College Football Bowl Predictions: Will Boise State or Oregon Face Alabama?
It might only be the first week of October, but it's never too early too make some bowl predictions.
College football fans have already seen a few national title contenders topple down the rankings, and plenty of other major shakeups in the polls.
We were treated to an entertaining Pac-10 shootout, the craziest ending in recent SEC history, and a blowout in Tuscaloosa. All of this has led to a clearer bowl picture than just a few short weeks ago.
Let's predict what teams will face off in the 2010 bowl season:
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl: Arizona vs. Texas A&M
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The Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl will pit the third-best Pac-10 team against the fifth-best team from the Big 12. The game takes place December 30, at 10 P.M EST, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Why Arizona is There: Despite the loss to Oregon, Stanford is still the second-best team in the Pac-10. Arizona has five or six tough games remaining, including at Oregon and at Stanford.
Why Texas A&M is Here: Texas A&M is 3-1, but has lost its only tough game against Oklahoma State. The offense can score, but it will need to win tough games against Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska still ahead.
What Could Change: It's very possible that Arizona loses three or four games while the Aggies could wind up with five losses or more. The Wildcats could go the other direction as well, and wind up as the second-best team in the Pac-10.
Final Score: Arizona 31, Texas A&M 27
Hyundai Sun Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Oregon State
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The Hyundai Sun Bowl matches the ACC's fourth-best team against the Pac-10's fourth-best team.
Why NC State is Here: The Wolpack currently sit at 1-1 in the ACC after a loss to Virginia Tech, and will likely finish behind the Hokies, Miami, and Florida State.
Why Oregon State is Here: This is really an ideal situation for the Beavers.
Oregon and Stanford are the two best teams in the conference, with the Pac-10 not far behind. The Rodgers' brothers will keep Oregon State in the upper half of the Pac-10.
How It Could Change: NC State beat powderpuff teams on its way to a 4-0 start, but lost its first tough game.
Are they actually good?
And Oregon State could get jumped by California if the Golden Bears win their head-to-head matchup.
Final Score: Oregon State 35, NC State 24
Insight Bowl: Kansas State vs. Northwestern
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This is a matchup of the fourth-best Big 12 team and the fourth or fifth-best Big Ten team.
Why Kansas State is Here: Oklahoma and Nebraska are clearly the two top teams in the conference, and Kansas State has been pretty run-of-the-mill, ranking 50th in points scored and 39th in points allowed.
Why Northwestern is Here: Northwestern is 5-0, but against a very weak schedule.
However, the team has to win just two or three games for a trip to the Insight Bowl. Northwestern will have to pull off an upset to make that happen, but has plenty of chances to do so.
How It Could Change: If Northwestern struggles against a reasonably tough schedule, they're done.
They have Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin ahead. None of those games are gimmes.
Final Score: Kansas State 28, Northwestern 17. Kansas State's 22nd-ranked rushing attack will prove too much.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Clemson vs. Pittsburgh
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The Meineke Car Care Bowl features the No. 2 team from the Big East against the No. 4 team from the ACC. Last year's game saw Pittsburgh defeat North Carolina, 19-17.
Why Clemson is Here: The Tigers are 2-2, but both losses came against two very good ranked opponents. Every game remaining on the team's schedule is winnable, so Clemson could easily turn its season around.
Why Pittsburgh is Here: No Big East games have been played yet, so the conference is wide open. Pittsburgh lost to Utah and was killed by Miami, but the Panthers have a talented offense, with Deion Lewis and Jonathan Baldwin, that could get back on track at any point.
How it Could Change: Both schools are 0-2 in games against quality opponents this year. Are they simply not good enough to beat a team that matches up with them in talent?
Final Score: Clemson 30, Pittsburgh 20.
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU
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On New Year's Day, the fourth or fifth-ranked Big Ten team faces the sixth-ranked SEC team in Jacksonville, Florida.
