BCS Rankings 2012: Complete Standings, Bowl Game Matchups and More

The final BCS standings are out and bowl game pairings are set. The most exciting games of the 2012 college football season are just ahead, and fans have plenty to look forward to, with several ideal matchups set for December and January.

After a season full of surprising results, everything boils down to one more game for the top teams around the nation.

Whether a program has played consistently all year like Notre Dame or has just recently stepped up and is lucky to be in its current position like Wisconsin, the next 60 minutes of football will define each team’s season.

Here are the Week 15 BCS rankings and all the bowl game matchups for the 2012 season.

National Championship Game: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Alabama

For the second year in a row, the national championship game will feature two teams that have staked their reputations on their defenses. Also for the second consecutive season, one of those teams is Alabama.

Notre Dame ranks first in the nation in points per game allowed, and the Crimson Tide place second. There will not be many touchdowns in this contest, and whichever team avoids mistakes and comes through with a big play at the right time will win.

BCS Bowl Games

Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 4 Oregon

There is an incredible amount of offensive talent on the field in this matchup, and fans looking for a fast-paced thriller would be wise not to miss the Fiesta Bowl. Kansas State and Oregon both have elite playmakers and defenses capable of surrendering enough points to make the veins on their coach’s foreheads visible. 

Collin Klein will account for multiple touchdowns, and Oregon will pile up rushing yards. This shootout will likely come down to which team has the ball last.

 

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 21 Louisville

After Northern Illinois’ surprising inclusion in the BCS bowl picture, Louisville ends up in the Sugar Bowl this year. It has been a rocky year for the Big East, and the conference likely will not be smiling after this contest.

Florida is a heavy favorite in this matchup, and the stark difference between the SEC and the Big East will likely be on display in this game.

Orange Bowl: No. 12 Florida State vs. No. 15 Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois is a school no one expected to see in a BCS bowl this year, and their inclusion shows just how strange this season has been. Now that the Huskies are on a massive stage, they must perform up to par or risk being embarrassed.

Florida State has explosive athletes on both sides of the ball, and the ACC champions will be looking to run up the score. But the Seminoles have been less than impressive in several games this season, and Northern Illinois has already proved that it can beat the odds.

Rose Bowl: No. 6 Stanford vs. Wisconsin

Stanford was able to beat UCLA in Pasadena to earn a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. It then hosted the Bruins at The Farm, and after winning one more time, the Cardinal are heading right back down to the Rose Bowl to play Wisconsin.

The Badgers were given the opportunity to play for the Big Ten title because Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible, and Nebraska was a clear favorite to head west after the contest. But the Badgers routed the Cornhuskers and will carry loads of confidence with them to their third straight Rose Bowl appearance. 

All Bowl Games

Bowl	Team 1	Team 2	Stadium: Location	Date: Time	TV
New Mexico	Nevada	Arizona	University Stadium: Albuquerque, NM	12/15: 1:00	ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato	Toledo	Utah State	Bronco Stadium: Boise, ID	12/15: 4:30	ESPN
Poinsettia	BYU	San Diego State	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, CA	12/20: 8:00	ESPN
Beef 'O' Brady's	Ball State	UCF	Tropicana Field: St.Petersburg, FL	12/21: 7:30	ESPN
New Orleans	East Carolina	Louisiana-Lafayette	Superdome: New Orleans, LA	12/22: Noon	ESPN
Las Vegas	Boise State	Washington	Sam Boyd Stadium: LasVegas, NV	12/22: 3:30	ESPN
Hawaii	SMU	Fresno State	Aloha Stadium: Honolulu, HI	12/24: 8:00	ESPN
Little Caesars	Central Michigan	Western Kentucky	Ford Field: Detroit, MI	12/26: 7:30	ESPN
Military	Bowling Green	San Jose State	RFK Stadium: Washington, DC	12/27: 3:00	ESPN
Belk	Duke	Cincinnati	Bank of America Stadium: Charlotte, NC	12/27: 6:30	ESPN
Holiday	Baylor	UCLA	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, CA	12/27: 9:45	ESPN
Independence	Louisiana-Monroe	Ohio	Independence Stadium: Shreveport, LA	12/28: 2:00	ESPN
Russell Athletic	Virginia Tech	Rutgers	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando, FL	12/28: 5:30	ESPN
Meineke Car Care	Minnesota	Texas Tech	Reliant Stadium: Houston, TX	12/28: 9:00	ESPN
Armed Forces	Rice	Air Force	Amon G. Carter Stadium: Fort Worth, TX	12/29: 11:45 a.m.	ESPN
Pinstripe	Syracuse	West Virginia	Yankee Stadium: Bronx, NY	12/29: 3:15	ESPN
Kraft	Navy	Arizona State	AT&T Park: San Francisco, CA	12/29: 4:00	ESPN2
Alamo	Texas	Oregon State	Alamodome: San Antonio, TX	12/29: 6:45	ESPN
Buffalo Wild Wings	TCU	Michigan State	Sun Devil Stadium: Tempe, AZ	12/29: 10:15	ESPN
Music City	NC State	Vanderbilt	LP Field: Nashville, TN	12/31: Noon	ESPN
Sun	Georgia Tech	USC	Sun Bowl: El Paso, TX	12/31: 2:00	CBS
Liberty	Tulsa	Iowa State	Liberty Bowl: Memphis, TN	12/31: 3:30	ESPN
Chick-fil-A	Clemson	LSU	Georgia Dome: Atlanta, GA	12/31: 7:30	ESPN
Gator	Northwestern	Mississippi State	Everbank Field: Jacksonville, FL	1/1: Noon	ESPN2
Heart of Dallas	Oklahoma State	Purdue	Cotton Bowl: Dallas, TX	1/1: Noon	ESPNU
Outback	Michigan	South Carolina	Raymond James Stadium: Tampa, FL	1/1: 1:00	ESPN
Capital One	Nebraska	Georgia	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando, FL	1/1: 1:00	ABC
Cotton	Oklahoma	Texas A&M	Cowboys Stadium: Arlington, TX	1/4: 8:00	FOX
Compass	Pittsburgh	Ole Miss	Legion Field: Birmingham, AL	1/5: 1:00	ESPN
GoDaddy.com	Kent State	Arkansas State	Ladd-Peebles Stadium: Mobile, AL	1/6: 9:00	ESPN

Week 15 BCS Standings

Rank	Team
1	Notre Dame
2	Alabama
3	Florida
4	Oregon
5	Kansas State
6	Stanford
7	Georgia
8	LSU
9	Texas A&M
10	South Carolina
11	Oklahoma
12	Florida State
13	Oregon State
14	Clemson
15	Northern Illinois
16	Nebraska
17	UCLA
18	Michigan
19	Boise State
20	Northwestern
21	Louisville
22	Utah State
23	Texas
24	San Jose State
25	Kent State