Brand Spankin' New Bowl Projections

[Eric]

New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. Miami OH*
Humanitarian Bowl: Temple vs. Nevada
New Orleans Bowl: Tulsa vs. UL Monroe
St. Petersburg Bowl: UConn vs. Southern Miss
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Toledo*
[Poinstettia Bowl: San Diego State vs. Navy] = lock
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. SMU
Little Caesar's Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Florida International*
[Independence Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Air Force] = lock
[Champs Sports Bowl: Miami vs. Notre Dame] = lock
Insight Bowl: Michigan vs. Texas A&M
Military Bowl: Clemson vs. ECU
Texas Bowl: Northwestern vs. Baylor
Alamo Bowl: Stanford vs. Missouri
Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs. Kansas State
Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. North Carolina
Armed Forces Bowl: UTEP* vs. Army
Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma State
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Maryland vs. Pittsburgh
Liberty Bowl: Georgia vs. UCF
Sun Bowl: NC State vs. California
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida State vs. South Carolina
Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs. LSU
Outback Bowl: Illinois vs. Florida
Dallas Football Classic: Penn State vs. Texas Tech
Gator Bowl: Iowa vs. Mississippi State
Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Nebraska
GMAC Bowl: Ohio vs. Troy
Fight Hunger Bowl: Fresno State vs. Boston College*
Birmingham Bowl: USF vs. Western Michigan*
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Boise State
Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl: Arkansas vs. TCU
BCS Championship: Auburn vs. Oregon

Personally I have Auburn losing this week, but I think Auburn may finish 3rd in one of the human polls and second in another, which would leave it to the computers to decide (Auburn probably gets the nod from the computers). So I'm going with 12-1 Auburn vs. 12-0 Oregon for the national title. Asterisks denote at-large or alternate tie-in teams.

I've denoted which games I think are absolute locks. Regardless of where San Diego State winds up in the MWC pecking order, the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl is played at Qualcomm Stadium and they've been dying to see the Aztecs be bowl eligible, and Navy was assigned this bowl game prior to the beginning of the season if they got bowl eligible. I've read Air Force / Georgia Tech for the Independence Bowl on CBS and another web site, and it seems a natural fit with Paul Johnson vs. Air Force again and the dueling option attacks. Also Miami/Notre Dame is too attractive a match up, it's in Orlando which is easy traveling for Canes fans (who will finish in the middle tier of the ACC), and the Irish will probably grab that Big East bowl bid at 6-6.

I have Florida International winning the Sun Belt outright, but the Sun Belt will twist some bowl arrangement's arms so 6-6 and 2nd place UL Monroe gets to play in Louisiana and 6-6 3rd place Troy gets to play in Alabama. The Sun Belt has an alternate tie-in with the LC Pizza Bowl should the Big 10 not fill all their slots. Plus it would be a good matchup anyway with the MAC's best versus the Sun Belt's best. Western Michigan is at 5-6 and needs to get eligible, but I think they'll beat Bowling Green this week. Oddly enough, I have Western Michigan becoming the 72nd eligible team which is just enough to field an entire bowl season. The winner of the Cal/Washington game will basically get eligible assuming that the Huskies can beat Washington State the week after that.

Teams with chances to still get eligible that I don't think will make it are Washington, UCLA, Rutgers, Oregon State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Tennessee, Colorado, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana Tech.

[Dossenator]

I'm liking your projections!

[donovan]

The Oregon, Oregon State game may be the game of the year. It is a great rivalry. I think Oregon State has more than an even chance to win. Last night against USC, they tackled better than any team, including themselves, that I have seen this year. Defense will win the game...and THE OSU has Rodgers...he is hard to stop.....I think Oregon State wins by 14.

PS...we need more bowls, they are so meaningful.

[billybud]

Ouch!

A match between S. Carolina and FSU would be a brutal match for the Noles.

[Eric]

I just checked out CFN's projections, which seem pretty dumb on its face. The two most glaring dumb things I see is that they predict Oregon State to get eligible with Oregon in the national title game, which makes it sound as if Oregon State is going to topple Stanford on the road. I highly doubt that will happen. They also see Idaho getting bowl eligible when they have to beat Fresno State on the road and San Jose State. Beating San Jose State is likely, beating Fresno State this week I would say is not very likely. But I did forget Idaho when I listed teams on the Bowl Bubble. They have to win 7 games since they scheduled 13 this season.

