BCS Bowl Predictions 2013: Projecting Scores for Best Prospective Matchups

There are conference championships still to be decided, so college football's BCS picture is not quite set in stone as a result.

Considering how wild of a weekend it was in Week 14, anything can happen moving forward.

Nevertheless, there are still some exciting matchups to look ahead at in the biggest bowls of the year—assuming several of the nation's best teams take care of business in their remaining games.

Here is an early look at which teams should play in the BCS games to cap off their seasons, accompanied with predictions and analysis for how those prospective clashes would play out.

Note: Matchups are based on B/R's latest bowl projections. Team statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.

BCS Championship: Florida State vs. Ohio State

The latest BCS standings have the Seminoles at the top, while the Buckeyes climbed to No. 2 thanks to a thrilling 42-41 victory at Michigan and previous No. 1 Alabama's road loss to Auburn in the epic Iron Bowl.

Florida State should have little trouble dispatching the surprising Duke Blue Devils in the ACC championship game. However, Ohio State has its work cut out in facing an amazing Michigan State Spartans defense for the Big Ten title.

Both of these teams should meet in a battle for the Coaches' Trophy, though. If that happens, there should be reasonable doubt about the Buckeyes' ability to compete against such a loaded Seminoles team.

OSU head coach Urban Meyer is familiar with playing a heavy underdog role. The last time he did that in the BCS title game, his Florida Gators steamrolled the Buckeyes 41-14 following the 2006 campaign.

Thanks to a physical running game led by Carlos Hyde and a dual-threat quarterback in Braxton Miller, the Bucks have enough pieces to shorten the game.

Having said that, the Seminoles would prevail. Jameis Winston, the likely Heisman Trophy winner, is a superior pocket passer and will be facing what is now the No. 98 pass defense in the country.

Winston, who has exceptional mobility himself, is also complemented by a trio of backs in Devonta Freeman, Karlos Williams and James Wilder Jr. who have combined for 30 touchdowns on the ground.

That balance will be too much for Ohio State to overcome, although it will be closer than many expect thanks to Miller's playmaking ability and the Buckeyes rush defense, which allows 3.02 yards per carry.

Prediction: Florida State 34, Ohio State 26

Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Alabama

Both of these teams had the looks of national championship contenders at various points this season. OK, well maybe the Crimson Tide appeared to be a strong bet to win their third straight BCS crown.

Until the Iron Bowl happened.

Clemson turned it over six times overall, yet still had a chance in what was a tied game entering the fourth quarter before losing to archrival South Carolina 31-17 last week.

This showdown may be viewed as a consolation prize of sorts for two teams that could have achieved so much more. Au contraire.

The Tigers have now been beaten by their only two 2013 opponents still in the BCS Top 25 by double digits. And you better believe Nick Saban will have his Tide ready to roll in their final game of the year.

Senior Tajh Boyd is the type of elusive signal-caller who can give Alabama's defense problems (see: Johnny Manziel and Nick Marshall).

In two of the three games the Tide have faced a truly high-powered offense this season, they have struggled, conceding 42 points to Manziel and Texas A&M and 27 to Auburn—not counting Chris Davis' amazing missed field-goal return for the winning score.

Boyd is a polished, strong-armed pocket passer and a capable runner who will want to end his career on a high note.

But it's borderline unfathomable that Alabama could lose two games in a row. AJ McCarron does not make the mistakes that Boyd does, and he played well against Auburn in his own right, throwing for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense wins championships, and even in this high-scoring contest, the Tide would do well enough to stem an explosive Tigers attack to get a bounce-back win.

Prediction: Alabama 28, Clemson 24

Rose Bowl: Michigan State vs. Arizona State

As highlighted in the video that preceded the analysis of these games, the Sun Devils will benefit from having home-field advantage and win the Pac-12 championship over Stanford.

The Spartans sport a defense that is No. 1 in the nation and allows a mind-boggling 3.77 yards per play, which should give the Buckeyes problems and boost their chances of being selected for Pasadena.

Arizona State yields just 351 yards per contest and is tied for eighth in the nation with 36 sacks—just two behind Louisville for the lead in that category.

What also makes this clash intriguing is that both teams have a knack for generating takeaways and don't turn it over much, thus putting themselves in the top 10 in turnover margin this season.

Jeremy Langford has run for 1,210 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Michigan State QB Connor Cook has played efficient if not spectacular football in throwing 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

Cook's counterpart, Taylor Kelly, could be the difference. Kelly is a more viable big-play threat (7.76 yards per attempt, compared to Cook's 6.97). Even without senior running back Marion Grice, the Sun Devils put up 58 points on an Arizona team that blew out Oregon 52-16 a week before.

Grice will be out for the Pac-12 championship but should be back for this one to give the Sun Devils enough to claim victory in the Rose Bowl in a rather low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Arizona State 20, Michigan State 17