Bowl Projections: 5 Teams That Blew Up Their Bowl Spots

There were many teams that were looking strong going into Saturday. They were pumped up and prepared to finish out the season strong, ready to secure a big time bowl. Some of those teams got a little bit ahead of themselves.

With only a couple games left in the regular season, losing now is one of the worst times to do so. It can kill your ranking and any chance you might have had at a spot in the conference championship game. 

Five teams all over the country dropped the ball when it came to their possible bowl outlooks and now have screwed themselves for the future. 

Michigan

The Wolverines were a one loss team in the Big Ten until yesterday, when they went out and blew it against unranked Iowa. The close game came down to the wire, as Michigan was unable to score in the final seconds, falling short four times inside the 5-yard line.

Michigan was looking at possibly a BCS bid to play in the Rose Bowl if they had won out this season. Even with a loss to Nebraska, they had a chance to receive a BCS at-large bid. However, with this devastating loss on their record, their hopes drop down to a second tier bowl game.

At this point, they are gunning for either the Gator Bowl or the Outback Bowl. Last season, Mississippi State defeated the Wolverines in the Gator Bowl by a heavy margin, so returning this year for revenge would be huge for Michigan. 

West Virginia

West Virginia was still in play for the Big East Championship unti yesterday, when the Mountaineers went out and lost to Louisville at home, 38-35. Now, Cincinnati has more than enough wins to hold its current lead over the rest of the Big East. 

Due to this loss, the Mountaineers drop their possible opportunity to receive a BCS bid. This is a huge hit on a program that has been under scrutiny for moving to better conference in the Big 12. 

Now, their best hope for bowl games is either the Pinstripe Bowl or the Champs Sports Bowl. Both aren't exactly glamorous and leave WVU stuck as second tier in the worst football conference in the nation. 

Arizona State

Arizona State has been quite well in the Pac-12 South division, losing to only Illinois and Oregon this year. That was true until last night, when the Sun Devils lost at UCLA by a point, 29-28. 

This loss is a huge blow to a program that is resurfacing as a southern power in a somewhat north-heavy conference. With three tough losses, Arizona State is stuck with a much worse bowl, as well as a possible loss in going to the Pac-12 Championship. 

The Sun Devils may only be traveling a short distance, as the available non-BCS bowls for the Pac-12 are the Insight Bowl in Tempe, the Sun Bowl over in El Paso or the Alamo Bowl down in San Antonio. The most likely is a trip to south Texas to face a Big 12 squad. 

South Carolina

South Carolina is a great SEC team that has had some unfortunate breaks this season. The 16-13 loss to Auburn earlier, as well as the tough loss this past weekend to Arkansas, 44-28, has put them in a hole big enough for Georgia to squeeze into. 

With only Florida, Citadel and Clemson left on their schedule, the Gamecocks have the opportunity to win the SEC East division and take a trip to Atlanta for the second year in a row. Even though a loss is almost a guarantee against LSU, South Carolina will still be able to make a big bowl game this season.

The Arkansas loss gives them no cushion for their last three games of the season, as any will allow Georgia to take over the SEC East. The most likely outlook is either the Outback, Chick-fil-a or CapitalOne Bowl for the Gamecocks, facing either the Big Ten or the ACC. 

Nebraska

Nebraska was the biggest loser this past weekend. Northwestern seems to always surprise a big-time squad from their conference, and Nebraska was the unfortunate victim this season.

The Cornhuskers were on their way to winning the Big Ten Legends division in their first season there, but the Wildcats may have spoiled that dream. Bo Pelini and his team are stuck now with not many options to finish out the season, facing a tough Penn State team and Michigan in two tough away games.

If they continue to play well, the Cornhuskers may end up in a decent bowl game such as the Gator or the Outback Bowl. If not, they may fall down into a second tier bowl such as the Texas or the Insight Bowl.