Bowl Projections 2012: Teams Headed for Worst Postseason Losses

One of the dangers of the BCS is that teams that win AQ conferences can slide into a top-tier bowl without having beaten any BCS-caliber opponents. Based on the way the BCS and other bowl match-ups look likely to shake out, these three teams are headed for the ugliest defeats in January:

Virginia Tech Hokies

The nation’s least impressive one-loss team, the Hokies have only one win over a ranked foe (No. 23 Georgia Tech) and got crushed at home by No. 17 Clemson. Virginia Tech’s defense has played well (10th in the nation with 16.9 points allowed per game), but they’ll face an impossible task in the bowl match-up.

The Hokies are likely heading for an Orange Bowl showdown with Case Keenum and the undefeated No. 8 Houston Cougars. Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas is good, but matching an offense that’s averaged 53.1 points per game—tops in the nation—is beyond his capabilities.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Predicting a Big East champion at this point is a dicey business, but QB Geno Smith and the Mountaineers have a slight edge on the other teams with two conference losses. That advantage will earn them the right to get absolutely demolished in a BCS bowl.

The likeliest scenario for WVU at this point is a Sugar Bowl date with No. 3 Arkansas. The Mountaineers’ defense that surrendered 49 points to Syracuse has no hope against Tyler Wilson and the Razorbacks’ high-powered attack (13th in the nation in scoring).

Utah Utes

The Pac-12’s two best teams—Oregon and Stanford—are BCS-bound, and the only other elite team, the USC Trojans, is ineligible for postseason play. That leaves 7-4 Utah as the conference’s likely representative in the Alamo Bowl, where they’ll face one of the Big 12’s top teams.

Depending on how the final conference games play out, that could be No. 9 Oklahoma (with the nation’s No.3 passing offense), No. 11 Kansas State (led by Collin Klein and his 25 rushing TDs) or No. 18 Baylor (featuring Robert Griffin III and his 4,121 combined yards and 45 combined TDs).

The odds of the Utes keeping up with any of those offenses are slim and none.