Big Ten bowl predictions

Seven Big Ten teams will be in action during this year's bowl season.

Here are predictions on how each team will fare during their respective games.

1. Michigan (7-4) vs Nebraska (7-4)

Mastercard Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28

- The Wolverines are probably the best team with four losses in the country. Although Nebraska had a big win over Colorado at the end of the season, I'll take Michigan in the team's first meeting since 1986.

Prediction: Michigan 34-21.

2. Minnesota (7-4) vs Virginia (6-5)

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Dec. 30

- The Golden Gophers should make the Big Ten 2-0 during the bowls with a win over Virginia. Minnesota has won its previous two games in the Music City Bowl and will win another in a high-scoring contest.

Prediction: Minnesota 48-28.

3. Northwestern (7-4) vs UCLA (9-2)

Vitalis Sun Bowl, Dec. 30

- The paint in the end zones will have its work cut out in this game. Both teams can score in bunches and it could come down to who has the ball last. This may be one of the best bowl games this year.

Prediction: UCLA 49-42

4. Iowa (7-4) vs Florida (8-3)

Outback Bowl, Jan. 2

- The Hawkeyes and Gators are meeting for the second time in three years at the Outback Bowl. Iowa won the last meeting back in 2003 and are in their fifth straight bowl game under head coach Kirk Ferentz. Florida has had an up and down first season under Urban Meyer, but they would love to pick up a bowl win in this one to jump start their 2006 season.

Prediction: Florida 24-21

5. Wisconsin (9-3) vs Auburn (9-2)

Capital One Bowl, Jan. 2

- Barry Alvarez will be coaching his final game at Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. Unfortunately, he will be going up against an Auburn team that is probably as good as team in the country right now. Running back Kenny Irons rushed for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and is one of the top backs in the country. The key to stopping the Tigers is containing Irons.

Prediction: Auburn 31-21

6. Ohio State (9-2) vs Notre Dame (9-2)

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2

- You couldn't ask for a better BCS matchup than this one. Charlie Weis gets a month to prepare for this one, which is scary. He only had two weeks to get ready for USC and the Irish were 10 seconds away from pulling that upset off. However, the Buckeyes like low scoring games and this one should play out as so. Notre Dame's defense can be suspect at times and if the Irish struggle on offense it could come down to OSU's offense versus ND's defense. I'll take the Buckeyes in that battle. This is the first meeting between the two programs since 1996.

Prediction: Ohio State 17-14

7. Penn State (10-1) vs Florida State (8-4)

FedEx Orange Bowl, Jan. 3

- The Nittany Lions and Seminoles are facing one another for just the third time in their storied programs' histories. Much of the attention, deservedly so, has centered around coaches Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden. Six games separate the two coaches in career wins with Bowden (359) holding the slight edge. On the field, Penn State is returning to the Orange Bowl for the first time since the 1985 season when they lost to Oklahoma in the championship game. Both teams are coming in with some momentum, but Penn State should have the edge on offense. Quarterback Michael Robinson will have to be effective on the ground as well as through the air if the Lions are to come away with a win.

Prediction: Penn State 30-17