We last posted on the BCS bowl game projections a few weeks ago and in typical college football fashion, so much has changed. While seven of the 10 teams remain the same, the most noticeable issue is Boise State being left out. These projections come from ESPN BCS guru Brad Edwards, and you have to figure that they have the inside scoop since the BCS is an ESPN property now. So, if things were to remain the same, who would we be seeing in the big time bowl games? Here’s the list:
National Championship Game: Oregon vs. Auburn
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. TCU
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. Pitt
The three teams out from our previous projections are Boise State, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Replacing them are TCU, Oklahoma State, and LSU. Pitt unfortunately gets in as the projected automatic qualifier from the lowly Big East.
The Sugar Bowl gets the first choice of the at-large teams if it loses Auburn to the National Championship Game, and they would likely take powerhouse Ohio State (assuming Wisconsin finishes higher in the BCS standings). The Orange Bowl would get the next selection amongst the at-large teams, and they are projected to take Oklahoma State which is 9-1 at the moment. The Cowboys still have Kansas and Oklahoma left on their schedule, so this is an unstable prediction. The Fiesta Bowl automatically gets the Big 12 winner which is likely to be Nebraska. They’d also probably be stuck with the Big East champion, projected to be Pitt.
The Rose Bowl becomes somewhat tricky. They have contractual ties to the Pac-10 and Big Ten champion, but if they lose Oregon to the National Championship Game, they would have an opening. They would love to fill it with Stanford which is 6th in the BCS standings, but they may get screwed over. New BCS rules allow an automatic qualifier from the MAC, WAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, or C-USA if the conference champion is in the Top 12 of the BCS standings (both Boise State and TCU are), or if one of their teams is ranked higher than all teams in another conference (which they are by far over the Big East, ACC, and Big 12).
A lot can obviously change over the next month, but this should give you an idea of what things may look like in January. As much as I can’t stand Boise State, as long as they finish their schedule undefeated they should be in. It would also be a shame if Stanford doesn’t make it to a BCS game with the season they’ve had.