Why Wisconsin is Here: Wisconsin started off 4-0, but that was against teams like Austin Peay and San Jose State.
In Week 4, the Michigan State Spartans owned the Badgers from start to finish, and Wisconsin likely will finish behind the Spartans, Ohio State, and Michigan, at the very least.
Why LSU is Here: If you watched LSU play this past weekend, you're probably thinking they'll be lucky to get here. That is true.
The defense, led by Patrick Peterson, is a top-10 defense, but quarterback play will determine how far the Tigers go.
How it Could Change: LSU has absolutely no passing game, and the Tigers may not even have a good enough record to make it to the Gator Bowl. They still have Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn remaining on their schedule.
Final Score: Wisconsin 28, LSU 17. The Tigers' lack of a passing game does them in.
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Texas vs. Florida
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The Cotton Bowl is a game between the second-best team in the Big 12 and the third or fourth-best team in the SEC. It takes place on Jan. 7 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Why Texas is Here: Texas has looked pretty terrible the last two weeks, but the Longhorns have very winnable games for most of the rest of the season. I doubt they pull off the upset of Nebraska next week, but the schedule after that isn't very difficult.
Why Florida is Here: The Gators have had one good showing this year, which came at home against Kentucky. Other than the game against the Wildcats, Florida has looked like they will take a step back in the SEC this year.
We'll see.
How It Could Change: Florida wins out, and Arkansas stumbles a bit. Or Texas really, really struggles the rest of the way.
Final Score: Florida 31, Texas 20
Valera Alamo Bowl: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State
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A game that tends to feature one of the better matchups of the early bowl season, the Valera Alamo Bowl features the second-best Pac-10 team and the third-best Big 12 squad.
Why Stanford is Here: Despite the loss to Oregon, Stanford is still the second-best team in the Pac-10, thanks to quarterback Andrew Luck and the Cardinal offense.
Why Oklahoma State is Here: Oklahoma State's prolific offense will keep them in plenty of games this year, but the Cowboys are not on the level of Oklahoma or Nebraska.
Why It Could Change: Oklahoma State has the third-ranked passing attack in the country, but its defense is 91st in the nation in points allowed.
Something has to give, but which thing will it be?
Final Score: Stanford 45, Oklahoma State 35. This one will be a shootout.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Florida State vs. South Carolina
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Remember when this was the Peach Bowl? Those were the days.
On New Year's Day in the Georgia Dome, the second-best ACC team faces the fifth-best SEC team.
Why Florida State is Here: If the Seminoles lose to Miami this week, they'll finish as the second-best team in the ACC.
Why South Carolina is Here: South Carolina has looked pretty solid so far, but the Gamecocks have Alabama, Arkansas, and Florida remaining on its schedule. That's enough to drive the Ole Ball coach crazy.
How it Could Change: If Florida State beats Miami, the Seminoles are likely BCS bound.
Final Score: Florida State 35, South Carolina 24
Outback Bowl: Michigan vs. Mississippi
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The Outback Bowl takes place on New Year's Day in Tampa, Florida, and is a matchup of the No. 3 Big Ten team and third or fourth-ranked SEC school.
Why Michigan is Here: As good as Michigan and Heisman Trophy candidate Denard Robinson are on offense, the team's defense is nonexistent. The Wolverines let Indiana rack up more than 500 yards of offense in Week 4, which is why they won't climb past No. 3 in the conference.
Why Ole Miss is Here: After a very slow start, Jeremiah Masoli seems to have gotten the Rebels back on track. He needs to pull some major upsets to get here, but I've seen crazier things happen.
How It Could Change: Ole Miss plays Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn in consecutive weeks. I wouldn't be shocked to see them go 0-3 in those games.
Final Score: Michigan 42, Mississippi 24. Can Denard Robinson be stopped?
Capital One Bowl: Michigan State vs. Arkansas
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This is a matchup of the second-ranked teams from the Big Ten and SEC conferences, and is typically one of the best games outside of the BCS.
