BCS Bowl Games
BCS National Championship- #1 LSU (13-0) vs. #2 Alabama (11-1)
Rose - #5 Oregon (11-2) vs. #10 Wisconsin (11-2)
Fiesta - #3 Oklahoma State (11-1) vs. #4 Stanford (11-1)
Sugar - #7 Boise State (11-1) vs. #8 Houston (13-0)
Orange - #18 Clemson (10-3) vs. #20 West Virginia (9-3)
Tier One
Cotton - #6 Arkansas (10-2) vs. #13 Oklahoma (9-3)
Capital One - #9 South Carolina (10-2) vs. #12 Michigan (10-2)
Outback - #18 Georgia (10-3) vs. #15 Nebraska (9-3)
Gator - #19 Penn State (9-3) vs. #25 Auburn (7-5)
Chick-fil-A - #17 Virginia Tech (11-2) vs. Florida (7-5)
Alamo - #11 Kansas State (10-2) vs. Utah (8-5)
Champs Sports - #22 Notre Dame (8-4) vs. Florida State (7-5)
Insight - #16 Michigan State (10-3) vs. #21 Baylor (8-4)
Holiday - Texas (7-5) vs. Washington (7-5)
Sun - Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
Tier Two
Meineke Car Care - Iowa (7-5) vs. Missouri (7-5)
Belk - #23 Rutgers (9-3) vs. Virginia (8-4)
Music City - Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Mississippi State (6-6)
Pinstripe - Cincinnati (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (6-6)
Liberty - #24 Southern Miss (10-3) vs. Louisville (6-6)
TicketCity - Tulsa (8-4) vs. Ohio State (6-6)
Las Vegas - #14 TCU (10-2) vs. California (6-6)
Independence - Wyoming (8-4) vs. North Carolina (7-5)
St. Petersburg - SMU (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)
Tier Three
Poinsettia - Louisiana Tech (8-4) vs. San Diego State (8-4)
Hawaii - Nevada (8-4) vs. East Carolina (6-6)
Famous Idaho Potato - Air Force (7-5) vs. Utah State (6-6)
New Orleans - Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Illinois (7-5)
Little Caesar's Pizza - Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Northwestern (6-6)
Military - North Carolina State (7-5) vs. Iowa State (6-6)
Armed Forces - Brigham Young (9-3) vs. Ohio (9-4)
Kraft Fight Hunger - Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4) vs. UCLA (6-6)
BBVA Compass - Western Kentucky (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6)
GoDaddy.com - Toledo (8-4) vs. FIU (8-4)
All BCS Rankings and records are projected.
Showing posts with label Bowl Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bowl Games. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Bowl Predictions - Nov. 6
BCS Bowl Games
BCS National Championship - LSU vs. Boise State
Rose - Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta - Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Sugar - Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Orange - Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
Tier One and Two Bowls
Cotton - Arkansas vs. Texas
Capital One - Georgia vs. Nebraska
Outback - South Carolina vs. Michigan State
Gator - Ohio State vs. Auburn
Chick-fil-A - Clemson vs. Florida
Alamo - Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
Champs Sports - Notre Dame vs. Florida State
Insight - Kansas State vs. Penn State
Holiday - Washington vs. Baylor
Sun - UCLA vs. Miami
Tier Three Bowls
Meineke Car Care - Missouri vs. Michigan
Belk - Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia
Music City - Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest
Pinstripe - Texas Tech vs. Rutgers
Liberty - Houston vs. Syracuse
TicketCity - Southern Miss vs. Iowa
Las Vegas - California vs. TCU
Independence - North Carolina vs. Air Force
St. Petersburg - SMU vs. Louisville
Tier Four Bowls
Poinsettia - Nevada vs. Wyoming
Hawaii - Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Famous Idaho Potato - Louisiana Tech vs. San Diego State
New Orleans - Marshall vs. Louisiana Lafayette
Little Caesar's Pizza - Illinois vs. Ohio
Military - Virginia vs. Navy*
Armed Forces - Brigham Young vs. UCF
Kraft Fight Hunger - Utah vs. Army**
BBVA Compass - Connecticut vs. Tennessee***
GoDaddy.com - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
*If Navy doesn't have enough wins to qualify, their replacement will come from C-USA. Probably East Carolina.
