BCS Bowl Schedule: Which BCS Matchup Has Best NFL Draft Prospects?

There are NFL draft prospects in every bowl game this season. There are a ton of NFL draft prospects in BCS bowls this season. But only one of them can have the best crop of future NFL talent.

We can alleviate some of the drama by dismissing the Discover Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO from contention, though.

Clemson, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon have plenty of good players, but the six teams combine to produce possibly four to five first-round picks in the 2012 NFL draft: Clemson DT Brandon Thompson, Clemson TE Dwayne Allen, Virginia Tech RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech CB Jayron Hosley and Wisconsin C Peter Konz.

Of the five, Thompson and Konz are the most likely to land in Day 1 of the draft.

That leaves the race between the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Allstate BCS Championship Game awfully close.

The Fiesta Bowl between Stanford and Oklahoma State has a lot of firepower. Stanford features likely No. 1 pick Andrew Luck (QB) as well as likely Top 15-20 picks Jonathan Martin (OT) and David DeCastro (OG). Oklahoma State features star receiver Justin Blackmon, who could go anywhere from No. 2 to No. 20 on Day 1.

Both teams have potential Day 2 players in Pokes safety Markelle Martin and offensive tackle Levy Adcock as well as Stanford TE Coby Fleener.

But the BCS title game is chock-full of stars.

No. 1 LSU features superstar cornerback Morris Claiborne. He's not a clone of last year's No. 5 pick Patrick Peterson, but he might be a better cover man. They also have defensive end Sam Montgomery. And, although he doesn't get enough credit because of the Tigers' offensive philosophy, wide receiver Rueben Randle is not overlooked by scouts either.

Only Claiborne is a sure-fire first rounder from LSU.

But the No. 2 team in the land, Alabama, could see as many as five players taken in the first round of the draft, four of them on defense alone: CB Dre Kirkpatrick, S Mark Barron, OLB Courtney Upshaw, LB Dont'a Hightower and Heisman candidate RB Trent Richardson.

They also feature other talented second- and third-round players, like safety Robert Lester and defensive tackle Robert Chapman.

The BCS bowls don't lack talent anywhere across the board.

When judging on NFL talent, though, it is the season's biggest and brightest game, the Allstate BCS Championship Game, that shines above all others.

2011-2012 Bowl Schedule

Date	When	Where	Bowl	Matchup	Network
12/17	2 p.m. EST	University Stadium: Albuquerque, New Mexico	Gildan New Mexico	Temple vs. Wyoming	ESPN
12/17	5:30 p.m. EST	Bronco Stadium: Boise, Idaho	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Ohio vs. Utah State	ESPN
12/17	9 p.m. EST	Mercedes-Benz Superdome: New Orleans Louisiana	R+L Carriers New Orleans	San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafeyette	ESPN
12/20	8 p.m. EST	Tropicana Field: St. Petersburg Florida	Beef "O" Brady's St. Petersburg	Florida International vs. Marshall	ESPN
12/21	8 p.m. EST	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, California	S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia	TCU vs. Louisiana Tech	ESPN
12/22	8 p.m. EST	Sam Boyd Stadium: Las Vegas, Nevada	MAACO Las Vegas	Arizona State vs. Boise State	ESPN
12/24	8 p.m. EST	Aloha Stadium: Honolulu, Hawaii	Sheraton Hawaii	Nevada vs. Southern Miss	ESPN
12/26	5 p.m. EST	Independence Stadium: Shreveport, Louisiana	AdvoCare V100 Independence	Missouri vs. North Carolina	ESPN2
12/27	4:30 p.m. EST	Ford Field: Detroit Michigan	Little Ceasars	Western Michigan vs. Purdue	ESPN
12/27	8 p.m. EST	Bank of America Stadium: Charlotte, North Carolina	Belk	Louisville vs. NC State	ESPN
12/28	4:30 p.m. EST	RFK Stadium: Washington D.C.	Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman	Toledo vs. Air Force	ESPN
12/28	8 p.m. EST	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, California	Bridgepoint Education Holiday	California vs. Texas	ESPN
12/29	5:30 p.m. EST	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando, Florida	Champs Sports	Florida State vs. Notre Dame	ESPN
12/29	9 p.m. EST	Alamodome: San Antonio, Texas	Valero Alamo	Washington vs. Baylor	ESPN
12/30	noon EST	Gerald J. Ford Stadium: Dallas, Texas	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces	BYU vs. Tulsa	ESPN
12/30	3:20 p.m. EST	Yankee Stadium: Bronx, New York	New Era Pinstripe	Rutgers vs. Iowa State	ESPN
12/30	6:40 p.m. EST	LP Field: Nashville, Tennessee	Franklin American Mortgage Music City	Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest	ESPN
12/30	10 p.m. EST	Sun Devil Stadium: Tempe, Arizona	Insight	Iowa vs. Oklahoma	ESPN
12/31	noon EST	Reliant Stadium: Houston, Texas	Meineke Car Care of Texas	Texas A&M vs. Northwestern	ESPN
12/31	2 p.m. EST	Sun Bowl: El Paso, Texas	Hyundai Sun	Georgia Tech vs. Utah	CBS
12/31	3:30 p.m. EST	Liberty Bowl: Memphis, Tennessee	AutoZone Liberty	Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt	ABC
12/31	3:30 p.m. EST	AT&T Park: San Francisco, California	Kraft Fight Hunger	Illinois vs. UCLA	ESPN
12/31	7:30 p.m. EST	Georgia Dome: Atlanta, Georgia	Chick-fil-A	Virginia vs. Auburn	ESPN
1/2	noon EST	Cotton Bowl: Dallas, Texas	TicketCity	Houston vs. Penn State	ESPNU
1/2	1 p.m. EST	Raymond James Stadium: Tampa, Florida	Outback	Michigan State vs. Georgia	ABC
1/2	1 p.m. EST	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando Florida	Capital One	Nebraska vs. South Carolina	ESPN
1/2	1 p.m. EST	EverBank Field: Jacksonville, Florida	TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl	Ohio State vs. Florida	ESPN2
1/2	5 p.m. EST	Rose Bowl: Pasadena, California	Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO	Wisconsin vs. Oregon	ESPN
1/2	8:30 p.m. EST	University of Phoenix Stadium: Glendale, Arizona	Tostitos Fiesta	Stanford vs. Oklahoma State	ESPN
1/3	8:30 p.m. EST	Louisiana Superdome: New Orleans Louisiana	Allstate Sugar	Michigan vs. Virginia Tech	ESPN
1/4	8:30 p.m. EST	Sun Life Stadium: Miami, Florida	Discover Orange	West Virginia vs. Clemson	ESPN
1/6	8 p.m. EST	Cowboys Stadium: Arlington, Texas	AT&T Cotton	Kansas State vs. Arkansas	FOX
7/1	1 p.m. EST	Legion Field: Birmingham, Alabama	BBVA Compass Bowl	SMU vs. Pittsburgh	ESPN
1/8	9 p.m. EST	Ladd-Peebles Stadium: Mobile, Alabama	GoDaddy.com	Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois	ESPN
1/9	8:30 p.m. EST	Louisiana Superdome: New Orleans, Louisiana	Allstate BCS National Championship Game	LSU vs. Alabama	ESPN