BCS Bowl Projections: How Every BCS Bowl Will Shake Out

Whether you like 'em, the 2012 BCS bowl matchups aren't about to change, so if you're at all interested in watching college football in January, you'll just have to cross your fingers and hope the games are good.

Which, ultimately, they should be, regardless of the clear and sheer injustice the system has doled out this time around. So what are we to make of the big-money, post-New Year's battles?

Rose Bowl: Monday, Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. EST

As always, the Rose Bowl will kick off the BCS slate with a face-off between the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions, with Oregon representing the former and Wisconsin the latter.

The Ducks and the Badgers were serious contenders for the BCS title game at one point or another this season, though neither will be at all disappointed with a trip to Pasadena this year. Both came away with defeats in their most recent appearances in the "Granddaddy of Them All," with Oregon falling to Ohio State in 2010 and Wisconsin coming up short against TCU this past January.

These two teams are near-mirror images of one another, featuring dynamic backfield duos—Darron Thomas and LaMichael James for Oregon, Russell Wilson and Montee Ball for Wisconsin—and prolific offense.

The key matchup here will feature the Ducks' speed against the Badgers' power. Big Ten teams have traditionally struggled against quicker opponents, and they don't get much quicker than Oregon.

That being said, look for Oregon to run over, around and through 'Sconsin on the way to a thrilling 41-34 shootout victory.

Fiesta Bowl: Monday, Jan. 2 at 8:30 p.m. EST

While legions of fans would certainly prefer to see Oklahoma State in the national title game, it's tough to argue with the appeal of a tilt with Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl. 

No other bowl can so much as hold a candle to the firepower in this game, with gunslinger Brandon Weeden going toe-to-toe with Andrew Luck, the presumed top pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

That said, these 11-win teams employ decidedly different styles on the football field. OK State prefers to air it out on offense, with Weeden throwing early and often to reigning Biletnikoff Award winner Justin Blackmon, and force turnovers on defense. Stanford, on the other hand, is privy to punching its opponents in the mouth on both sides of the ball.

As far as the outcome is concerned, the Cardinal figure to struggle against the Pokes' wide-open attack, just as they have in losses to Oregon in each of the last two seasons.

Furthermore, Mike Gundy's squad will make the most of the additional preparation time and motivation to prove that it deserved a shot at the national title, just as it did in a 44-10 trouncing of Oklahoma in the Bedlam game.

In other words, 45-28 in favor of OK State.

Sugar Bowl: Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 8:30 p.m. EST

I shudder to even think about the Sugar Bowl, considering what a travesty it is to see Michigan playing Virginia Tech rather than Michigan State taking on Boise State or Kansas State.

Something about the word "State" must bother folks at the BCS.

The Wolverines spent Championship Saturday on the couch, perhaps watching the Hokies get harangued by Clemson in the ACC Championship Game for a second time this year. Michigan's hopes will rest on the arm and legs (but mostly just the legs) of Denard Robinson, who will be looking to close out yet another campaign with 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing.

VT, meanwhile, while put all its eggs in the basket of David Wilson, the ACC Player of the Year, who racked up 1,627 yards on the ground but was held to just 32 on 11 carries in the conference title game.

As far as the game is concerned, Frank Beamer's boys will once again be fleeced by a dual-threat quarterback on the national stage, with Shoelace playing the role of tormentor that Clemson's Tajh Boyd touted twice in 2011.

A boring (for everyone outside of Ann Arbor) 30-13 final in favor of the Maize and Blue will expose this matchup for the fraud that it was, particularly on VA Tech's part.

Orange Bowl: Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8:30 p.m. EST

Then again, at least some sort of national audience will watch the Sugar Bowl. The same can't exactly be said for the Orange Bowl, featuring Clemson and West Virginia, the champions of the ACC and the Big East, respectively.

The Tigers, as previously mentioned, destroyed Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, 38-10, to earn their way in, despite losing three of their four games prior that victory. The Mountaineers, on the other hand, snuck their way in by way of a three-way tie atop the Big East, which broke in their favor thanks a No. 23 ranking in the BCS.

This one should be an entertaining affair, with Clemson's Tajh Boyd airing it out with freshman phenom Sammy Watkins and WVU's Geno Smith doing the same alongside Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.

Neither team was particularly impressive over the stretch run, but the here edge belongs to the Mountaineers, who will showcase their experience on the big stage in a 31-28 thriller.

BCS National Championship Game: Monday, Jan. 9 at 8:30 p.m. EST 

Controversy aside, the national title game between LSU and Alabama should be a great game...for fans of suffocating defense and errant place-kicking.

As you probably already know, the Tigers and the Crimson Tide met back on Nov. 5 in the "Game of the Century," with Les Miles' squad snuck out of Tuscaloosa with a 9-6 overtime win. 'Bama arguably outplayed LSU overall but fell victim to four missed field goals by Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster.

Both teams have improved since then, particularly at quarterback, where Jordan Jefferson has resumed his position ahead of Jarrett Lee on the depth chart while AJ McCarron has grown into a steady, if unspectacular, signal-caller for Nick Saban.

But the real story on offense will be in the backfield, where the Tigers will trot out the trio of Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Spencer Ware to counter the Tide's duo of Heisman Trophy contender Trent Richardson and Eddie Lacy.

Ultimately, though, the action will once again be dictated by the defenses. For LSU, that means their NFL-caliber secondary, led by Heisman hopeful Tyrann Mathieu, while for 'Bama, the focus will be on Dont'a Hightower and the linebackers.

With these two teams being about even in just about every way, the game will come down to special teams, where LSU excels—with Mathieu on the return, Brad Wing punting and Drew Alleman kicking—and Alabama struggles. The Tigers will prove that Part 1 was no fluke with a 13-10 victory in yet another hard-hitting affair.