** If Army doesn't have enough wins to qualify, I think their replacement will come from either the ACC or the WAC. So let's say.... Fresno State?
*** It'll be tough for either of these teams to become bowl eligible this year. BBVA Compass's fall back conferences are the Sun Belt and the ACC. So let's say they'll pick the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and their weird orange blob of a mascot.
BCS National Championship - LSU vs. Boise State
Rose - Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Fiesta - Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Sugar - Alabama vs. Cincinnati
Orange - Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
Tier One and Two Bowls
Cotton - Arkansas vs. Texas
Capital One - Georgia vs. Nebraska
Outback - South Carolina vs. Michigan State
Gator - Ohio State vs. Auburn
Chick-fil-A - Clemson vs. Florida
Alamo - Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
Champs Sports - Notre Dame vs. Florida State
Insight - Kansas State vs. Penn State
Holiday - Washington vs. Baylor
Sun - UCLA vs. Miami
Tier Three Bowls
Meineke Car Care - Missouri vs. Michigan
Belk - Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia
Music City - Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest
Pinstripe - Texas Tech vs. Rutgers
Liberty - Houston vs. Syracuse
TicketCity - Southern Miss vs. Iowa
Las Vegas - California vs. TCU
Independence - North Carolina vs. Air Force
St. Petersburg - SMU vs. Louisville
Tier Four Bowls
Poinsettia - Nevada vs. Wyoming
Hawaii - Hawaii vs. Tulsa
Famous Idaho Potato - Louisiana Tech vs. San Diego State
New Orleans - Marshall vs. Louisiana Lafayette
Little Caesar's Pizza - Illinois vs. Ohio
Military - Virginia vs. Navy*
Armed Forces - Brigham Young vs. UCF
Kraft Fight Hunger - Utah vs. Army**
BBVA Compass - Connecticut vs. Tennessee***
GoDaddy.com - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
*If Navy doesn't have enough wins to qualify, their replacement will come from C-USA. Probably East Carolina.
** If Army doesn't have enough wins to qualify, I think their replacement will come from either the ACC or the WAC. So let's say.... Fresno State?
*** It'll be tough for either of these teams to become bowl eligible this year. BBVA Compass's fall back conferences are the Sun Belt and the ACC. So let's say they'll pick the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and their weird orange blob of a mascot.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
5 Bowls I'm Not At All Excited About...
... but will probably end up watching anyways.
1) Fiesta Bowl: #7 Oklahoma vs Connecticut: You know, I may actually start feeling sorry for Tostitos chips and the Fiesta Bowl soon. For years, they have been biting the bullet and taking the challenging, un-popular bowl choices - choices such as Boise State vs. TCU last year, or that epic Boise State-Oklahoma game in 2007 - and this year it seemed like they might get rewarded for their risks in the past. They get to host the BCS Championship game and the Rose Bowl agreed to select the highest non-AQ team. So what does the Fiesta Bowl get rewarded with? 8-4 Big East champion Connecticut, who get to travel more than 2,500 miles to get sacrificed to the Oklahoma Sooners. I bet that they sure wish now that they could match up Oklahoma against #3 TCU this year, or even a way to pick #4 Stanford, who at least makes more geographic sense than the Huskies.
2) Holiday Bowl: #18 Nebraska vs Washington: Normally, I am all for watching games with Pac-10 teams in them, and I usually like the Holiday Bowl, especially since it hosted the Ducks three times between 2000 and 2008. But not very many people are excited about seeing a rematch from a game played earlier this season, one where the Cornhuskers demolished UW 56-21 in Seattle. At the very least, this game should give me one more reason to hate Mel Kiper Jr.
3) Sun Bowl: Miami (FL) vs Notre Dame: The Sun Bowl, meanwhile, is thanking their lucky stars that they were able to replace their missing Pac-10 team with Notre Dame, thus setting up a rematch of the "Convicts vs Catholics" games of the late 80's. Screw that, says I. Both of these programs are bloated and overly grandiose. I hope they both lose.
4) GoDaddy.com Bowl: Miami (OH) vs Middle Tennessee: Those commercials are terrible.
5) Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Southern Miss vs Louisville: I needed a fifth meaningless bowl game. And this one just sounds gross.
