The waiting game

No one knows what’s going to happen to three of the Big 4 schools, so to kill time until we do know, we sit around and guess.

And we’ll start with the only school whose season wasn’t a disappointment: Drake.

I wrote about the Bulldogs’ 47-28 win at Jacksonville and detailed how they’re likely to play in the Gridiron Classic.

You can read about it here: After win, Drake football waiting - Sports

To sum it up, San Diego, now ranked No. 14 in the I-AA poll, has an excellent shot at making the I-AA playoffs.

The Toreros’ chances are better than No. 20 Northern Iowa, which lost 47-23 at Southern Illinois. The Panthers might convince the selection committee to give them an at-large bid, though, if they upset No. 6 Illinois State at the UNI-Dome on Saturday.

Iowa earned its postseason game by beating Northern Illinois, last Saturday’s 24-21 loss to Wisconsin is slimming their chances of a designer bowl. The choices right now are all in December … I know we already knew that. There’s Champs Sports in Orlando, Fla., Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, Insight in Tempe, Ariz., and Motor City in Detroit, Mich.

Iowa fans travel well, so it’ll likely get a warm-weather bowl, and then Hawkeye fans can think about next year. The Jake Christiansen-era looks bright so that should keep the Bumblebees warm through the winter.

Where do you think Iowa will go bowling? Are you ready to say goodbye to the Hawkeye seniors?

Iowa State will try to earn its only Big 12 win for its seniors and outgoing coach vs. Missouri in Ames. The Cyclones will still finish at the bottom of the Big 12 North, but a win would be a little consolation for a team that hasn’t won since September.