Sunday, 4 December 2011

Bowl projections

Bowl projections
One half of the BCS title game picture is certain. LSU will be in New Orleans on Jan. 9. Its opponent isn't so clear.
Alabama looked to be in great position at No. 2 until Saturday night when Oklahoma State routed Oklahoma and Virginia Tech fell to Clemson.

That leaves open the likelihood that the Cowboys surge to third in both human polls and could pass the Crimson Tide in the computers.

In breaking down the cases for both teams, OSU has the advantage of making a big final impression and being a conference champion with wins against Oklahoma, Kansas State and Baylor. Alabama fans will point to lone loss by the Cowboys against 6-6 Iowa State, while its team fell to LSU in overtime.

More will be know once the USA TODAY coaches poll and Harris Interactive polls are released Sunday afternoon. The final standings will be unveiled in the evening and until then there will be some nervous people in both Stillwater and Tuscaloosa.

Also on edge while waiting for the BCS release will be TCU and Michigan, which started the week at 18th and 16th in the BCS, respectively.

The Horned Frogs have to be in the top 16 to earn an at-large spot as the highest-rated champion from a non-automatic qualifying conference. The Wolverines need to be in the top 14 for an at-large selection.

While projecting the rest of the games, some conferences may not be able to fulfill their allotment. An asterisk indicates a school has filled a vacant spot. Teams in bold have already accepted berths.

BCS national championship: LSU vs. Alabama

Fiesta: Oklahoma State vs. Stanford
Rose: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Orange: Clemson vs. West Virginia
Sugar: Michigan vs. Kansas State

GoDaddy.com: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State
BBVA Compass: Louisville vs. Western Kentucky*
Cotton: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas
Capital One: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
Outback: Michigan State vs. Georgia
Gator: Ohio State vs. Florida
TicketCity: Purdue vs. Tulsa
Chick-fil-A: Auburn vs. Virginia Tech
Kraft Fight Hunger: UCLA vs. Wyoming*
Liberty: Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi State
Sun: Georgia Tech vs. Utah
Meineke Car Care: Texas A&M vs. Penn State
Insight: Iowa vs. Texas
Music City: Virginia vs. Vanderbilt
Pinstripe: Rutgers vs. Iowa State
Armed Forces: Houston vs. BYU
Alamo: Baylor vs. Washington
Champs Sports: Florida State vs. Notre Dame
Holiday: Missouri vs. California
Military: Wake Forest vs. Illinois*
Belk: Cincinnati vs. North Carolina
Independence: North Carolina State vs. Air Force
Little Caesar's Pizza: Northwestern vs. Toledo
Hawaii: Southern Mississippi vs. Nevada
Maaco Las Vegas: TCU vs. Arizona State
Poinsettia: Boise State vs. Louisiana Tech
Beef 'O' Brady's: Florida International* vs. Marshall
New Orleans: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. SMU
Famous Idaho Potato: Ohio vs. Utah State
New Mexico: San Diego State vs. Temple*

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