1) Fiesta Bowl: #7 Oklahoma vs Connecticut: You know, I may actually start feeling sorry for Tostitos chips and the Fiesta Bowl soon. For years, they have been biting the bullet and taking the challenging, un-popular bowl choices - choices such as Boise State vs. TCU last year, or that epic Boise State-Oklahoma game in 2007 - and this year it seemed like they might get rewarded for their risks in the past. They get to host the BCS Championship game and the Rose Bowl agreed to select the highest non-AQ team. So what does the Fiesta Bowl get rewarded with? 8-4 Big East champion Connecticut, who get to travel more than 2,500 miles to get sacrificed to the Oklahoma Sooners. I bet that they sure wish now that they could match up Oklahoma against #3 TCU this year, or even a way to pick #4 Stanford, who at least makes more geographic sense than the Huskies.
2) Holiday Bowl: #18 Nebraska vs Washington: Normally, I am all for watching games with Pac-10 teams in them, and I usually like the Holiday Bowl, especially since it hosted the Ducks three times between 2000 and 2008. But not very many people are excited about seeing a rematch from a game played earlier this season, one where the Cornhuskers demolished UW 56-21 in Seattle. At the very least, this game should give me one more reason to hate Mel Kiper Jr.
3) Sun Bowl: Miami (FL) vs Notre Dame: The Sun Bowl, meanwhile, is thanking their lucky stars that they were able to replace their missing Pac-10 team with Notre Dame, thus setting up a rematch of the "Convicts vs Catholics" games of the late 80's. Screw that, says I. Both of these programs are bloated and overly grandiose. I hope they both lose.
4) GoDaddy.com Bowl: Miami (OH) vs Middle Tennessee: Those commercials are terrible.
5) Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Southern Miss vs Louisville: I needed a fifth meaningless bowl game. And this one just sounds gross.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
5 Bowl Games I'm Actually Excited About Watching...
... other than the BCS game, I mean.
With the dearth of exciting match-ups this bowl season, it's getting harder and harder for me to be looking forward to New Year's Day. But, always the optimist, I think I'll list five bowl games that I plan to go out of my way to watch. (Other than the BCS game, I mean. Go Ducks.) Maybe later I will post five games that I will go out of my way to avoid. Like Miami, OH vs Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Yeah, don't need to see that one.
1) Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin, Jan. 1: Would I be happier if either Stanford or Boise State were in the Rose Bowl? Yes, of course. But if the Grand Daddy of Them All had to pick a year to host a non-AQ team, this is a good one. No one has been better than the Badgers the last four weeks, beating Northwestern 70-23 and Indiana 83-20! Wisconsin has done this damage mostly behind an absurdly good running trio of James White (1,029 yds, 14TDs), John Clay (936 YDs, 13 TDs), and Montee Ball (864 YDs, 17TDs). TCU's defense is no slouch, though; they've held seven of their 12 opponents to seven points or less, and that includes BYU, Air Force, and No. 19 Utah.
2) Las Vegas Bowl - No. 10 Boise State vs No. 19 Utah, Dec. 22: I'm actually sad because I believe that I will be in flight from Chicago to Portland, Oregon while this game is on. Still, I'm glad that the Broncos were able to cut a deal letting them get out of playing in the Kraft Hungry Bowl. This will be a match-up of the two original BCS busters, and Utah's final game before joining the Pac-12. There is some talk about a conspiracy to prevent Boise State from ever getting to play an AQ team in a bowl game, but really, this is a better venue for them than beating up on 7-5 Boston College from the ACC would be.
3) Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 13 Virginia Tech, Jan. 3: Pac-10 teams are 3-0 all time in the Orange Bowl, and this will be Stanford's first ever trip to this game. (Although this will change next season, because Colorado is 2-3 all time in the Orange Bowl.) Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is going to their third Orange Bowl in four years. They will be trying to extend their winning streak to 11 after opening the season with losses against Boise State and James Madison. No matter who wins, the real loser will be Discover Credit Cards and the city of Miami. If Stanford had finished one spot lower in the final BCS rankings, they could have picked Ohio State or maybe Nebraska instead and really filled the seats of Sun Life Stadium. Go Cardinal.
