Bowl Projections: Which BCS Matchup Would Be Most Entertaining?

Predicting outcomes in college football tends to be a rather futile enterprise, but if everything goes according to plan—LSU beats Georgia for the SEC title, Oklahoma State ousts Oklahoma to grab the Big 12 Championship, Oregon destroys UCLA to earn the Pac-12 crown, Virginia Tech avenges its only loss of the season against Clemson, Michigan State puts Wisconsin down a second time, Houston runs the table and the Big East plays football for at least one more week—here's how the BCS bowls would likely shake out:

BCS National Championship Game: Alabama vs. LSU

Rose Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon

Sugar Bowl: Houston vs. Michigan

Orange Bowl: Louisville/Cincinnati/West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State

Each game would provide for some measure of lively competition along with the usual smorgasbord of storylines and whatnot. But which would be the most exciting to watch?

We can throw the Orange Bowl out right off the bat. A 12-1 Virginia Tech should have no trouble dispatching Louisville (7-5), Cincinnati (9-3) or even West Virginia (9-3).

And unless you're from Dixieland and/or you love defensive slugfests decided by kickers, then you can knock the national title game off the table, too.

Each of the remaining three would make for entertaining fare, to say the least. Oregon should, in theory, be able to run all over Michigan State. The Ducks' speed and athleticism is superior to anything the Spartans have seen this season.

Then again, MSU did a magnificent job of shutting down Wisconsin for most of the game back in October. What's more, Chip Kelly's club hasn't done so well against big, physical football teams outside of the Pac-12, with losses to Ohio State, Stanford, Auburn and LSU over the last three seasons.

In essence, then, if Darron Thomas, De'Anthony Thomas and LaMichael James prove to be too fast for Sparty, then this one will be over in a hurry. Otherwise, we could be in for another grind-it-out game on the end-of-season slate.

Which leaves us with the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma State vs. Stanford would seem to be the easy choice here, at least at first glance. After all, what's not to like about two of the top quarterbacks in the country, Brandon Weeden and Andrew Luck, going toe-to-toe in a Heisman Trophy-worthy showdown in The Desert? The contrast in styles, between the Cardinal's smash-mouth attack and the Cowboys' aerial assault, would make for an exciting game with plenty of scoring by both teams.

But let's not overlook the thrills to be had in the under card at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome between Michigan and Houston. Case Keenum and Denard Robinson may be only second-tier Heisman contenders, but both are tremendous signal callers who can rile up a crowd in their own way. Keenum leads the nation in touchdown passes with 43 while "Shoelace" leaves audiences slack-jawed with his fleet feet.

Ultimately, though, the nod has to go to the Fiesta Bowl. Too much firepower, too many stars and two fan bases that aren't traditionally accustomed to playing on the biggest stages in college football.

Rank	Team	BCS Average
1	LSU	1.000
2	Alabama	.955
3	Oklahoma State	.871
4	Stanford	.856
5	Virginia Tech	.781
6	Houston	.740
7	Boise State	.703
8	Arkansas	.700
9	Oregon	.686
10	Oklahoma	.671
11	Kansas State	.570
12	South Carolina	.568
13	Michigan State	.537
14	Georgia	.535
15	Wisconsin	.458
16	Michigan	.431
17	Baylor	.391
18	TCU	.331
19	Nebraska	.258
20	Clemson	.198
21	Penn State	.138
22	Texas	.133
23	West Virginia	.124
24	Southern Miss	.072
25	Missouri	.059