Bowl Projections: Predicting the Winner of Each BCS Bowl

The Week 12 BCS rankings have just come out, and we now know where we stand.  With these in mind, it's time we give the most recent predictions of who will be playing in each BCS bowl, and obviously who will win.

A busy Week 11 held some major changes in it with No. 7 Oregon beating No. 4 Stanford, and No. 5 Boise State falling to an unranked TCU team at home.

We also saw No. 9 Clemson come back (again), while No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Alabama all won.

The BCS rankings are like a jigsaw-puzzle at this point, but they are subject to some serious change.  There won't be any controversy about a none-BCS school making it to the BCS title game this year, thanks to Boise state losing, so we have a pretty clear picture of the BCS bowl games.

Enjoy.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama over Houston

The Sugar Bowl is held between the SEC's best team and an at-large bid.  While Alabama will be ranked No. 3 at the end of the season, they will be the best team in the SEC because LSU will be playing for the national championship.

The Houston Cougars are ranked No. 11 in the nation, and while they do not have a touch schedule, they have the No. 1 pass offense in the nation, and they score the most points per game.

The Cougars are going to grab an at-large bid for this bowl game behind Heisman hopeful quarterback Case Keenum.

This is an interesting matchup as it pits the best offense in the country against the best defense in the country.  The Cougars average 54.7 points per game, while the Crimson Tide allow only 7.1.

Houston scored more points this week (73) than Alabama has allowed all season (71).

I give the edge to Alabama in this one.  Not only is their defense good enough to stop anyone (including Keenum), but they also have Trent Richardson and A.J. McCarron on offense.

Prediction: Alabama 34, Houston 13

Rose Bowl: Oregon over Michigan State

The Rose Bowl is held between the best teams in the Pac-12 and Big Ten.  With their win over No. 4 Stanford, the Ducks essentially locked up a spot in the Rose Bowl, while Michigan State shall win the Big Ten.

The Spartans are No. 12 in the nation and are tied atop the Big Ten standings with Penn State.  However, Michigan State has two easy games remaining on their schedule while Penn State has two tough games.

The Spartans will lose only one game in conference play and clinch the Big Ten.

The Ducks are a lock for the Rose Bowl now that they went to Standford and beat the Cardinals.  They just have to beat USC and Oregon State, and they will go undefeated in conference with their only loss coming against LSU in Week 1.

The Ducks will be the much better team in this game.  They should have been a top-five team all year long, and they are going to prove that in Pasadena.

Led by LaMichael James, the Ducks have the fifth-best run game in the nation and the third-best offense.  They will use that to run all over Michigan State's tough defense.  This is an offense that scored 53 points against the No. 4 team in the country.  The Ducks also have a good defense while Sparty's offense is not that good.

The Ducks will win this one for sure; the only question is by how much.

Prediction: Oregon 27, Michigan State 14

Orange Bowl: Clemson over Cincinnati

The Orange Bowl is played between the ACC champion and an at-large bid.  This is the boldest prediction I will make (including the championship game).

While Cincinnati lost to West Virginia and fell out of the top 25, they still control their own destiny.  I see the Bearcats winning out and securing their place in the Orange Bowl.

The Clemson Tigers had a comeback win this week against Wake Forest, and they have pretty much secured the ACC title.  They will therefore play in the Orange Bowl against Cincy.

I hope this doesn't happen because it will be an unfair bowl game, but this is what I expect.

Once it happens this game will be a massacre.  Clemson is simply the superior team despite Cincinnati's good defense, and I can't see Cincy coming within 20 points.

Prediction: Clemson 31, Cincinnati 9

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State over Stanford

Played between the Big 12's best team and a BCS at-large team.  After a loss to No. 5 Oklahoma in the final week of the season, Oklahoma State will be forced to settle for the Fiesta Bowl.

After a loss to Oregon this week, Stanford cannot win the conference to make it to the Rose Bowl, but they will be an at-large bid and make it to the Fiesta Bowl.  Behind Andrew Luck, this team can succeed, but their defense may be a problem.

Oklahoma State has one of the best offenses in the country, and if Stanford allows 53 points to Oregon, they may give up more than 60 against OSU.

This is going to be a very close game and probably the closest of any BCS Bowl, and I see Stanford's defense containing OSU better than Oregon.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 45, Stanford 41

BCS Title Game: LSU over Oklahoma

After beating Oklahoma State, the Oklahoma Sooners will leapfrog over Alabama and Oregon to take the No. 2 spot in the nation.  They will have beaten four Top 11 teams (at the time), all of which were on the road.  Their No. 6 offense and No. 21 defense will be enough to stop the Cowboys and get them into the BCS title game.

It would just not be right if the LSU Tigers had to play either Oregon or Alabama after beating Bama on the road and Oregon on a neutral field.  They need to play a new team if they want to be crowned champions.

The LSU Tigers are the best team in the nation, and their suffocating defense will be able to stop Landry Jones and the Sooners, dealing them their only loss to a top 25 team this season.

Prediction: LSU 24, Oklahoma 13