4) Capital One Bowl - No. 9 Michigan State vs No. 16 Alabama, Jan. 1: Ah, the credit card wars continue. Score one for Capital One, as this game should get higher TV ratings than any of the BCS games. It will be an interesting match-up of the overachieving Michigan State, who won a share of the Big Ten title and yet still got shut-out of the BCS, and under achieving Alabama, who was picked by everyone to be in the National Championship, but managed to finish 9-3 and in 4th place in the SEC. Go Spartans.
5) Texas Bowl - Baylor vs Illinois, Dec. 29: OK, so maybe nobody cares about this game outside of Ft. Worth and Champaign-Urbana. But guess what? The Baylor Bears were one of the feel good stories of the season, beating Texas before dropping their last three games of the season and finishing 7-5. Still, they will be going to their first bowl game since 1994. The Illini, meanwhile, can have some kind of closure on a heart-wrenching season that included losing 65-67 in triple OT to Michigan, a 34-38 loss to Minnesota on a last second touchdown, and a 23-25 loss to Fresno State to end the season. Still, it's a lot better than their 3-9 record last year. Go Illini.
With the dearth of exciting match-ups this bowl season, it's getting harder and harder for me to be looking forward to New Year's Day. But, always the optimist, I think I'll list five bowl games that I plan to go out of my way to watch. (Other than the BCS game, I mean. Go Ducks.) Maybe later I will post five games that I will go out of my way to avoid. Like Miami, OH vs Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Yeah, don't need to see that one.
1) Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin, Jan. 1: Would I be happier if either Stanford or Boise State were in the Rose Bowl? Yes, of course. But if the Grand Daddy of Them All had to pick a year to host a non-AQ team, this is a good one. No one has been better than the Badgers the last four weeks, beating Northwestern 70-23 and Indiana 83-20! Wisconsin has done this damage mostly behind an absurdly good running trio of James White (1,029 yds, 14TDs), John Clay (936 YDs, 13 TDs), and Montee Ball (864 YDs, 17TDs). TCU's defense is no slouch, though; they've held seven of their 12 opponents to seven points or less, and that includes BYU, Air Force, and No. 19 Utah.
2) Las Vegas Bowl - No. 10 Boise State vs No. 19 Utah, Dec. 22: I'm actually sad because I believe that I will be in flight from Chicago to Portland, Oregon while this game is on. Still, I'm glad that the Broncos were able to cut a deal letting them get out of playing in the Kraft Hungry Bowl. This will be a match-up of the two original BCS busters, and Utah's final game before joining the Pac-12. There is some talk about a conspiracy to prevent Boise State from ever getting to play an AQ team in a bowl game, but really, this is a better venue for them than beating up on 7-5 Boston College from the ACC would be.
3) Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 13 Virginia Tech, Jan. 3: Pac-10 teams are 3-0 all time in the Orange Bowl, and this will be Stanford's first ever trip to this game. (Although this will change next season, because Colorado is 2-3 all time in the Orange Bowl.) Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is going to their third Orange Bowl in four years. They will be trying to extend their winning streak to 11 after opening the season with losses against Boise State and James Madison. No matter who wins, the real loser will be Discover Credit Cards and the city of Miami. If Stanford had finished one spot lower in the final BCS rankings, they could have picked Ohio State or maybe Nebraska instead and really filled the seats of Sun Life Stadium. Go Cardinal.
4) Capital One Bowl - No. 9 Michigan State vs No. 16 Alabama, Jan. 1: Ah, the credit card wars continue. Score one for Capital One, as this game should get higher TV ratings than any of the BCS games. It will be an interesting match-up of the overachieving Michigan State, who won a share of the Big Ten title and yet still got shut-out of the BCS, and under achieving Alabama, who was picked by everyone to be in the National Championship, but managed to finish 9-3 and in 4th place in the SEC. Go Spartans.
