BCS Bowl Predictions: 5 BCS Bowl Scenarios That'll Be Derailed by Season's End

With just two weeks remaining in the 2011 college football regular season, the conference rankings are starting to take more concrete shapes, meaning bowl predictions are going to become more clear as the final games go into the books.

It already seems a foregone conclusion that LSU is a lock for the BCS National Championship, but which team will join them?

Given the huge shake-up in the rankings this weekend, there is less certainty about bowl predictions moving forward.

There are only a handful of games left, but that does not mean more changes are on the way.

Here are five BCS scenarios that surely will become derailed by season's end.

Oklahoma State vs. Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl

In what would be an epic battle of senior quarterbacks, a potential matchup between Oklahoma State and Stanford would rest on several factors.

As it stands now, Stanford looks to get the at-large bid in the Fiesta Bowl, but circumstances could change.

If Oklahoma State loses to Oklahoma, the Cowboys will lose out on the Big 12 title, effectively ending their chances of a Fiesta Bowl berth.

If Stanford loses its final game against Notre Dame, the Cardinal lose out on a chance for the Pac-12 North and conference titles even if Oregon loses its final game

If Stanford beats Notre Dame while Oregon loses to Oregon State, thus giving Stanford the Pac-12 North, then beats USC in the conference championship game, the Cardinal wins the Pac-12 and should earn a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Confused yet?

Wisconsin vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl pits the winners from the Pac-12 and the Big Ten against each other.

If the season ended today, and both favorites won their respective conferences, Oregon would face Wisconsin on Jan. 2 in Pasadena, Calif.

No. 21 Penn State and No. 11 Michigan State could stand in the way of Wisconsin claiming the Big Ten Title.

If Wisconsin loses to Penn State, the Nittany Lions go on to represent the Leaders Division for the conference championship.

If Wisconsin beats Penn State, but loses to Michigan State in the title game, then do not expect the Badgers to return to Pasadena for the second straight year.

Oregon, meanwhile, have destiny in its hands. If the Ducks beat Oregon State, then go on to beat USC in the Pac-12 title game, they are bowling for roses.

West Virginia vs. ACC in the Orange Bowl

For West Virginia to even stand a chance of getting into the BCS with an at-large bid, as scout.com predicts here, the Mountaineers would have to run the table by beating Pittsburgh at home then traveling to South Florida and come away with a win there.

Meanwhile, because Louisville holds a tiebreaker with West Virginia and a potential three-way tiebreaker between the Mountaineers and the Scarlet Knights, all the Cardinals have to do is beat South Florida on the road and they are the Big East champions, crushing the hopes of several Big East schools.

Houston vs. Michigan in the Sugar Bowl

Scout.com also predicts that Houston and Michigan will meet in the All-State Sugar Bowl on Jan. 3 in New Orleans, a bold prediction considering the Wolverines do not even have the lead in their division.

For this to come into fruition, Michigan State would have to relinquish its lead in the Legends Division by losing to Northwestern, which is not entirely implausible, but it is far less likely than not.

The Spartans would then have to lose to either Penn State or Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, while Michigan somehow leapfrogs them in the BCS without playing in the championship game.

Well, that would be silly.

Virginia Tech vs. Louisville in the Orange Bowl

Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies seem to have momentum going in their favor as they look to capture an ACC title.

CBSSports predicts the Hokies to face off against the at-large Louisville Cardinals in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 in Miami, but Virginia Tech has two more hurdles yet.

The Hokies have to go into Charlottesville to take on an 8-3 Virginia team that has slowly crept into second place in the ACC Coastal Division. A not entirely impossible win from the Cavaliers means they are the division champs and will play Clemson in the conference title game.

While the Hokies have been a consistently good team in recent memory, they have been known to go into single-game funks here and there, costing them hardware down the stretch.