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There isn't much excitement surrounding Saturday's matchup between the Michigan State and Minnesota football teams in East Lansing. But, it will be an important game in determining if the Big Ten Conference will be able to fulfill its bowl game commitments this season.

The two 4-6 teams would need wins in their final two games to reach bowl eligibility, but their Saturday meeting means that only one will have that chance. So, if the Big Ten sends a team to the national championship game (as most expect to be either No. 1 Ohio State or No. 2 Michigan), the Big Ten could have — at most — seven other eligible teams to fill its seven tie-ins.

With five teams already eligible, the Big Ten will be forced to hold its breath and hope Purdue, Indiana and the Michigan State-Minnesota winner will all win at least one more game to avoid the conference embarrassment of falling short of filling its bowl slots.

Scott Chipman, the Big Ten's assistant commissioner for communications, said the conference has been communicating with its seven bowl tie-ins about possibilities.

"We'll have to wait and see what happens," Chipman said.

By rule, a Division I-A team must have six wins to be bowl eligible, with some exceptions. One of those affects Purdue. The Boilermakers (6-4) play 13 games this season, including a road finale against Hawaii, so they would need seven wins to play in a bowl. They also play Illinois and Indiana.

Indiana (5-5) needs a win against either Michigan or Purdue to qualify. If Michigan State tops Minnesota, it would have to beat Penn State, while Minnesota would have to finish with a win against Iowa if it prevails in East Lansing on Saturday.

Don't worry, the situation is confusing even to some of the bowl games. Ken Hoffman, executive director of the Motor City Bowl, which will be played Dec. 26 at Detroit's Ford Field, said he has few answers about what possibilities he faces.

"I don't know why we haven't received any potential formats on how the season could play out," Hoffman said. "Either way, it's going to be close across the country."

A Big Ten failure to fill bowl slots could open the door for conferences like the Mid-American or Western Athletic to put more teams in the postseason.

"There are probably several commissioners calling the NCAA to find out what the options are," Hoffman said. "Frankly, that might be my next phone call."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Too many tie-ins?

If Ohio State or Michigan play in the national championship game, the Big Ten would have seven other bowls to fill. At most, it could have exactly seven bowl-eligible teams, but that's not yet guaranteed:

Eligible teams

Ohio State (10-0)

Michigan (10-0)

Wisconsin (9-1)

Penn State (6-4)

Iowa (6-4)

Could be eligible

Purdue (6-4)

Indiana (5-5)

Michigan State (4-6)

Minnesota (4-6)

Not eligible

Northwestern (3-7)

Illinois (2-8)

Big Ten bowl affiliations
Bowl	Opponent	Date
Motor City Bowl	MAC	Dec. 26
Insight Bowl	Big 12	Dec. 29
Champs Sports Bowl	ACC	Dec. 29
Alamo Bowl	Big 12	Dec. 30
Outback Bowl	SEC	Jan. 1
Capital One Bowl	SEC	Jan. 1
Rose Bowl	BCS	Jan. 1