Projecting the 2017 Music City Bowl

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The Music City Bowl is a holiday tradition here in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s game takes place on December 29th at 3:30PM CST. For years, it’s been a battle between quality SEC and Big Ten teams, with Notre Dame and some ACC teams sprinkled throughout its history. It’s always one of those sneaky good bowl games, and I’m always excited to showcase our city to visiting fans. So, before the announcements are made this weekend, let’s take

The ACC

So, first up – the Music City Bowl has an arrangement with the Gator Bowl (which I refuse to call the TaxSlayer Bowl) on selecting an ACC vs. a Big Ten team. This year, the Gator Bowl has ACC priority, and with a high selection, it’s hard to imagine they’d pass with NC State or Louisville available. So, I think this is a year when the Music City Bowl sticks with a Big Ten team.

The Big Ten

From everything I’ve read, there’s a wide range of Big Ten teams the Music City Bowl could have to select from. As appealing as they are to a lot of bowls, it’s hard to imagine Michigan will still be there when it’s time for them to select. But, I think it’s a possibility.

A lot of people are projecting Purdue here, but I just don’t see it. It’s no offense to what Jeff Brohm has done with that program. It’s definitely trending upwards, but the Music City Bowl should be able to get a better team than the 6-6 Boilermakers. Perhaps Northwestern could still be available.

The most likely option is Iowa. It seems like all of the rumblings on all of the message boards are leaning towards the 7-5 Hawkeyes. It’s a big fan base that would love to come to Nashville for the holiday. I’ve seen a couple of articles already from people in Iowa saying, “please send us to Nashville.” Flattering, really. But, this team is attractive for both its following and its successful season. Iowa checks all the boxes.

The SEC

Surprisingly, the SEC wasn’t really all that good this year. There’s a chance Mississippi State is still available, but with the SEC being so top-heavy, the good teams are going to be gobbled up quick.

I think this is really down to teams from the SEC: Kentucky and Missouri. The Wildcats seem like the no-brainer, but when you look at the history of the game, no team has played this game in Nashville more than Kentucky. Could they make an effort to spice things up?

I say bring on the Tigers. Quarterback Drew Lock could be the MVP of the SEC this season, they’re riding a momentous winning streak, and finished the season the way you want to. If you look at the eye test, they’re flat out playing better football than Kentucky right now.

Final projection

I say Kentucky vs. Iowa, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Missouri vs. Iowa, either. Actually, I hope to see Missouri vs. Iowa. But, I think a lot of this decision is going to be about selling tickets, as is the case with most bowl games. There’s a humongous “Big Blue” footprint here in Nashville, and the fans always travel down from Lexington. So, that’s my bet.

Regardless, this should be a fun afternoon in the Music City.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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