ohio vs. Middle Tennessee State
sbnation.com’s Jason Kirk
Western Kentucky vs. East Carolina
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