NIU boasts five Tri-Cities players, including former Vikings Michael Santacaterina and Matt Williams. Here's a list of Patch-town players as well as the line-up of bowl games that await super-fans.
The BCS bowl season has begun, and two Geneva players are on the roster of bowl-bound area players.
Geneva's Michael Santacaterina is a redshirt sophomore linebacker and freshman Matt Williams a backup quarterback for No. 15 Northern Illinois, a surprise BCS team, heading to the Orange Bowl to play No. 12 Florida State on New Year's Day.
Also from the Tri-Cities and now playing for NIU are offensive lineman Ryan Brown of St. Charles North, tight end Jess Striedl of St. Charles East and linebacker Bobby Winkel, a Batavia resident who played for Marmion.
They are among a long list of Patch-area players on the rosters of some of the best teams in college football. If we've missed out on any of the local connections, tell us about it in the comment section. (All times CST.)
BCS National Championship Game, Notre Dame vs. Alabama, Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
| Athlete | Hometown | High School | Position | Year |
| Connor Cavalaris | Lake Forest | Lake Forest | Safety | So. |
| Scott Daly | Downers Grove | DG South | Long snapper | Fr. |
| DaVaris Daniels | Vernon Hills | Vernon Hills | Wide receiver | So. |
| Christian Lombard | Inverness | Fremd | Offensive lineman | Jr. |
| Tyler Plantz | Frankfort | Providence Catholic | Running back | Jr. |
| Tommy Rees | Lake Forest | Lake Forest | Quarterback | Jr. |
| Joe Romano | River Forest | Fenwick | Cornerback | Jr. |
| Chris Salvi | Lake Forest | Carmel Catholic | Safety | Sr. |
| Will Salvi | Lake Forest | Carmel Catholic | Cornerback | Sr. |
| Chris Watt | Glen Ellyn | Glenbard West | Offensive guard | Sr. |
Discover Orange Bowl — Florida State vs. Northern Illinois. Jan. 1, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
| Athlete | Hometown | High School | Position | Year |
| Sal Arceo | Chicago | Mount Carmel | Offensive lineman | Fr. |
| Matt Battaglia | Chicago | Marist | Offensive lineman | Sr. |
| Alan Baxter | Buffalo Grove | Buffalo Grove | Defensive end | Sr. |
| Giorgio Bowers | Olympia Fields | Rich Central | Running back | RS So. |
| Jacob Brinlee | Lake Zurich | Lake Zurich | Wide receiver | Fr. |
| Ryan Brown | Elburn | St. Charles N. | Offensive lineman | RS So. |
| Aidan Conlon | Flossmoor | Homewood-Flossmoor | Offensive lineman | RS Fr. |
| Perez Ford | Romeoville | Romeoville | Running back | Fr. |
| Daniel Green | Oak Park | OPRF | Defensive end | RS Sr. |
| David Green | Oak Park | OPRF | Defensive lineman | RS So. |
| Patrick Husain | Evanston | Evanston | Offensive lineman | Jr. |
| Michael Ippolito | Naperville | Neuqua Valley | Defensive end | Fr. |
| Nabal Jefferson | Chicago | Marist | Defensive tackle | Sr. |
| Jordan Lynch | Chicago | Mount Carmel | Quarterback | RS Jr. |
| Desroy Maxwell | Evanston | Amundsen | Tight end | Fr. |
| Brian Mayer | Orland Park | Sandburg | Defensive specialist | RS So. |
| Wes Ott | Western Springs | Lyons Township | Offensive lineman | RS So. |
| Michael Santacaterina | Geneva | Geneva | Linebacker | RS So. |
| Cameron Stingily | Romeoville | Romeoville | Running back | RS So. |
| Jess Striedl | St. Charles | St. Charles East | Tight end | RS So. |
| Kevin Tennenbaum | Buffalo Grove | Buffalo Grove | Tight end | RS Fr. |
| Dominique Ware | Bolingbrook | Plainfield North | Corner back | RS Jr. |
| Matt Williams | Geneva | Geneva | Quarterback | Fr. |
