2011 Bowl Projections: 5 Teams Who Will End Up in Better Bowls Than They Deserve

Even after a team finished near the bottom of the league standings and was beat down in conference games, you would think they would just call it a season and look forward to 2012 to try to improve their team on the field, making up for their poor 2011 showing.

Nope, they get to go a bowl game because of a bowl deal with the conference that sends to it to a postseason game it doesn’t deserve to go to this season.

While the holiday season is to help those with misfortune, these five teams are very fortunate to be heading to a bowl game this season after a regular season that definitely didn’t deserve the postseason trip.

Arizona State Sun Devils

Projected Bowl Game: MAACO Las Vegas Bowl vs. Boise State or TCU

In a season that began with such high expectations for the team from the desert with talent returning and new uniforms, the Sun Devils started 2011 going 5-1 with big wins over Missouri and USC, but fell off the map with losing five out of the last six games this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Projected Bowl Game: Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl vs. Florida

Even after the scandal in the offseason and the 6-6 regular season, the Buckeyes will go to the Jan. 2 Gator Bowl to take an another underperforming college football team, the Florida Gators, in what was the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. Oh, how the mighty have fallen in just four seasons.

Iowa State Cyclones

Projected Bowl Game: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl vs. UCLA

Instead of the title sponsor of Kraft for this bowl game on Jan. 2, you can just simply call this “ugh” or “meh” bowl as these two teams have been extremely disappointing in their respective conferences as they both finished the season with only six wins in 2011.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Projected Bowl Game: AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Louisville

For first-year head coach James Franklin, he seemed to survive his first season of SEC play with big wins in his rookie season as the Commodores beat Kentucky and Ole Miss, but had some beatdowns from Alabama and South Carolina.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Projected Bowl Game: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl vs. Louisiana-Lafayette

Like so many teams this season that started the 2011 season with such a good start but then fell off, Illinois is the perfect example of this as the Illini started the season 6-0, lost their last six games to end the season, but will still get to a bowl game this postseason. It’s pretty ridiculous.