Why Michigan State is Here: With all due respect to Michigan State, the Spartans are not as good as Ohio State.
Why Arkansas is Here: Would Arkansas be playing for a BCS National Championship had they beaten Alabama? Probably.
But Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks still have two tough games against Auburn and LSU.
How It Could Change: If Arkansas wins out, I'd expect them to play in the Sugar Bowl.
Final Score: Arkansas 41, Michigan State 30
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
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The best the Big Ten has to offer against the best of the Pac-10.
Why Oregon is Here: LaMichael James and the Ducks' offense looks damn near unstoppable, and it would be no surprise at all to see Oregon play in the BCS National Championship game. But I think the Ducks slip up at the end of the season, either against Arizona or at Oregon State.
Why Ohio State is Here: Ohio State showed that it was beatable this week against Illinois, and Terrelle Pryor showed that he is in indeed human. If Pryor goes down, this team is easily 2-3 games worse.
Even with a healthy Pryor, though, the Buckeyes might lose a conference game during the late stretch.
How It Could Change: If both or either of the teams win out. An undefeated season will play for the national championship.
Final Score: A rematch of the last Rose Bowl. Oregon 38, Ohio State 24.
Discover Orange Bowl: Miami vs. TCU
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The Orange Bowl takes place in Miami, Florida, and is a matchup of the ACC champion and a BCS wild card.
Why Miami is Here: Miami will be the ACC Champion if the Hurricanes can beat Florida State this week.
Why TCU is Here: I think TCU runs the table, but much like last year, the Horned Frogs will be left out of the BCS National Championship game.
How It Could Change: I could see Florida State here, and who honestly knows what will happen with the BCS? There's really no telling who ends up as the opponent for the ACC Champs.
Final Score: TCU 28, Miami 20
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. West Virginia
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The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl features two BCS schools. It takes place on New Year's Day in Glendale, Arizona.
Why Nebraska is Here: Nebraska is the best school in the Big 12, with Oklahoma being the only other team that could really challenge them in the conference. The Cornhuskers have a top-10 defense, and a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way.
Why West Virginia is Here: To be honest, I can't really pick a team from the Big East that should be in a BCS game. But let's throw the Mountaineers in here just because.
How It Could Change: The Big East is a poor conference, so any number of teams can win it this year. Also, what happens if Bo Pelini's Nebraska squad runs the table?
Final Score: Nebraska 28, West Virginia 13
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Auburn vs. Oklahoma
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This matchup is basically nothing more than a consolation game for teams who just miss out on the BCS National Championship game.
Why Auburn is Here: Auburn is undefeated, but has a few chances to slip up against Arkansas, LSU, and at Alabama. I think they lose two of those three games (unless Cam Newton plays out of his mind), good for third in the SEC.
Why Oklahoma is Here: The Sooners should not have much of a problem running the table in the regular season, but the Big 12 Championship game will do them in. I expect Oklahoma to stumble against Nebraska's stingy defense.
How It Could Change: Oklahoma finishes the season undefeated. Or what about Auburn doing the same?
Final Score: Auburn 31, Oklahoma 30.
BCS National Championship Game: Boise State vs. Alabama
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The game that everyone wants to see, where the winner is deemed the best team in college football.
Why Boise State is Here: Boise State may play in a weak conference, but have you seen them play?
There's no shot they're losing this year. The only game that will even be close is against Nevada.
Why Alabama is Here: After Saturday's game against Florida, Alabama has clearly pegged themselves as the No. 1 team in the nation. Mark Ingram looks like he's ready to win another Heisman, and the defense played very well against the Gators.
How It Could Change: Two things could prevent this game from happening: Alabama losing (especially in the SEC Championship) and the BCS system itself. Even if the Broncos run the table, there's a good chance they might not make it to the game.
Final Score: Boise State 27, Alabama 24. Wouldn't that shock the world?
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
