Does this help MSU get to a postseason game next year?
News came out on Tuesday that may have implications for Michigan State football this coming season. It was announced that the teams who have departed the virtually extinct Pac-12 Conference will still be playing in bowl games that previously had Pac-12 affiliations. That means that USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington will not be taking up Big Ten bowl spots. This is going to be the plan for the next two football seasons. This gives the various bowl games a couple of years to figure out new partnerships and negotiate those deals.
Currently, the B1G has affiliations with 11 different bowl games. They are:
- Rose Bowl
- Orange Bowl
- Citrus Bowl
- Outback Bowl
- Music City Bowl
- Pinstripe Bowl
- Cheez-It Bowl
- Redbox Bowl
- Quick Lane Bowl
- Belk Bowl (2024)
- Las Vegas Bowl (2025)
With Tuesday’s news, this means that there are still only 14 teams competing for the ten Big Ten spots in each of the next two seasons. Hopefully, MSU can finish above four other conference rivals and get back to a bowl game.