ESPN College Football

It took a lot longer than anyone expected, but the Big Ten has finalized a new contract with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl that runs through the 2013 season.

The Detroit-based bowl will select the No. 8 team from the Big Ten and pit it against the No. 1 or No. 2 selection from the Mid-American Conference. The Big Ten previously had put its No. 7 team against a MAC opponent in the former Motor City Bowl.

The Big Ten announced the rest of its new bowl lineup in October, and while the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl wasn't included, officials on both sides always expected an agreement. ESPN will continue to broadcast the game.

"Big Ten appearances in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl have produced some of the event's most memorable matchups and we look forward to more exciting competition," league commissioner Jim Delany said in a statement. "With the number of Big Ten alumni in the Detroit area and an outstanding facility like Ford Field, the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is a natural addition to our bowl lineup."

I doubt this announcement will fire up Big Ten fans, but at least it virtually assures that every bowl-eligible team from the league will find a postseason destination. We won't have many seasons like 2007, when every Big Ten squad but Minnesota reached the six-win plateau. Although the league's new bowl lineup is very SEC and Big 12 heavy, I think it creates a bit more manageable slate for the Big Ten, which played by far the nation's most challenging postseason schedule in recent years.

The big question is how often the Big Ten will send a team to Ford Field. Only two Big Ten teams have played in the bowl since the agreement began before the 2002 season. If the Big Ten doesn't have an eligible team, the bowl will select one from the Sun Belt.

Here's the final draft of the Big Ten's new bowl lineup, beginning this fall:

No. 1 team: Rose Bowl/BCS vs. Pac-10/BCS, Jan. 1
No. 2 team: Capital One Bowl vs. SEC, Jan. 1
No. 3 team: Outback Bowl vs. SEC, Jan. 1
No. 4/5 team: Gator Bowl vs. SEC, Jan. 1
No. 4/5 team: Insight Bowl vs. Big 12, Dec. 31
No. 6 team: Texas Bowl vs. Big 12, late December
No. 7 team: Dallas Football Classic vs. Conference USA or Big 12, Jan. 1
No. 8 team: Little Caesars Pizza Bowl vs. MAC, late December

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Happy hump day.

• Costly interceptions were a problem throughout the Big Ten last week, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
• As I reported earlier this week, the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl and the Big Ten will reach an agreement for the league's eighth bowl tie-in, Mark Snyder writes in the Detroit Free Press.
• Ohio State downplays its offensive struggles but could be expanding the playbook, Ken Gordon and Tim May write in The Columbus Dispatch.
• Michigan State might not have quarterback Keith Nichol available Saturday against Northwestern, Eric Lacy writes in The Detroit News. The Spartans are better prepared for Northwestern's spread offense this time around, Shannon Shelton writes in the Detroit Free Press.
• Penn State linebacker Sean Lee expects to return to the field Saturday, but JoePa isn't so sure, Joe Juliano writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Wisconsin's performance against Iowa will largely determine the Badgers' season, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Kirk Ferentz doesn't dole out praise too often, but he likes what he's seen from Iowa's young running backs, Andrew Logue writes in the Des Moines Register.
• Minnesota running back Kevin Whaley is lucky to be alive, and he's making the most of his opportunity. Has Minnesota become the real Linebacker U this season?
• A week off might be the best remedy for Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier, annarbor.com's Dave Birkett writes.
• Purdue tries to snap its long losing streak against ranked opponents Saturday, Stacy Clardie writes in The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
• Still no word on who will start at quarterback for Illinois this week, Shannon Ryan writes in the Chicago Tribune.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

The Big Ten today announced its bowl lineup for the 2010-13 seasons, which includes multiple games against both the SEC and the Big 12 in addition to the Rose Bowl/BCS tie-in.

The league didn't announce an agreement with the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl in Detroit, though sources have told me that one remains likely and would be announced at a later date. The Big Ten has multiple ties to the Detroit bowl, including CEO George Perles, the former Michigan State head coach, and new president Lloyd Carr, the former Michigan head coach.

The new lineup features a late December game, another on Dec. 31 and five contests on Jan. 1, including the new Dallas Football Classic to be played at the Cotton Bowl. According to the Big Ten's news release, a Big Ten team will face a Conference USA opponent in the Dallas game, though sources indicated that the bowl will also consider Big 12 opponents.

The five Jan. 1 games could give the Big Ten the largest postseason presence on New Year's Day of any conference.

“We are excited to announce our bowl lineup for the 2010-13 seasons, with seven outstanding destinations in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, which will allow us to showcase our programs in six different New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day games,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said in a statement. “With the number of Big Ten alumni in these states, this bowl lineup is a natural fit and should provide some compelling matchups on the field."

To recap the lineup, according to selection order:

1. Rose/BCS vs. Pac-10/BCS, Jan. 1
2. Capital One vs. SEC, Jan. 1
3. Outback vs. SEC, Jan. 1
4/5. Gator vs. SEC, Jan. 1
4/5. Insight vs. Big 12, Dec. 31
6. Texas vs. Big 12, late December
7. Dallas Football Classic vs. Conference USA,* Jan. 1


*Big 12 remains a possible opponent

So seven tie-ins are finalized and an eighth remains likely. The overall lineup should help even the playing field for the Big Ten, which "plays up" in bowls more than any other conference and faces inherent disadvantages because of where the games are played.