BCS Bowl Predictions 2012: Title Game Odds for Top Contenders

Sundays are for watching NFL football while arguing about how much we all hate the BCS. 

"How could they rank [insert favorite team] so low when [insert rival team] is obviously not that good?"

Exactly. It's always a little convoluted and difficult to project how things will work out. 

But fear not. I've spent some time in the lab, ran multiple experiments and analyzed the statistics.

So let's look at the results.

Alabama Crimson Tide: 50-to-1

The world may be coming to an end sooner rather than later. The only SEC team in this article and Alabama has the worst odds of any here. For the first time in six years, there is a high probability that not only will a SEC team not win the title, but there won't even be one in contention.

Oregon Ducks: 8-to-1

The Ducks have the inside track to the title game, but the road is littered with potholes and obstacles. Oregon faces a ranked Stanford Cardinal team before facing off with the highly-rated Oregon State Beavers in the annual Civil War battle.

Assuming the Ducks win both games, their reward will either be a rematch with the USC Trojans or the UCLA Bruins. Neither is extremely enticing.

Kansas State Wildcats: 3-to-1

The Wildcats are blessed with the best odds based on the weakness of their remaining schedule. The Baylor Bears aren't much of a test, and the Texas Longhorns are more tradition than reality right now. With the obvious caveat that anything can happen, Kansas State seems the most likely team to finish undefeated.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 10-to-1

After 10 wins, I'm still not sure what to make of this Irish team. They can look so good at times but also look listless as they did against the Pitt Panthers. The matchup against USC looms as a season-defining game.

However, Notre Dame has longer odds than the Ducks since the Irish need one of the foregoing two teams to lose in order to partake in the final contest.