Bowl Predictions: Week One

Every week I will be putting up an updated bowl prediction out there. It will include all the BCS and Big Ten bowls. Every few weeks I will include all of the bowls. The selection order for the BCS is



1) National Championship
2) National Championship
3) Bowl that lost a representative to the first NC pick
4) Bowl that lost a representative to the second NC pick
5) Sugar Bowl
6) Orange Bowl
7) Fiesta Bowl


Remember that the Rose Bowl, if it loses the Big Ten or Pac 10 representative must take the first non-AQ school.

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BCS National Championship: Ohio State v. Alabama

The Gators will be better than their horrible performance against Miami of Ohio but the Tide were incredibly impressive with how cleanly they executed.  They will face Ohio State who didn't do anything to change my opinion of how talented the Buckeyes are this year.

Rose Bowl Game: Boise State vs. Oregon

I am writing this before the Broncos play Virginia Tech so this could change pretty quickly.  If Boise falls then I would probably bet that either TCU or Utah will fill that void.  Oregon gave New Mexico a 72-0 beatdown on Saturday and answered any questions people had about how their offense would be following the loss of Jeremiah Masoli.

Sugar Bowl: Florida v. Iowa

I still don't see anyone beating Florida in the SEC East.  The Hawkeyes still have some question marks to deal with but they still look like they have the horses to grab a BCS at large bid.

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech v. Oklahoma

Miami is the only team in the ACC who I think looks like it could give the Jackets and Paul Johnson a run in the conference but right now I am sticking with Tech.  OU looked vulnerable Saturday but I still think they have the horses to earn a BCS bid.

 Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska v. South Florida

Word out of Lincoln is that the QB situation looks much better.  It may be too early to tell but if new starter Taylor Martinez brings a spark Big Red should win the Big XII.  The Bulls put up some big numbers against Stony Brook and they are still my pick to win the Big East.

Capital One Bowl: Penn State v. Auburn

Penn State will be inconsistent this year but what I saw in their game Saturday leads me to believe they will be back in Orlando on New Year's Day.  The middle of the SEC is muddled but I am not ready to drop Auburn farther than this given their potential and Cam Newton's 5 TD performance Saturday.

Outback Bowl: Wisconsin v. Georgia

Georgia put up great nummbers Saturday and Wisconsin survived some minor hiccups.  They won't win their conferences but they should both be fun teams to watch this season.

Gator Bowl: Michigan State v. South Carolina

MSU could jump the Badgers for the Outback Bowl but right now I have them headed to the Gator to face a solid Gamecock squad.  Cocky looked pretty good on Thursday and this weekends' matchup with Georgia will be a big barometer of how far they will go this season.

Insight Bowl: Purdue v. Missouri

I had Purdue losing to Notre Dame this week and while they looked pretty bad, I still think they have a decent enough team to make it to the postseason.  Mizzou could be replaced with a couple different teams but I think I will stick with this matchup for another week.

Texas Bowl: Indiana v. Oklahoma State

The Hoosiers offense was as impressive as expected but their defense allowed gobs of yards to the Towson Tigers.  The Cowboys had a similar game against Washington State who they gouged for points but gave up too many yards to a horrible offense.

Dallas Football Classic: Northwestern v. Maryland

Northwestern has a lot of questions still after a tough game against Vanderbilt and I think that they fall behind Indiana in the bowl pecking order.  Maryland was surprising against Navy Monday and they could get to 6 wins with some luck.

Little Caesers Pizza Pizza Bowl: Western Michigan v. Rice

I still do not see the Big Ten filling this bowl slot and despite the loss to Sparty I think the Broncos are headed to Detroit.  Rice looked awful good against Texas and I think they get slotted in here as an at-large team.