5) Texas Bowl - Baylor vs Illinois, Dec. 29: OK, so maybe nobody cares about this game outside of Ft. Worth and Champaign-Urbana. But guess what? The Baylor Bears were one of the feel good stories of the season, beating Texas before dropping their last three games of the season and finishing 7-5. Still, they will be going to their first bowl game since 1994. The Illini, meanwhile, can have some kind of closure on a heart-wrenching season that included losing 65-67 in triple OT to Michigan, a 34-38 loss to Minnesota on a last second touchdown, and a 23-25 loss to Fresno State to end the season. Still, it's a lot better than their 3-9 record last year. Go Illini.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Bowl Predictor - Dec. 5
BCS National Championship - No. 1 Auburn vs No. 2 Oregon
Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl - No. 9 Oklahoma vs Connecticut
Sugar Bowl - No. 6 Ohio State vs No. 7 Arkansas
Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 15 Virginia Tech
Cotton Bowl - No. 18 Texas A&M vs No. 10 LSU
Capital One Bowl - No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 16 Alabama
Chik-fil-A Bowl - No. 19 South Carolina vs. No. 21 Florida State
Outback Bowl - No. 22 Mississippi State vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl - Penn State vs Florida
Holiday Bowl - No. 13 Nebraska vs No. 23 Arizona
Sun Bowl - No. 11 Boise State vs Maryland
Insight Bowl - No. 14 Oklahoma State vs Illinois
Alamo Bowl - No. 12 Missouri vs Washington
Dallas Football Classic - Northwestern vs Baylor
Liberty Bowl - Georgia vs UCF
Meineke Car Care Bowl - No. 24 West Virginia vs Miami (FL)
Pinstripe Bowl - Kansas State vs Syracuse
Armed Forces Bowl - SMU vs Army
Champs Sports Bowl - North Carolina State vs Pittsburgh
Music City Bowl - Boston College vs Tennessee
Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State vs Navy
Texas Bowl - No. 18 Texas A&M vs Michigan
New Mexico Bowl - Brigham Young vs UTEP
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Texas Tech vs Miami (OH)
Humanitarian Bowl - No. 25 Northern Illinois vs Fresno State
Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs Tulsa
New Orleans Bowl - Middle Tennessee vs Clemson
Independence Bowl - Air Force vs Kentucky
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - South Florida vs Southern Mississippi
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 20 Utah vs Idaho
Military Bowl - Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame
GoDaddy.com Bowl - Ohio vs Troy
BBVA Compass Bowl - Louisville vs Temple
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Nevada vs North Carolina
Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl - No. 9 Oklahoma vs Connecticut
Sugar Bowl - No. 6 Ohio State vs No. 7 Arkansas
Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 15 Virginia Tech
Cotton Bowl - No. 18 Texas A&M vs No. 10 LSU
Capital One Bowl - No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 16 Alabama
Chik-fil-A Bowl - No. 19 South Carolina vs. No. 21 Florida State
Outback Bowl - No. 22 Mississippi State vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl - Penn State vs Florida
Holiday Bowl - No. 13 Nebraska vs No. 23 Arizona
Sun Bowl - No. 11 Boise State vs Maryland
Insight Bowl - No. 14 Oklahoma State vs Illinois
Alamo Bowl - No. 12 Missouri vs Washington
Dallas Football Classic - Northwestern vs Baylor
Liberty Bowl - Georgia vs UCF
Meineke Car Care Bowl - No. 24 West Virginia vs Miami (FL)
Pinstripe Bowl - Kansas State vs Syracuse
Armed Forces Bowl - SMU vs Army
Champs Sports Bowl - North Carolina State vs Pittsburgh
Music City Bowl - Boston College vs Tennessee
Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State vs Navy
Texas Bowl - No. 18 Texas A&M vs Michigan
New Mexico Bowl - Brigham Young vs UTEP
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Texas Tech vs Miami (OH)
Humanitarian Bowl - No. 25 Northern Illinois vs Fresno State
Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs Tulsa
New Orleans Bowl - Middle Tennessee vs Clemson
Independence Bowl - Air Force vs Kentucky
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl - South Florida vs Southern Mississippi
Las Vegas Bowl - No. 20 Utah vs Idaho
Military Bowl - Georgia Tech vs Notre Dame
GoDaddy.com Bowl - Ohio vs Troy
BBVA Compass Bowl - Louisville vs Temple
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Nevada vs North Carolina
Friday, December 3, 2010
BCS Bowl Predictor
BCS Championship Game - No. 1 Auburn vs No. 2 Oregon
A lot of my Duck friends complained this week when Auburn jumped Oregon in the BCS standings. Assuming that both teams win tomorrow - and my high school math teacher always toold me that "assuming makes an ass of you and me" - then Auburn's lead in the BCS standings will widen, because the Tigers will get more credit for a win over No. 19 South Carolina than the Ducks will over undranked Oregon State.
Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin
The Badgers will get the Big Ten's automatic Rose Bowl berth based on being higher in the BCS rankings than either Ohio State or Michigan State. TCU will be Oregon's replacement, because of the Rose Bowl's "one time only" rule of selecting the highest non-AQ team to replace someone who is in the national championship game. This should be an awesome game; can TCU's hyperspeed defense slow down Wisconsin's White Clay Ball?
Fiesta Bowl - No. 13 Nebraska vs Connecticut
The Fiesta Bowl gets last pick among the BCS bowls this year because they are the "host" for the NC game played a week later. Nebraska has to beat no. 9 Oklahoma tomorrow in the Big 12 Championship to get in, and UConn has to win at South Florida to become the first unranked BCS team. If they lose, then no. 24 West Virginia will be in with a win at Rutgers. If both the Huskies and the Mountaineers lose, then Pitt will get in with a Cincinnati. If all three lose, then UConn gets in. Stranger things have happened.
Sugar Bowl - No. 6 Ohio State vs No. 7 Arkansas
This is a tough one to predict. The Sugar Bowl is set to lose Auburn to the BCS game, and probably will want to replace them with the next highest SEC team, which is Arkansas. The Sugar Bowl doesn't like ths; they would make a lot more bling hosting no. 10 LSU or no. 16 Alabama. To compensate, they will probably give Ohio State an at-large berth. The Buckeyes have a much larger fan base than any of the other BCS teams this year. Of course, all of this is moot if South Carolina upsets Auburn and gets the SEC's automatic berth.
Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 15 Virginia Tech
If Stanford ends in the top 4 in the BCS - and they should at this point because they've finished their season - then they must go to a BCS game. The Orange Bowl should then be faced with the unenviable task of choosing between Stanford and Connecticut for their at-large selection. In football. Men's football. The Orange would be much happier if no. 21 Florida State manages to upset the Hokies to win the ACC and fill up the stands in Miami. They might also pick West Virginia over Stanford if UConn loses, thereby sending the Cardinal to the Fiesta Bowl - which would attract way more Pac-10 fans because it is played in Arizona - to play the Big 12 Champions.
A lot of my Duck friends complained this week when Auburn jumped Oregon in the BCS standings. Assuming that both teams win tomorrow - and my high school math teacher always toold me that "assuming makes an ass of you and me" - then Auburn's lead in the BCS standings will widen, because the Tigers will get more credit for a win over No. 19 South Carolina than the Ducks will over undranked Oregon State.
Rose Bowl - No. 3 TCU vs No. 5 Wisconsin
The Badgers will get the Big Ten's automatic Rose Bowl berth based on being higher in the BCS rankings than either Ohio State or Michigan State. TCU will be Oregon's replacement, because of the Rose Bowl's "one time only" rule of selecting the highest non-AQ team to replace someone who is in the national championship game. This should be an awesome game; can TCU's hyperspeed defense slow down Wisconsin's White Clay Ball?
Fiesta Bowl - No. 13 Nebraska vs Connecticut
The Fiesta Bowl gets last pick among the BCS bowls this year because they are the "host" for the NC game played a week later. Nebraska has to beat no. 9 Oklahoma tomorrow in the Big 12 Championship to get in, and UConn has to win at South Florida to become the first unranked BCS team. If they lose, then no. 24 West Virginia will be in with a win at Rutgers. If both the Huskies and the Mountaineers lose, then Pitt will get in with a Cincinnati. If all three lose, then UConn gets in. Stranger things have happened.
Sugar Bowl - No. 6 Ohio State vs No. 7 Arkansas
This is a tough one to predict. The Sugar Bowl is set to lose Auburn to the BCS game, and probably will want to replace them with the next highest SEC team, which is Arkansas. The Sugar Bowl doesn't like ths; they would make a lot more bling hosting no. 10 LSU or no. 16 Alabama. To compensate, they will probably give Ohio State an at-large berth. The Buckeyes have a much larger fan base than any of the other BCS teams this year. Of course, all of this is moot if South Carolina upsets Auburn and gets the SEC's automatic berth.