| Bobby Winkel | Batavia | Marmion | Linebacker | RS So. |
GoDaddy.com Bowl — Arkansas State vs. Kent State. Jan. 6, 8 p.m., ESPN
| Brandt Pfeifer | Lake Forest | Lake Forest | Kent St. | Linebacker | Fr. |
Allstate Sugar Bowl — Florida vs. Louisville. Jan. 2, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
| Antonio Morrison | Bolingbrook | Bolingbrook | Florida | Linebacker | Fr. |
| Alex Witcpalek | Oswego | Oswego | Louisville | Safety | Jr. |
| Jarel McGriff-Culver | Downers Grove | DG North | Louisville | Running back | RS So. |
AT&T Cotton Bowl, Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M, Jan. 4, 7 p.m., FOX
| David Smith | Midlothian | Bremen | Oklahoma | Running back | Fr. |
Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, Stanford vs. Wisconsin, Jan. 1, 4 p.m., ESPN
| Johnny Caspers | Glen Ellyn | Glenbard West | Stanford | Offensive guard | Fr. |
| Stephen Salata | Buffalo Grove | Buffalo Grove | Wisconsin | Kicker | RS Fr. |
Outback Bowl, Michigan vs. South Carolina, Jan. 1, 12 p.m., ABC
| Bo Dever | Lake Forest | Lake Forest | Michigan | Wide receiver | Fr. |
| Brad Anlauf | Hinsdale | Hinsdale C. | Michigan | Wide receiver | Fr. |
| Michael Schofield | Orland Park | Sandburg | Michigan | Offensive lineman | RS Jr. |
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl — Northwestern vs. Mississippi State. Jan. 1, 11 a.m., ESPN2
|
Michael Rouse III |
Flossmoor |
Homewood-Flossmoor |
Northwestern |
Defensive tackle |
RS Fr. |
|
Tommie Thomas |
Robbins |
Richards |
Northwestern |
Wide receiver |
Sr. |
|
Anthony Battle |
Dolton |
Mount Carmel |
Northwestern |
Defensive lineman |
Jr. |
|
Neal Deiters |
Elmhurst |
York |
Northwestern |
Offensive lineman |
Sr. |
|
PJ Carollo |
Lake Bluff |
Lake Forest |
Northwestern |
Quarterback |
RS Fr. |
|
Chance Carter |
Evanston |
Loyola |
Northwestern |
Defensive lineman |
So. |
|
Doug Diedrick |
Woodridge |
Montini |
Northwestern |
Slot back |
RS Fr. |
|
Malin Jones |
Naperville |
Joliet Catholic |
Northwestern |
Running back |
Fr. |
|
Tim Hanrahan |
Frankfort |
Providence Catholic |
Northwestern |
Running back |
So. |
|
Matt Micucci |
Lake Zurich |
Stevenson |
Northwestern |
Punter |
Fr. |
|
Brian Mulroe |
Glenview |
Loyola |
Northwestern |
Offensive lineman |
Sr. |
|
Michael Odom |
Naperville |
Benet |
Northwestern |
Running back |
Fr. |
|
Mike Panico |
Libertyville |
Carmel Catholic |
Northwestern |
Running back |
Fr. |
|
Alex Pietrzak |
Burr Ridge |
Brother Rice |
Northwestern |
Offensive lineman |
RS Fr. |
|
Troy Sheppard |
Joliet |
Providence Catholic |
Northwestern |
Defensive back |
Fr. |
|
Tim Riley |
Oswego |
Oswego |
Northwestern |
Slot back |
Jr. |
|
Mark Szott |
Naperville |
Waubonsie Valley |
Northwestern |
Slot back |
RS Fr. |
|
Mike Trumpy |
Wheaton |
Wheaton N. |
Northwestern |
Running back |
Jr. |
|
Dan Vitale |
Wheaton |
Wheaton-Warrenville S. |
Northwestern |
Slot back |
Fr. |
|
Patrick Ward |
Homer Glen |
Providence Catholic |
Northwestern |
Offensive lineman |
Sr. |
|
Jarrell Williams |
Robbins |
Richards |
Northwestern |
Defensive back |
RS Fr. |
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl — Vanderbilt vs. North Carolina State. Dec. 31, 11 a.m., ESPN
| Jake Bernstein | Crystal Lake | Crystal Lake S. | Vanderbilt | Offensive lineman | RS Fr. |
| Hasan Clayton | Arlington Heights | Loyola | Vanderbilt | Defensive back | Jr. |
| Josh Jelesky | Naperville | Naperville C. | Vanderbilt | Offensive guard | RS Sr. |
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl — TCU vs. Michigan State. Dec. 29, 9:15 p.m., ESPN
