Heaven help us.
We need to somehow project where every Big Ten team is going bowling today, even though we can't even tell you for sure who the best teams are in either division. All Saturday did was make the picture much cloudier, as the team we've been pegging for the Rose Bowl -- Michigan State -- had a dreadful performance against Notre Dame.
Ohio State likely will be the top Big Ten team in The Associated Press poll this week, but of course, the Buckeyes aren't even eligible for a bowl. So where does that leave us?
Well, since no other team has taken the bull by the horns, we might as well stick with our preseason pick of the Spartans winning the Big Ten, even if that seems much less plausible today. We bump up Northwestern (3-0) and Purdue, which is looking pretty good in the Leaders Division race. Wisconsin, which is a missed kick away from being 1-2, falls a couple of more notches. And 3-0 Minnesota stays in the bowl picture after another win.
The latest stab in the increasing darkness:
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Michigan State
Capital One Bowl (Jan. 1): Michigan
Outback Bowl (Jan. 1): Nebraska
Gator Bowl (Jan. 1): Purdue
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Dec. 29): Northwestern
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Dec. 28): Wisconsin
TicketCity Bowl (Jan. 1): Iowa
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Dec. 26): Illinois
At-large (TBA): Minnesota