Orange Bowl - No. 4 Stanford vs No. 15 Virginia Tech
If Stanford ends in the top 4 in the BCS - and they should at this point because they've finished their season - then they must go to a BCS game. The Orange Bowl should then be faced with the unenviable task of choosing between Stanford and Connecticut for their at-large selection. In football. Men's football. The Orange would be much happier if no. 21 Florida State manages to upset the Hokies to win the ACC and fill up the stands in Miami. They might also pick West Virginia over Stanford if UConn loses, thereby sending the Cardinal to the Fiesta Bowl - which would attract way more Pac-10 fans because it is played in Arizona - to play the Big 12 Champions.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Whim and Fancy
The previous post isn't really based on anything, except for my own whim and fancy. As a Ducks' fan, I have been hesitant to say that they will play for the NC; my mantra all along has been "Play for the Rose Bowl." But you can't deny that they've been looking really good the last three weeks, and will play for the NC if they win out. Their last three games are at Cal, vs. Arizona, and at Oregon State. Also, with Arizona losing to Stanford and OSU losing to UCLA this weekend, the Ducks can now lose a game and still clinch the Rose Bowl. Not that I believe they will, but it's still nice to know.
It's sad that no one got to watch last night's TCU-Utah game last night. Everyone knew that Utah was a good team, and they got crushed 47-7 at home by TCU. This game, along with LSU's win over Alabama, pretty much assures us that no 1-loss AQ team (i.e., Oregon, Auburn, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State) will be able to beat out an undefeated Horned Frogs team. Unfortunately, this pretty much guarantees that Boise State will be locked out of the BCS game once again, as I doubt that anyone would be able to stomach two non-AQ teams in the championship game.
Oregon is the AP's #1 team. But I bet that Vegas would put them as underdogs against Auburn, TCU, and Boise State. It's very likely that the Ducks' spread offense would struggle against a defense as fast as TCU's.
It'll be interesting to see which conferences will be able to fill all of their bowl games and which ones won't. The SEC has an obscene 10 bowl spots for its 12 teams. (assuming that they get a spot in BCS game.) This would mean that Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Georgia will need to find a way to win down the stretch in order to become bowl eligible. Ole Miss probably has the toughest job, needing to win 2 out of 3 against Tennessee, LSU, and Mississippi St. The Pac-10 may also struggle to fill its six bowl spots because of USC's bowl ban. UCLA and Arizona State both need to win 2 out of 3 to become bowl eligible; I give it to UCLA, with games left against Washington, ASU, and then 'SC in the Rose Bowl.
I've got Air Force, Army , and Navy all going to bowl games this year. Has that ever happened before? Also, I have Texas and Notre Dame being left out. That probably won't happen, though, as most bowl games would pick them over more deserving teams because of their huge fan bases.
It's sad that no one got to watch last night's TCU-Utah game last night. Everyone knew that Utah was a good team, and they got crushed 47-7 at home by TCU. This game, along with LSU's win over Alabama, pretty much assures us that no 1-loss AQ team (i.e., Oregon, Auburn, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State) will be able to beat out an undefeated Horned Frogs team. Unfortunately, this pretty much guarantees that Boise State will be locked out of the BCS game once again, as I doubt that anyone would be able to stomach two non-AQ teams in the championship game.
Oregon is the AP's #1 team. But I bet that Vegas would put them as underdogs against Auburn, TCU, and Boise State. It's very likely that the Ducks' spread offense would struggle against a defense as fast as TCU's.
It'll be interesting to see which conferences will be able to fill all of their bowl games and which ones won't. The SEC has an obscene 10 bowl spots for its 12 teams. (assuming that they get a spot in BCS game.) This would mean that Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Georgia will need to find a way to win down the stretch in order to become bowl eligible. Ole Miss probably has the toughest job, needing to win 2 out of 3 against Tennessee, LSU, and Mississippi St. The Pac-10 may also struggle to fill its six bowl spots because of USC's bowl ban. UCLA and Arizona State both need to win 2 out of 3 to become bowl eligible; I give it to UCLA, with games left against Washington, ASU, and then 'SC in the Rose Bowl.
I've got Air Force, Army , and Navy all going to bowl games this year. Has that ever happened before? Also, I have Texas and Notre Dame being left out. That probably won't happen, though, as most bowl games would pick them over more deserving teams because of their huge fan bases.
