BCS Bowl Projections: Predicting the 5 Best Non-BCS Bowl Game Matchups

With the BCS championship all but decided, the remaining BCS bowl games are likely to be easily predicted despite the shakeup that is at the top year after year. With so many bowl games outside of the BCS championship series, there will be numerous bowls that will take the field with teams across the country.

Some of the bowls will host a wealth of talent across the board and the SEC is likely to leave a mark on more than just the title game in this season’s bowl picture. Finding great matchups is the goal of every bowl committee, as the better the game, the more revenue the bowl will likely produce.

Looking at what bowl games could occur, here are the five best non-BCS bowl matchups for the 2011 season. 

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl

The Hawai'i Bowl matches a conference-USA opponent versus the WAC. Most recent projections have the SMU Mustangs facing off against Nevada. Both teams have innovative offenses with June Jones bringing his pass-happy offense back home to Hawaii against a run-heavy pistol formation invented in Nevada in 2005.

This game would be a fun one to watch as multiple storylines would be at play. Look for the bowl committee to be falling over themselves chasing this matchup.

Champs Sports Bowl

The Champs Sports Bowl typically hosts an ACC team versus a Big East opponent. The assumption is that Notre Dame would still be available for the position and the Champs Bowl would jump at picking a Big East opponent to pull in the Fighting Irish.

If Notre Dame is picked up, their most likely opponent is Florida State. The Seminoles were thinking title in Tallahassee to start the season, but they fell apart midway through the year with injuries to key offensive and defensive players.

Assuming the Seminoles would be back healthy, a game against Notre Dame would be a fun one to watch and would draw a large amount of national attention. 

Capital One Bowl

With the Capital One Bowl matching the Big Ten versus the SEC, there could be a great matchup just that could fill the lineup. A very likely scenario could see the Michigan State Spartans face off against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Both of these teams have been effective through the air and rely heavily on the talents and decision making of their quarterbacks. This game would be a heavy-scoring affair and would bring a lot of eyes to Orlando. The biggest question would be whether the Michigan State defense could continue to dominate against a powerful SEC offense. 

Meineke Car Care of Texas

The Meineke Car Care Bowl matches a Big Ten team versus a Big 12 opponent. Two teams that could fit this bowl game would be Texas A&M and Northwestern. Both of these teams rely on a pass-heavy offense to put big points up on the board.

The Aggies are likely to be a dominant opponent for the Wildcats, but Northwestern travels well to bowl games and has played very well in the past few seasons. Look for this to be a great matchup for the Meineke group and one that could be a fun one to watch once bowl season hits. 

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

The Idaho Potato Bowl will feature a MAC versus a WAC team this season. One projection places the Toledo Rockets against the Utah State Aggies. Both of these teams have been explosive on offense this season and would light up the scoreboard if they were to face off in Idaho.

Toledo uses a more traditional spread offense while the Aggies of Utah State use multiple formations to keep defenses confused. The Idaho Potato Bowl will be played in Boise as it was formerly known as the Humanitarian Bowl.