Syracuse Orange BCS and Bowl Predictions: Beef O' Brady or Bust!

So here we are, two weeks after I told everyone to buy their Orange Bowl tickets and sunscreen. Get on StubHub and sell those puppies and start looking up flights for balmy St. Petersburg!

Maybe.

Right now, with the current Big East standings, Syracuse has to win at least one more game to be bowl eligible. The best chance for a win is against Big East-winless USF this Friday at the Carrier Dome. Cincinnati looks like the favorite and Pitt is better (on paper) than Louisville and UConn on a talent level, so wins against these teams looks doubtful.

If that is what transpires, Syracuse would finish 2-5 within the Big East, good for sixth place and an automatic birth to the Beef O' Brady bowl, right? Due to the craziness of the BCS and the fickleness of Notre Dame, no.

Under the current format, Notre Dame enters the Big East pool of bowl eligible teams with seven wins. With six wins and remaining games against Wake Forrest, Boston College and Stanford, the Irish do not have a cakewalk schedule, but they could very well finish 8-4 leaving no one surprised.

That being said, Notre Dame would more than likely push Syracuse out of the Big East bowl pool and into BCS limbo. More than likely, with the lack of non BCS conference teams qualifying for bowls this season (there is a chance there will be more bowl slots than eligible teams) Syracuse may get a Big East rematch in the Beef O' Brady Bowl.

In a real zinger, Syracuse could even play in the New Mexico Bowl, due to the lack of Mountain West Conference teams that are currently Bowl Eligible thanks to Boise State more than likely earning a BCS bowl spot.

However, keep the sunscreen. The safe bet is that the Beef O' Brady Bowl will take Syracuse in some fashion and Syracuse can fight to win this beauty of a trophy.