BCS Bowl Projections: How Houston, VA Tech Losses Shake Up the Matchups

There is something to be said about controlling your destiny.

For the Houston Cougars, an undefeated season complete with a C-USA Championship meant a shoo-in for a BCS at-large bid in what many believed to be the Sugar Bowl. Throw that projection out the window.

By a similar token, Virginia Tech had a chance at redemption against a Clemson team that had its numbers earlier in the season. But for the second time in just over two months, the Tigers handled the Hokies by more than 20 points. Instead of Virginia Tech representing the ACC in the Orange Bowl, now it's Clemson.

The losses by Houston and Virginia Tech do not stop there, as those downfalls forcibly shake up the potential BCS matchups in January.

Here are some new projections after the setbacks from the Cougars and Hokies.

Sugar/Fiesta Bowl: Michigan vs. Kansas State

Perhaps the biggest shake-up in the projected BCS games is the replacement of Kansas State over Houston in the Sugar Bowl or even the Fiesta Bowl as either game can take in at-large qualifiers.

The opponent, Michigan, remains the same, but instead of a pass-happy Case Keenum against the versatile Denard Robinson, we will get a versatile Robinson against a versatile Collin Klein.

A Wolverines-Wildcats matchup means pitting a couple of teams that can grind to victories on the shoulders of their signal callers.

While having Houston in the BCS would have been a sight for the sore eyes of the mid-majors, there is no shame in this other projection.

Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. West Virginia

The ACC Champion goes to the Orange Bowl.

With Clemson having handed Virginia Tech their second loss of the season (both losses were to the Tigers), Dabo Swinney booked his ticket for Miami on Jan. 4.

The other selection goes to a BCS at-large team, likely the West Virginia Mountaineers after claiming the spot via the Big East tiebreaker. With a three-way tie atop the Big East standings, the Mountaineers get the nod here for coming in with the highest BCS ranking.

After Clemson climbed the polls from unranked to the Top 10, the Tigers stumbled into their final four ACC contests, losing three of those matchups. But with the buffer they created throughout the year, the Tigers still got a berth in the ACC Title Game before clinching the championship and a spot at the BCS table.

The Tumble for Houston

Houston's loss in the Conference USA Title Game not only drops the Cougars in the rankings, but it removes them from BCS contention and likely into the TicketCity Bowl to play Purdue.

Ouch.

The Cougars went from BCS to bust. They lost a huge check for the C-USA by failing to get into the Sugar Bowl and, instead of playing a top Big Ten opponent, the Cougars get a marginally qualified opponent in the Boilermakers.

Oh, Houston still gets to play in January, but a noon kickoff represents something much less exciting than prime time programming in New Orleans.

Flipped Script for the Hokies

A season ago, Virginia Tech put a 44-33 stamp on Florida State to claim the ACC crown before advancing to the Orange Bowl against Stanford.

Fast forward one year, and the Hokies were in a similar position: win the ACC and earn a berth to the Orange Bowl. Same story, different result.

Instead of a lucrative BCS appearance, Frank Beamer's Hokies appear set for a Chick-fil-A Bowl appearance against an SEC opponent, likely the Auburn Tigers.