| Cale Patterson | Kenilworth | New Trier | TCU | Punter | Sr. |
| Jack Allen | Hinsdale | Hinsdale C. | Michigan St. | Offensive lineman | RS Fr. |
| Jeff Bobek | Palatine | Fremd | Michigan St. | Fullback | Sr. |
| Dan Conroy | Wheaton | Wheaton-Warrenville S. | Michigan St. | Kicker | Sr. |
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl — Navy vs. Arizona State. Dec. 29, 3 p.m., ESPN2
| Collin Watkins | Hinsdale | Hinsdale C. | Navy | Offensive tackle | Jr. |
| Keegan Wetzel | Palos Heights | St. Laurence | Navy | Linebacker | Sr. |
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl — Rice vs. Air Force. Dec. 29, 10:45 a.m., ESPN
| Alex Hansen | Oak Forest | Oak Forest | Air Force | Defensive lineman | Fr. |
Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl — Minnesota vs. Texas Tech. Dec. 28, 8 p.m., ESPN
| CJ Cesario | Arlington Heights | St. Viator | Minnesota | Wide receiver | RS So. |
| Marek Lenkiewicz | Tinley Park | Andrew | Minnesota | Offensive lineman | RS So. |
| Jack Lynn | Lake Zurich | Lake Zuric | Minnesota | Linebacker | Fr. |
| Dan Orseske | Chicago | Brother Rice | Minnesota | Punter | RS Jr. |
Belk Bowl — Duke vs. Cincinnati. Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
| Franklin Bruscianelli | Woodridge | Montini | Cincinnati | Linebacker | Fr. |
| Dan Giordano | Frankfort | Lincoln-Way East | Cincinnati | Defensive lineman | RS Sr. |
Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman — San Jose State vs. Bowling Green, Dec. 27, 2 p.m., ESPN
| Jamel Martin | Bolingbrook | Bolingbrook | Bowling Green | Running back | RS So. |
| Fahn Cooper | Crystal Lake | Crystal Lake S. | Bowling Green | Running back | RS Fr. |
| Zach Colvin | Shorewood | Minooka | Bowling Green | Defensive end | So. |
| Anthony Farinella | Woodridge | Downers Grove South | Bowling Green | Kicker | Fr. |
| Greg Hohnstein | Warrenville | Wheaton-Warrenville S. | Bowling Green | Long snapper | Fr. |
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl — Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan. Dec. 26, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
| Nick Adams | Crystal Lake | Crystal Lake S. | Central Michigan | Long snapper | So. |
| Ron Coluzzi | Naperville | Naperville N. | Central Michigan | Kicker | Fr. |
| Titus Davis | Wheaton | Wheaton-Warrenville S. | Central Michigan | Wide receiver | So. |
| Brandon Greer | Dolton | Mount Carmel | Central Michigan | Defensive back | Fr. |
| Cody Lopez | Plainfield | Plainfield N. | Central Michigan | Linebacker | So. |
| Ryan Oruche | Downers Grove | DG South | Central Michigan | Defensive back | RS Fr. |
| Nathan Ollie | Chicago | Mount Carmel | Central Michigan | Defensive tackle | Jr. |
| Martinez Walker | Orland Park | Brother Rice | Central Michigan | Running back | Fr. |
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl, UCF vs. Ball State, Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m., ESPN
| Scott Secor | New Lenox | Lincoln-Way Central | Ball State | Kicker | So. |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — Utah State vs. Toledo
| Danny Farr | Evanston | Evanston | Toledo | Defensive tackle | Sr. |
Gildan New Mexico Bowl — Nevada vs. Arizona
| Jack Nykaza | Wilmette | New Trier | Arizona | Quarterback | Fr. |
The following bowl games don't feature any students from Patch's coverage area in Illinois, according to the team rosters.
Beth
1:04 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
Good luck, tri-cities area bowl players! Make us proud!!!