BCS Bowl Predictions 2012: Locks and Potential Upsets for Every Matchup

Every sport comes equipped with upsets and college football is no different, especially when it comes to BCS bowl games.

As the final BCS standings were announced on Sunday night, upsets were already brewing as oddsmakers scramble to define the lines for each game and prepare for the ensuing madness that is bowl week in college football.

On the other side of upsets are locks—teams we are so confident will win, we're willing to wager an insane amount of money or naming rights to our firstborn child.

While I wouldn't go as far as the latter, BCS bowls do some crazy things to football fans, so you might want to check this piece out before making your bets.

Rose Bowl: No. 6 Stanford (11-2, 8-1) vs. Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4)

Lock: Stanford Cardinal

The Badgers deserve their bid in the Rose Bowl, but it's all about the Cardinal defense on Jan. 1.

Stanford sports the third-best rushing defense in the nation and will give Wisconsin's No. 12-ranked rushing offense fits all day, as Montee Ball tries to find some running room against the stingy Cardinal.

Wisconsin's defense should not be taken lightly either, but I like the odds of Stepfan Taylor carrying the offensive load for Stanford, leading to the Cardinal first BCS bowl win since 2010 under Jim Harbaugh.

Look for Josh Nunes to make enough plays under center to clinch this one for Stanford.

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Florida (11-1, 7-1) vs. No. 21 Louisville (10-2, 5-2)

Lock: Florida

As much as I'd like to tell you Louisville is going to leave the Superdome with a win in the Sugar Bowl, I just don't see it happening.

The Cardinals offense isn't deep enough to challenge a Gators defense that ranks third-best in the nation, allowing just under 13 PPG.

Teddy Bridgewater showed his toughness against Rutgers in the Big East Championship, but he'll need to be just as tough on Jan. 2 against a Florida defense that boasts 25 sacks and 19 interceptions.

Expect a heavy dose of Mike Gillislee and a Sugar Bowl victory for the Gators. 

Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Oregon (11-1, 8-1)  vs. No. 5 Kansas State (11-1, 8-1)

Upset: Kansas State

Can't you see it? Collin Klein leading K-State to a Fiesta Bowl upset and winning the Heisman?

Yeah, me neither. At least the second part.

Johnny Football has the Heisman on lockdown, but I do like the idea of the Wildcats upending the Ducks on Jan. 3 in Arizona.

This could be the highest-scoring BCS bowl game of the season, as both teams come into this one ranking in the top 10 in points scored. 

Oregon has the better defense, but it's really hard to go against what Klein and the Wildcats are doing offensively, as they just hung 42 on the Texas Longhorns. Kenjon Barner will impress, no doubt, but it's not enough.

Sorry, Ducks fans, but I like K-State.

Orange Bowl: No. 15 Northern Illinois (12-1, 8-0) vs. No. 12 Florida State (11-2, 7-1)

Lock: Florida State

It'd be a great story to see MAC Champion Northern Illinois come into the Orange Bowl and knock off the hefty Seminoles, but it's not going to happen.

I'm among the many who believe the Huskies aren't battle-tested enough to deserve a bid to a BCS bowl, and they're surely not ready for what Florida State will bring to Sun Life Stadium on New Year's Day.

E.J. Manuel and his triple-headed rushing attack will unload its explosive offense and show Jordan Lynch and Northern Illinois what it really means to be a BCS bowl champion.

FSU takes the Orange Bowl.

BCS National Championship Game: No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama (12-1, 7-1)

Upset: Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish aren't going to blow anyone away with their offense, but what they are going to do is play hard-nosed defense and make you earn every yard.

The same can be said for Alabama, as we prepare to see the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses—in terms of points allowed per game—go head-to-head with the BCS National Championship on the line.

A.J. McCarron and the Crimson Tide offense deserves all the credit they receive, but I'm a firm believer that good championships are built on defense, which is why I like Notre Dame in the championship game.

This matchup will be won in the trenches, but I like the odds of Everett Golson and Theo Riddick leading the Fighting Irish to their first BCS National Championship win.

Bowl Schedule

Note: All times are ET and p.m. unless noted otherwise. All games (except for the Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl) can be streamed live at WatchESPN. 

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: Las Vegas, 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	N.C. 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	Purdue	Oklahoma State	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
Rose	Stanford	Wisconsin	Rose Bowl: Pasadena, CA	1/1: 5:00	ESPN
Orange	Northern Illinois	Florida State	Sun Life Stadium: Miami, FL	1/1: 8:30	ESPN
Sugar	Florida	Louisville	Superdome: New Orleans, LA	1/2: 8:30	ESPN
Fiesta	Oregon	Kansas State	U. of Phoenix Stadium: Glendale, AZ	1/3: 8:30	ESPN
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
National Championship	Notre Dame	Alabama	Sun Life Stadium: Miami, FL	1/7: 8:30	ESPN

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