Bowl Projections: 8 Teams Headed for Brutal Bowl Bids After BCS Collapse

The window of opportunity to reach a BCS bowl that once seemed so wide open to so many teams in college football has closed little by little over the course of the 2011 season, with so many would-be contenders finding their fingers slammed painfully into the sill.

Most such teams will still be bowling come December and January, though the gap between the BCS and the rest, in both prestige and earning potential, is rather dauntingly cavernous.

Hence the oft-uttered chant, "BCS or Bust", because, realistically, does anyone really want to play in, say, the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, the Little Caesar's Bowl or (get ready for this mouthful) the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas?

As if there were another Meineke Car Care Bowl somewhere else.

The line between $1 or $2 million and $17 or 18 million is a precariously fine one, and one that these eight teams, bowl-bound as they may be, crossed all too long ago.

Boise State

The fat cats of the BCS are most definitely breathing easier now that Boise State is safely out of the national title picture. The Broncos were bumped from the ranks of the unbeaten, not to mention the top of the Mountain West, by a game TCU squad that still boasts players from last season's Rose Bowl champions.

That experience proved to be a huge asset in the Horned Frogs' surprising 36-35 win, which now has Kellen Moore and company seeing only distant visions of crystal footballs for the second season in a row.

The Broncos can still have an outside shot of cracking the BCS in some capacity, either as an automatic qualifier if they finish in the top 12 of the BCS and TCU drops its final two games (which is doubtful) or as an at-large team (also doubtful).

All of which points to one sad fact for the Smurf Turfers—that they'll probably be playing in the Poinsettia Bowl against one of their old foes from the Western Athletic Conference to close out the season.

Stanford

So much for Stanford competing for its first national title since 1926, back when Pop Warner was the head man in Palo Alto.

The Oregon Ducks sure made the Cardinal look like peewees on Saturday, scorching a usually stout Stanford D for 46 points, not including the pick-six chipped in by Boseko Lokombo.

Once again, Oregon's speed and surprising physicality proved to be too much for even a demigod like Andrew Luck (271 yards, three touchdowns, two picks) to overcome on his own.

As a result, the Cardinal will instead have to hope for an at-large berth into the BCS party, one that keeps the Trees far away from the all-important Coaches' Trophy that Luck came back to school to pursue.

And if that doesn't pan out, at least the one-time Heisman Trophy frontrunner will have the opportunity to play in front of friends and family...at the Alamo Bowl.

Arkansas

Then again, at least Stanford still has a legitimate shot to play for an eight-figure paycheck.

The same can't quite be said for Arkansas. Granted, the Razorbacks could play their way into the SEC Championship Game and, in turn, the BCS picture if they upend LSU on the final weekend of the regular season.

Short of that, though, Tyler Wilson and his merry band of receivers must hope that Alabama, to whom they lost their only game of the season, slips up against either Georgia Southern or Auburn if they're to play in a meaningful bowl game after New Year's Day.

Why is that, you ask? The BCS, being as omnipotent a system as it clearly is, doesn't allow more than two teams from any given conference to play in its precious bowls. Hence, the Hogs will have to beat the Bayou Bengals at season's end if they're to reach the BCS for the second year in a row under Bobby Petrino.

Otherwise, they'll be stuck between the Cotton Bowl, the Capital One Bowl and the Outback Bowl to show for another strong season.

Georgia

Georgia controls its own destiny on the way to the BCS, though that hardly guarantees the Bulldogs will get there. They need only beat Kentucky next weekend to secure first place in the SEC East and a berth in the conference championship, but they would still likely have to beat LSU to force their way into the BCS.

Otherwise, the Dawgs figure to be stuck behind the Tigers and Alabama, and perhaps Arkansas as well, in the SEC pecking order for the big-money bowls.

And, as a result, Georgia would have the same choice—between the Capital One, the Outback and the Cotton—that would be afforded to the Razorbacks.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Everyone loves to rag on the Big East, and rightfully so. West Virginia, arguably the league's most talented team, figures to finish in second or third place, even after beating first-place Cincinnati on Saturday.

The Mountaineers were supposed to be the Big East's great hope to reach the BCS, albeit in what may be their final season in the fledgling conference before they bolt for the Big 12.

Instead, WVU has suffered shocking defeats to Syracuse and Louisville in league play, leaving year one of the Dana Holgorsen regime to conclude with a berth in either the coveted Champs Sports Bowl or (get ready for it) the Belk Bowl.

Don't ask.

Florida State

Remember when Florida State was a frontrunner for the BCS National Championship?

I know, it's been a while, but you'd have to go all the way back to mid-September, before that fateful 23-13 loss to Oklahoma, to put "Seminoles" and "crystal football" in the same sentence, without linking them with the phrase "have no shot at taking home."

That defeat kicked off a three-game losing streak, since which point the 'Noles have won five in a row, thanks in large part to E.J. Manuel's return to health under center.

Even so, FSU can't leapfrog Clemson into the top spot in the Atlantic Division, which means that a season that once seemed to have "BCS" written all over it in Tallahassee won't even include a trip to the ACC Championship Game.

As such, the best Jimbo Fisher can hope for is that his team lands somewhere between the Champs Sports Bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl and the Sun Bowl.

Nebraska

At this point, the Big Ten would be incredibly fortunate to land more than one team in the BCS.

Nebraska had hoped a move away from the Big 12 would open up a clearer path to the big time, without the likes of Oklahoma and Texas standing in the way.

Instead, the Cornhuskers got blown out at Wisconsin and suffered a shocking upset loss to Northwestern at home, practically ensuring they'd be shut out of the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game by a Michigan State squad that need only beat Indiana and the aforementioned Wildcats to claim the Legends Division.

As for where and when Taylor Martinez, Rex Burkhead and Big Red might be found after the regular season comes to an end, the Gator Bowl and the Insight Bowl are both patiently awaiting Bo Pelini's boys with a still-sizable check.

Wisconsin

A long time ago, in a galaxy (not so) far, far away, Wisconsin looked like a team on a mission, with Russell Wilson and Montee Ball tearing up the turf, their sights set on much more than just a Big Ten Championship.

Then, the Badgers went out and dropped back-to-back games on late touchdowns, to Michigan State and Ohio State, to drop out of the top spot in the Leaders Division.

Now, 'Sconsin can still sneak its way into the conference title game in Indianapolis with wins at Illinois and at home against Penn State, but would still be hard-pressed to overcome a Spartans squad that punched it in the collective mouth back in October.

Should the Badgers, in fact, fail to forge a win in Indy to reach the Rose Bowl, they would likely be relegated instead to the not-so-similarly prestigious Capital One Bowl.