College Football Week 12 BCS Bowl Predictions: Will TCU or Stanford Be Left Out?
We're almost there college football fans, and like you, we're already wondering exactly how this thing is going to play out.
With the Big East and ACC receiving automatic bids that appear pretty undeserving this year, especially in the case of the Big East, two of the top teams in the nation are going to be left out of the BCS.
Believe it or not, even ranked third and sixth, there's a good possibility that either Stanford or TCU will not receive an at-large bid to one of the BCS bowls.
Such is the complicated nature of a system we all question year to year.
Here are our BCS predictions heading into week 12.
The Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska v. Pitt.
1 of 5
The Fiesta Bowl has the makings of a disaster based on the way the Big East has struggled this season, and it should be a quick win for the team receiving the Big 12's automatic bid.
Our money is on a Nebraska-Oklahoma showdown in the conference championship with the Cornhuskers coming out on top.
In the Big East, the automatic is likely going to an unranked team, which should be the winner of the Pitt-West Virginia game in a couple weeks. In that contest we like Pitt at home.
The Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech v. Stanford
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Virginia Tech is the only team in the ACC that remains unbeaten in conference play, and should meet either Florida State, Maryland or NC State in the ACC championship.
The Hokies are rolling lately and we don't anticipate that stopping any time soon, but as for the at-large bid across from them, that's where it gets tricky.
The Sugar Bowl has first dibs between what should be TCU, Ohio State and Stanford, and the growing sense is Ohio State will be taken, leaving the Orange Bowl to chose from TCU and Stanford.
In what will be upsetting to Frogs fans, we believe the Orange Bowl will choose Stanford.
The Sugar Bowl: LSU v. Ohio State
3 of 5
With Auburn expected to compete with Oregon for the National Championship, the road to the Sugar Bowl is wide open for LSU.
All the Tigers need to do is beat Ole Miss and Arkansas, which won't be easy but should be done. That would guarantee LSU makes the short trip to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.
The at-large bid will be a hot topic as it's looking likely the Rose Bowl will have to take the top non-BCS contender. That should free up the Sugar Bowl to take it's pick, and of what's out there, Ohio State appears to be the biggest draw.
The Rose Bowl: Wisconsin v. Boise State
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With Auburn and Oregon primed to meet in the national championship game, the Rose Bowl will be required to take either Boise State or TCU depending on who is ranked higher at the end of the season.
A Boise win over Nevada should catapult the Broncos ahead of TCU, allowing them to go the Rose Bowl and leaving the Frogs in no-man's land.
The Big Ten has it's automatic bid, that in this year of chaos, will fall to the highest ranking team from the conference due to Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State's three-way tie.
With the Badgers ahead of the pack, it should be theirs.
BCS National Championship Game: Oregon v. Auburn
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Both teams have some business to take care of before they can make trips to the BCS championship game.
Oregon's path is a little clearer, but after the near-loss to Cal, Arizona and Oregon State look much more daunting than they did a week ago.
Auburn needs to beat Alabama and then take care of South Carolina in the SEC Championship with both games serving quite a challenge.
If one of the two teams were to slip up, Boise State would likely jump into the mix just ahead of TCU.
