BCS Bowl Predictions 2012: Predicting Winners of Major Bowl Games

With bowl week fast approaching, it's about time to start projecting and predicting the winners of this year's major BCS bowl games.

No matter which team or conference you pledge your allegiance to, you have to appreciate this time of the college football season.

Lace up, pigskin fans—here are my picks for some of the biggest bowl games of the season.

Discover Orange Bowl: Florida St. vs. Rutgers

A win against Louisville and Rutgers has itself an appearance in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Once Rutgers gets past the Cardinals, I like it over the Seminoles with that swarming defense that ranks No. 4 in the nation in points against.

Although Florida St. can put up points in a hurry, I'm taking the Scarlet Knights' defense to force some E.J. Manuel mistakes. The Rutgers' D has 15 interceptions on the season, including two for touchdowns, making defense the key for the Scarlet Knights in this one.

I'm looking for a connection between QB Gary Nova and his favorite target, WR Brandon Coleman, to get the scoring going followed by dominance on the ground by Jawan Jamison.

Look for Rutgers to keep this a low-scoring affair and come out with a win.

Rose Bowl: Nebraska vs. Stanford

I like Stanford here simply because it's battle tested, having won three in a row against ranked opponents Oregon State, Oregon and UCLA.

Led by senior RB Stepfan Taylor, the Cardinal will control the game on the ground and stifle the Cornhuskers' two-headed rushing attack.

Look for the Stanford D to get after Nebraska's junior QB Taylor Martinez. The Cardinal boast the most sacks in the nation, coming in with 53 QB sacks and have scored four defensive touchdowns this season, ultimately making it a tough game for the Cornhuskers.

I'm not expecting an offensive explosion by any means, but I like the Stanford defense down the stretch to bring this one home for David Shaw and the Cardinal.

BCS National Championship: Notre Dame vs. Alabama

Ah, the game that every college football fan has been waiting for.

Well, for one, I like Alabama to beat Georgia to advance to the BCS National Championship where I think Notre Dame wins it all.

The championship game will pin the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 defenses against each other, making for a low-scoring game.

But fear not, as both offenses won't bore you. Alabama QB A.J. McCarron has been filthy through the air, tossing 25 TDs to just two interceptions, while Fighting Irish QB Everett Golston has led the Irish to a perfect 12-0 record with his arm and his legs.

With Heisman hopeful Manti Te'o leading the charge, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are your national champs.

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