College Football Bowl Projections: Where Is Every Pre-Season Top 25 Team Going?
Can Landry Jones lead the Sooners to the national championship?
Is Florida State back?
Will the suspensions affect Ohio State's BCS bowl streak?
Is Brian Kelly going to lead the Irish to the BCS promised land?
These and other questions are chasing each other around in the heads of college football fans everywhere.
While bowl predictions may seem a bit premature, it's never too soon for some prognostication, especially when it involves bowl projections.
Take a look...
25. Mississippi State Bulldogs 9-3
1 of 25
MSU will ambush some teams this year.
Led by QB Chris Relf and RB Vick Ballard, the Bulldogs will be a very tough out every week.
Too bad they play in the toughest division in college football, the SEC West.
Bowl Prediction: Cotton Bowl
24. Nebraska Cornhuskers 7-5
2 of 25
Yet another season of inconsistent play will doom the Huskers to a pedestrian season.
The defense is very good, and should be one of the better units in the conference, but you have got to be able to score points, and unlike in the Big XII, Big Ten squads play both sides of the ball.
Bowl Prediction: Insight Bowl
23. Arizona State Sun Devils 12-1
3 of 25
The Devils are going to be nasty next year.
They have a solid QB who is mobile and has great arm strength in Brock Osweiler, and a monster on the defensive side of the ball named Vontaze Burfict.
The Pac-12 will have a new champ come January...
Bowl Prediction: Rose Bowl
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22. Virginia Tech Hokies 11-2
4 of 25
Running back David Wilson will help propel the Hokies to the ACC Championship game, where they will lose a tough one to FSU.
The Hokies will continue to rely on the play of a mobile QB, as young gun Logan Thomas takes over the reins of an explosive offense.
Bowl Prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl
21. Missouri Tigers 7-5
5 of 25
Even WR T.J. Moe and TE Michael Egnew won't be enoug to keep Gary Pinkel's squad from the dregs of mediocrity next season.
While Mizzou will most likely win a few, their conference schedule is pretty rough, and a date with Arizona State will be no picnic.
Bowl Prediction: Insight Bowl
20. Florida Gators 7-5
6 of 25
Charlie Weis will do everything he can to cure the Gators offensive woes, but even his genius won't be enough.
John Brantley has not shown any signs of adjusting well to the Gators' new offensive system, and the SEC schedule is unforgiving.
Bowl Prediction: Gator Bowl
19. Texas Longhorns 8-4
7 of 25
The Longhorns will be seeking to prove that last year's abysmal season was an aberration, and will mostly accomplish that mission.
Losses to the Oklahoma schools back-to-back are going to be rough, but the Longhorns should emerge with a winning record once again.
Bowl Prediction: Alamo Bowl
18. Georgia Bulldogs 11-2
8 of 25
Head Coach Mark Richt's seat is getting warmer, but the Bulldogs moderate success next season should help take him off of it, at least temporarily.
A favorable schedule, coupled with some great play on the offensive side of the ball by QB Aaron Murray will leave the Dawgs with only one regular season loss.
Bowl Prediction: Capital One Bowl
17. Auburn Tigers 6-6
9 of 25
No Cam Newton + No Nick Fairley + four starters gone from O-Line = Big Problems.
How Auburn is going to win any games next season will be on the back of RB Michael Dyer.
And while he may be up to the difficult task, the SEC schedule is just brutal, and Auburn will struggle mightily.
Bowl Prediction: BBVA Compass Bowl
16. Michigan State Spartans 7-5
10 of 25
The Spartans' fall from grace will be long and hard.
While the offense is primed to be successful, the Spartans lost too much on defense to return to last season's form.
Bowl Prediction: Texas Bowl
15. South Carolina Gamecocks 10-2
11 of 25
Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks are headed in the right direction.
Now if they can only sustain that momentum...
Even if Stephen Garcia does not play, SC has the offensive talent in WR Alshon Jeffery and RB Marcus Lattimore to give any defense a hard time.
Bowl Prediction: Outback Bowl
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-1
12 of 25
This is finally the year the Irish make it back to the BCS.
Even with a semi QB controversy, the Irish have all the ingredients for a great run, with their only loss coming to Michigan in the Big House.
Bowl prediction: Sugar Bowl
13. Wisconsin Badgers 12-1
13 of 25
While the Badgers lost stellar running back John Clay to the NFL draft, along with DE standout JJ Watt, they are at the point in time where they can reload a little bit rather than rebuild.