Bowl Predictor - Nov. 07
BCS Championship Game - #1 Oregon vs. #2 Auburn
Rose Bowl - #3 TCU vs. #5 Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl - #7 Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh
Sugar Bowl - #6 LSU vs. #4 Boise State
Orange Bowl - #22 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Ohio State
Cotton Bowl - #10 Oklahoma State vs. #11 Alabama
Capital One Bowl - #13 Michigan State vs. #17 Arkansas
Chik-fil-A Bowl - Florida State vs. #20 Mississippi State
Outback Bowl - #16 Iowa vs. Florida
Gator Bowl - #23 Penn State vs. South Carolina
Holiday Bowl - #15 Arizona vs. #19 Missouri
Sun Bowl - #9 Stanford vs. Miami (FL)
Insight Bowl - Illinois vs. #14 Oklahoma
Alamo Bowl - Kansas State vs. California
Papajohns.com Bowl - Syracuse vs. Georgia
Dallas Football Classic - Baylor vs. Temple
Liberty Bowl - UCF vs. Kentucky
Meineke Car Care Bowl - North Carolina vs. South Florida
Music City Bowl - North Carolina State vs. Mississippi
Pinstripe Bowl - Texas A&M vs. Louisville
Armed Forces Bowl - Houston vs. Air Force
Texas Bowl - Texas Tech vs. Northern Illinois
EagleBank Bowl - West Virginia vs. Tulsa
Champs Sports Bowl - Maryland vs. Michigan
Las Vegas Bowl - #12 Utah vs. Oregon State
Poinsettia Bowl - #24 San Diego State vs. Navy
New Mexico Bowl - #21 Nevada vs. BYU
Humanitarian Bowl - Ohio vs. #25 Hawaii
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Toledo vs. Northwestern
St. Petersburg Bowl - Rutgers vs. UTEP
Hawaii Bowl - Fresno State vs. East Carolina
New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss vs. Troy
Independence Bowl - Clemson vs. Idaho
GMAC Bowl - Miami (OH) vs. Arkansas State
Kraft Cheese Fight Hunger Bowl - UCLA vs. Army
Rose Bowl - #3 TCU vs. #5 Wisconsin
Fiesta Bowl - #7 Nebraska vs. Pittsburgh
Sugar Bowl - #6 LSU vs. #4 Boise State
Orange Bowl - #22 Virginia Tech vs. #8 Ohio State
Cotton Bowl - #10 Oklahoma State vs. #11 Alabama
Capital One Bowl - #13 Michigan State vs. #17 Arkansas
Chik-fil-A Bowl - Florida State vs. #20 Mississippi State
Outback Bowl - #16 Iowa vs. Florida
Gator Bowl - #23 Penn State vs. South Carolina
Holiday Bowl - #15 Arizona vs. #19 Missouri
Sun Bowl - #9 Stanford vs. Miami (FL)
Insight Bowl - Illinois vs. #14 Oklahoma
Alamo Bowl - Kansas State vs. California
Papajohns.com Bowl - Syracuse vs. Georgia
Dallas Football Classic - Baylor vs. Temple
Liberty Bowl - UCF vs. Kentucky
Meineke Car Care Bowl - North Carolina vs. South Florida
Music City Bowl - North Carolina State vs. Mississippi
Pinstripe Bowl - Texas A&M vs. Louisville
Armed Forces Bowl - Houston vs. Air Force
Texas Bowl - Texas Tech vs. Northern Illinois
EagleBank Bowl - West Virginia vs. Tulsa
Champs Sports Bowl - Maryland vs. Michigan
Las Vegas Bowl - #12 Utah vs. Oregon State
Poinsettia Bowl - #24 San Diego State vs. Navy
New Mexico Bowl - #21 Nevada vs. BYU
Humanitarian Bowl - Ohio vs. #25 Hawaii
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl - Toledo vs. Northwestern
St. Petersburg Bowl - Rutgers vs. UTEP
Hawaii Bowl - Fresno State vs. East Carolina
New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss vs. Troy
Independence Bowl - Clemson vs. Idaho
GMAC Bowl - Miami (OH) vs. Arkansas State
Kraft Cheese Fight Hunger Bowl - UCLA vs. Army
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