If Idaho does upset Fresno State this week, Miami OH would get bumped out of the New Mexico Bowl to make for an Idaho/BYU matchup and Miami OH would knock Western Michigan out of the bowl picture, probably to play USF in the Birmingham Bowl. Also, they might wind up in the Las Vegas Bowl and swap spots with Toledo.

[Eric]

Oh, and Texas can still get eligible with a win at home against Texas A&M

[Spence]

The Sugar bowl people were interviewed here before the Penn State game and said that were Ohio State to win out it would be hard for them not to pick the Buckeyes. I guess the Sugar gets the first at large pick.

[Eric]

The Sugar bowl people were interviewed here before the Penn State game and said that were Ohio State to win out it would be hard for them not to pick the Buckeyes. I guess the Sugar gets the first at large pick.

Guess I better modify my bowl picks then

If that's the case, then I think the Orange Bowl could still take West Virginia to re-ignite the VT/WVU rivalry. Of course Florida State certainly has a shot to win, so that could change matters. West Virginia probably has more flexibility between the Fiesta and Orange, but I'm hearing that Pitt is a lock for the Fiesta if they win the Big East.

[Spence]

I'm just repeating what the Sugar Bowl guy said, it is probably the standard "fill in team here" type interview depending on what city he is in, but that is what he said. I don't think this years version of the Ohio State Buckeyes are that good. I see lots of problems on this team.

[billybud]

A VT-WVU Orange would be a bowl match that the Miami folks would badly want....a VT-UConn or a VT-Pitt match up. not so much.

[Derek]

South Carolina in the Chick-fil-a Bowl??

Don't think so. They will be in the Outback at the worst, providing they actually lose to Auburn. Which I'm not 100% convinced they will yet.

If they do lose to Auburn, then Auburn will probably go to the NCG, leaving the Sugar Bowl open for LSU. Which leaves Alabama in the Capital One and Arkansas in the Cotton. With the Outback picking next, they will get SC.

Auburn losing would change the whole picture, and might even kick Georgia out of a bowl game, though GA has to beat Tech first.

[Eric]

South Carolina in the Chick-fil-a Bowl??

Don't think so. They will be in the Outback at the worst, providing they actually lose to Auburn. Which I'm not 100% convinced they will yet.

If they do lose to Auburn, then Auburn will probably go to the NCG, leaving the Sugar Bowl open for LSU. Which leaves Alabama in the Capital One and Arkansas in the Cotton. With the Outback picking next, they will get SC.

Auburn losing would change the whole picture, and might even kick Georgia out of a bowl game, though GA has to beat Tech first.

Georgia would definitely get in at 6-6, because there will be a couple at-large bids up for grabs (the Birmingham Bowl takes the SEC #9 this year). South Carolina could certainly go to the Outback or Gator, but I think it may depend on what Mississippi State does against Ole Miss this week. I believe the SEC bowls have some discretion so they can take teams that finished no more than one game behind the next best available record like most conferences have, so I believe the Zook/Florida game will be too juicy to pass up. Mississippi State I have in the Gator because they're a team that doesn't get to go bowling often and probably would have a good showing in Jacksonville.

[Vileborg]

Ugh... I'd rather see an ACC - Wisconsin or Ohio St. than a down Big East team. Send the Big East out west to get beat up by somebody.

I wouldn't be surprised is Clemson pushes South Carolina late. Knowing Spurrier they are prepping some grand schemes for Auburn and not prepping for Clemson. I wouldn't be surprised to see

Sugar - South Carolina V. WVU
Fiesta - Oklahoma - Auburn
Orange - ACC - Ohio St.
Rose - Wisconsin - Stanford

[Spence]

Wisconsin will be in the Rose Bowl as long as they win this week - which they should. Ohio State will probably be the first at large as long as they win this week. It isn't that Ohio State is the first best at large team available, it is just that Ohio State travels better than any other team available and that is what is most attractive to the bowl committee's.

[Cane from the Bend]

Ugh... I'd rather see an ACC - Wisconsin or Ohio St. than a down Big East team. Send the Big East out west to get beat up by somebody.

I wouldn't be surprised is Clemson pushes South Carolina late. Knowing Spurrier they are prepping some grand schemes for Auburn and not prepping for Clemson. I wouldn't be surprised to see

Sugar - South Carolina V. WVU
Fiesta - Oklahoma - Auburn
Orange - ACC - Ohio St.
Rose - Wisconsin - Stanford

Unless you are projecting Boise St to play in the BCS title game; then the Rose Bowl will be Wisconsin vs Boise State.

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