The Badgers suffer a tough loss at Ohio State for their only regular season defeat, and take the inaugural Big Ten Championship game.
Bowl Prediction: Rose Bowl
12. Texas A&M Aggies 9-3
14 of 25
Mike Sherman has the Aggies headed in the right direction.
A&M will go 1-1 against Arkansas and SMU, and lose to both Oklahoma schools...
Bowl Prediction: Cotton Bowl
11. Arkansas Razorbacks 8-4
15 of 25
The SEC is just too tough this season.
Even though RB Knile Davis is poised for a big year, and the Razorbacks have arguably the best receiving corps in the conference, LSU and 'Bama are both a cut above them.
Bowl Prediction: Chick-Fil-A Bowl
10. Oklahoma State Cowboys 11-1
16 of 25
If the Cowboys had a defense, they might finish the season undefeated.
As it is, the 'Pokes will suffer their only loss of the season to their hated rivals, the Sooners in Bedlam.
Bowl Prediction: Fiesta Bowl
9. TCU Horned Frogs 9-3
17 of 25
While the Horned Frogs will undoubtedly be very tough on defense, the fact that they have to travel to both SDSU and BSU in their inaugural season in the MWC makes this a tough season for them.
SDSU has an extremely talented crew, while the Broncos are well-nigh impossible to beat on the "Smurf Turf".
Bowl Prediction: Independence Bowl
8. Boise State Broncos 10-2
18 of 25
Kellen Moore may compete again for Heisman consideration, but the Broncos BCS hopes are going to be busted early.
RB Doug Martin will be a huge contributor, but with Moore's favorite targets, Austin Pettis and Titus Young, the passing game will sputter at times.
And BSU had better watch out for SDSU...
Bowl Prediction: Poinsettia Bowl
7. Stanford Cardinal 10-2
19 of 25
The Cardinal have the best QB in the country in Andrew Luck, and their offense is going to be very hard to stop again in 2011.
Unfortunately for them, the Ducks are pretty tough to beat, and Notre Dame may be on its way to a BCS game.
Bowl Prediction: Alamo Bowl
6. Ohio State Buckeyes 10-2
20 of 25
While the Buckeyes have dominated the Big Ten for several years, due to all of the controversy in Columbus, they may have a tough time this season.
Five games without key starters, as well as the transition games immediately following their return are going to make it difficult for the Buckeyes to finish on top of the heap in the newly aligned Big Ten.
Bowl Prediction: Capital One Bowl
5. Oregon Ducks 11-2
21 of 25
The Ducks are a dark horse here to slide into the title game.
Should no SEC team finish undefeated, and the Ducks pull off a perfect season, they will make it to the championship, but they have some tough ones on the schedule.
Bowl Prediction: Fiesta Bowl
4. LSU Tigers 11-1
22 of 25
Jordan Jefferson has shown this spring that he can be a solid QB for the Tigers.
This should have other SEC schools somewhat worried.
The Tigers have to take on Oregon in their first game of the season in a huge brouhaha at Cowboys' Stadium, and that game should be a good measuring stick to judge the Tiger's potential by.
Bowl Projection: Sugar Bowl
3. Florida State Seminoles 12-1
23 of 25
The 'Noles have had incredible success hauling in great recruits in the last two years, and if QB E.J. Manuel is truly ready to handle the pressure of this position, FSU is going to be tough to beat.
Their biggest bump in the road looks to be the Sept. 17 meeting at Doak Walker with the Sooners, and one can expect that the Sooners will probably come away with the win, ruining the Seminoles chances for a perfect season.
If they do lose to the Sooners, expect Jimbo Fisher's boys to progress through the rest of their year without a blemish.
Bowl Prediction: Orange Bowl
2. Alabama Crimson Tide 13-0
24 of 25
Both of the Tide's options at QB are outstanding, and Nick Saban has this team loaded with talent across the board.
That being said, the Tide play in the always tough SEC, and one loss may happen.
But I doubt it.
Bowl Prediction: BCS National Championship
1. Oklahoma Sooners 12-0
25 of 25
Should the Sooners survive a trip to Doak Walker to face off with a vastly improved 'Noles team on Sept. 17, they will put themselves in a good place to start the season.
FSU is no pushover, though.
QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles will have the offense rolling along at a frenetic clip, while the Sooners' defense should be stout.
Bowl prediction: BCS National Championship
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
