Bowl Projections: Predicting How Each Major Conference Will Perform

The college football regular season brings along a ton of headaches for fans. Throughout the year everybody wonders where teams should be ranked and who is underrated and overrated. But once the bowl season arrives it opens up a whole new can of worms as it's all about which conference is better.

Is the SEC really overrated? Which conference will surprise people?

As there is only a week or two left in the college football regular season, it's about time to answer some of these questions.

Big East

Can anybody honestly say that the Big East has a shot this season in the bowl games? West Virginia will likely be the conference's only representation but they're going to get destroyed by Clemson if they emerge from the ACC.

Other teams in the conference that are bowl eligible are Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati and possibly Pittsburgh.

Yuck.

Every one of those teams are weak and will have their hands full wherever they end up. Notre Dame will represent the Big East and will probably provide the stiffest competition for a team but they're likely playing a tough Florida State team.

The conference realignment isn't being kind to the Big East and the bowl season won't either.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 will likely have two teams in BCS bowls in Stanford and Oregon but their potential matchups fit both of them well. They'll likely end up playing Wisconsin and Oklahoma State which are two teams that also score a ton of points.

Once you pass those two teams the Pac-12 also has Washington, California, Utah, UCLA and Arizona State.

UCLA and Washington will have a problem with whoever they play because they have no defense and Utah struggles to score points. 

California is an underrated team and could win their bowl game if they get the right matchup. As far as Arizona State, they play solid defense but they are very inconsistent. A game against Georgia Tech and the triple option could provide problems for them.

The Pac-12 has a couple of good teams but little to no depth.

Big Ten

It appeared that the Wisconsin Badgers were going to be the only Big Ten team in a BCS bowl but don't sleep on Michigan as a at-large bid. Michigan State also has the potential to win the Big Ten conference with their top three defense.

Other teams that will join those three are Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Illinois, Ohio State and possibly Purdue.

This season the Big Ten is going to have a lot of tough matchups with the Big 12 and SEC. I'm not sure that they have the depth to keep up with those two tough conferences.

Wisconsin and Michigan State will hold their own against any team in the country but every other team in this conference has major flaws.

ACC

The Clemson Tigers will likely be the only ACC team in a BCS bowl and they'll crush whichever team comes out of the Big East.

After that this conference is full of teams with potential but have underachieved. Teams like Wake Forest, Florida State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Miami is also bowl eligible but they removed themselves from the bowl season due to their NCAA violations. 

The ACC has the potential to be the sleeper conference this bowl season as all of those teams are talented and will be a challenge for whatever teams get them.

Don't be surprised if the ACC is very successful this bowl season.

Big 12

The Big 12 is a very deep conference this season and will give the SEC a run for their money. Teams like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State can obviously compete with any team in the country.

Kansas State is a team that doesn't hurt themselves and Baylor can score with any team in the nation and have a difference maker in Robert Griffin. Texas A&M, Texas and Missouri aren't exactly flashy teams but they're balanced enough to give any team fits.

Iowa State has also proven they can hang with the big boys in their victory over Oklahoma State.

This conference is very deep and every team that is bowl eligible will provide a tough task for their opponent.

SEC

If you're not a fan of the SEC, you probably are jumping up and down screaming that the SEC is overrated. Some years you may be right but it's hard to make that argument this year as it looks like two teams from the conference will end up in the National Championship. Arkansas would then have a chance to join the Sugar Bowl.

Three teams from the same conference in BCS bowls is a major accomplishment. But when it's three teams from the same division, you're talking domination.

That alone is enough to give the SEC props are say they will perform the best.

Other teams in the SEC that are bowl eligible include Georgia, Florida, Auburn, South Carolina and possibly Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Mississippi State.

A lot of solid programs in that bunch but quite a few of them have underachieved this season. Regardless, teams like Vanderbilt and South Carolina will surprise whoever they're paired against.

Georgia will beat whatever Big Ten opponent they're paired up against. 

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]