Bowl Schedule 2013-14: Picking Winners for Every Game
The bowl schedule for the 2013-14 winter holiday season is set, and there are some incredible matchups in store for college football fans.
Not surprisingly, Florida State and Auburn made it to the BCS National Championship after dominating their conference championship games. The title game should produce exciting drama, but it's far from the only compelling matchup.
Here's a look at every bowl game on the schedule, along with predictions for each one:
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| Bowl | Date | Matchup | Predicted Winner |
| BCS Title Game | Jan. 6 | Florida State vs. Auburn | Florida State |
| Orange | Jan. 3 | Clemson vs. Ohio State | Ohio State |
| Sugar | Jan. 2 | Alabama vs. Oklahoma | Alabama |
| Fiesta | Jan. 1 | Baylor vs. UCF | Baylor |
| Rose | Jan. 1 | Michigan State vs. Stanford | Michigan State |
| Bowl | Date | Matchup | Predicted Winner |
| GoDaddy.com | Jan. 5 | Ball State vs. Ark. State | Ball State |
| BBVA Compass | Jan. 4 | Vanderbilt vs. Houston | Houston |
| Cotton | Jan. 3 | Oklahoma State vs. Missouri | Missouri |
| Outback | Jan. 1 | Iowa vs. LSU | LSU |
| Capital One | Jan. 1 | Wisconsin vs. South Carolina | South Carolina |
| Heart of Dallas | Jan. 1 | UNLV vs. North Texas | UNLV |
| Gator | Jan. 1 | Nebraska vs. Georgia | Georgia |
| Chick-fil-A | Dec. 31 | Duke vs. Texas A&M | Texas A&M |
| Liberty | Dec. 31 | Rice vs. Miss. State | Rice |
| Sun | Dec. 31 | Virginia Tech vs. UCLA | UCLA |
| AdvoCare V100 Independence | Dec. 31 | Arizona vs. Boston College | Arizona |
| Holiday | Dec. 30 | Arizona State vs. Texas Tech | Arizona State |
| Alamo | Dec. 30 | Texas vs. Oregon | Oregon |
| Music City | Dec. 30 | Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss | Ole Miss |
| Armed Forces | Dec. 30 | Middle Tennessee St. vs. Navy | Navy |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | Dec. 28 | Kansas State vs. Michigan | Michigan |
| Russell Athletic | Dec. 28 | Louisville vs. Miami (FL) | Louisville |
| Belk | Dec. 28 | Cincinnati vs. North Carolina | Cincinnati |
| Pinstripe | Dec. 28 | Notre Dame vs. Rutgers | Notre Dame |
| Fight Hunger | Dec. 27 | Washington vs. BYU | BYU |
| Texas | Dec. 27 | Syracuse vs. Minnesota | Syracuse |
| Military | Dec. 27 | Maryland vs. Marshall | Maryland |
| Poinsettia | Dec. 26 | Utah State vs. Northern Illinois | Utah State |
| Little Caesars | Dec. 26 | Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh |
| Hawaii | Dec. 24 | Oregon State vs. Boise State | Boise State |
| Beef O'Brady's | Dec. 23 | Ohio vs. East Carolina | Ohio |
| New Orleans | Dec. 21 | La.-Lafayette vs. Tulane | Tulane |
| Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 21 | Buffalo vs. San Diego State | Buffalo |
| Las Vegas | Dec. 21 | Fresno State vs. USC | USC |
| New Mexico | Dec. 21 | Colorado State vs. Washington State | Colorado State |
BCS National Championship Should Be Tight
The Seminoles finished the season as the only undefeated team in the BCS standings after easily taking down Duke 45-7 in the ACC Championship Game, earning the No. 1 spot in the final rankings.
The Tigers shocked Alabama in Week 14 before putting on a rushing clinic against Missouri and winning the SEC Championship Game by a score of 59-42 to earn the No. 2 spot.
Both teams feature dynamic offenses led by impressive quarterbacks, but they couldn't be more different from a philosophic point of view.
Jameis Winston is a pocket passer who has the mobility of a dual-threat quarterback. He's passed for 3,820 yards and 38 touchdowns, leading the nation's No. 14-ranked passing offense and its No. 2-ranked scoring offense.
Nick Marshall is a raw passer who is much more effective when he's running the ball out of the triple-option. He and Tre Mason make for a dynamic duo and lead the country's top-ranked rushing attack and its No. 13-ranked scoring offense.
Both teams can put up points in a hurry, meaning the team that can put the clamps down with a strong defensive effort will win the game. In this regard, Florida State is far superior over Auburn, featuring the best scoring defense in college football, allowing a scant 10.7 points per contest.
In the end, Winston and the Seminoles will remain undefeated, winning the national title with a tight victory over Auburn.
Projected Score: Florida State wins 45-42.
Blowout Brewing at Sugar Bowl
No doubt, Alabama still believes it is the top team in the country, despite losing to Auburn on a last-second miracle touchdown return of a 57-yard field-goal attempt.
And it's hard to argue with that logic.
The Crimson Tide should have beaten Auburn, and they likely would have done so in overtime. But Nick Saban's asinine decision to send a freshman kicker into the game without any plan in place to stop a return if it came doomed his team's chances to three-peat.
Anyone expecting Alabama to come out flat against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl will be in for a huge surprise, however. This team isn't going to throw in the towel on the season just because it lost a heartbreaker.
Alabama's defense was confounded by Auburn's triple-option, but Oklahoma's read-option attack is a scheme the Crimson Tide will have no trouble shutting down. Whether it's Blake Bell or Trevor Knight behind center for the Sooners, Alabama will dominate when Oklahoma has the ball.
'Bama's offense wasn't the problem against Auburn, and it's been clicking all year long. A.J. McCarron is one of six Heisman finalists, and he's been phenomenal the past six games for the Crimson Tide, throwing 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Combined with the one-two punch of Kenyan Drake and T.J. Yeldon pounding the rock, Alabama's offense won't have any trouble dismantling Oklahoma's No. 23-ranked scoring defense.
Projected Score: Alabama wins 45-13.
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