Week Four Bowl Projections

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) Fiesta Bowl
6) Sugar Bowl
7) Orange Bowl

BCS National Championship Game: LSU v. Oklahoma

This one stays the same this week as both teams looked like National Title contenders in their victories over tough teams.  LSU looked dominant against West Virginia on the road and Oklahoma suffocated Missouri in Norman.  Things have more potential to get weird as conference play starts to roll along, but for right now this is the matchup I am sticking with.

Rose Bowl: Wisconsin v. Stanford

Wisconsin gets their first real test this week in Mad Town where Bielema has only lost three times as a head coach.  I think the Badgers are headand shoulders above the rest of the conference and have an outside shot at a national title berth if teams start falling off.  Maybe Stanford is getting too much credit here but Oregon's defense doesn't thrill me and Arizona State lost to Illinois.  I will stick with this matchup for another week.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama v. Boise State

Sigh, another week another blowout against an inferior opponent for Boise.  Alabama whipped Arkansas but they face a tough road test as they travel to Gainsville Saturday to take on the Gators who have looked pretty impressive so far this season. I am keepign the Tide here because I think their offense is just is a step behind LSU's and, since they both have out of this world defenses, that is what I think will seperate them on the field when they play each other.

Fiesta Bowl: Arizona State v. NebraskaThe Fiesta Bowl picks out ASU in this scenario since they are close to home and will pack the stands for the game.  I think the Pac 12 runner up ends out here but this is murky for the time being so stay tuned.  Nebraska is stuck here because I don't think they are good enough to win the conference but are strong enough to get at least ten wins which will make them more attractive than teams from the Big East or the second place SEC team.

Orange Bowl: West Virginia v. Clemson

While I am still rooting for South Florida to win the Big East, the Mountaineer offense looked very good against LSU and I think they are the most talented team in the conference.  Virginia Tech has yet to play a real opponent and that will change when they host Clemson this weekend.  The Hokies, Tigers, and Ramblin' Wreck are all contenders at this point but something about Clemson this year is making me think they might be in store for a special type of season.

Capital One Bowl: Ohio State v. Florida

I know the Buckeyes lost to Miami but right now they look like the next best team.  Michigan is starting to revert back to Denard Robinson rushing for every score, a system which failed them the past few years.  Ron Zook could barely get out of his own way and it almost cost the Illini against Western Michigan, and Sparty has yet to look good against a BCS team.  Ohio State is the pick for now and I have them facing Florida since South Carolina is looking awfully vulnerable right now.

Outback Bowl: Illinois v. South Carolina

I guess I will put the Illini here but there is work they need to do.  Illinois has a favorable conference slate but their offense is shaky and the coaching is maddening as always.  South Carolina looked bad at times against Vanderbilt but still managed a big victory.  If the Gamecocks want to move up they need to start clicking on offense because they have the talent to be very dangerousin conference play.

Insight Bowl: Michigan State v. Texas A&M

I think Michigan State has more potential right now than Michigan and that is why I am moving them up here.  The Spartans need to prove they can beat good teams or else this might be their ceiling.  The Aggies looked inconsistent offensively against Oklahoma State and I think that inconsistency costs them a few games as they role through the conference schedule.

Gator Bowl: Iowa v. Georgia

Iowa looks a little more clear this week but it remains to be seen what they do in conference play.  If the Hawks are able to take care of the teams they should beat (Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue) and score a win over one of the Michigan teams they are a nine win team.  I am obviously not calling for that yet, but this team is capable of it.  Georgia scored a nice win over Ole Miss but Tennessee and Florida loom and both games look like they could be very difficult for the Dawgs.  Mississippi State is up next and if Georgia can secure the win they could move up.

Texas Bowl: Michigan v. Baylor

The Wolverines are here because I think they are reverting back to their old offensive tendencies and that could spell doom for them if Denard Robinson doesn't improve drastically as a passer.  Baylor continues to chug along but they are only here if they can keep their momentum going into the conference slate.

Ticket City Bowl: Penn State v. SMU

Another week another win for SMU, they will stay here until proven otherwise.  Penn State lost a couple key members of their defense Saturday and it just adds to what looks more and more like a dissapointing season for the Nittany Lions.  Penn State needs to start righting the ship this week against Indiana but it might already be too late for this offense which has yet to completely gel.

Little Caeser's Pizza Pizza Bowl: Northwestern v. Ohio

Northwestern's schedule continues to look less impressive as the Army team they lost to last week was blown out by Ball State.  Fitzgerald is winless coming off of bye weeks and that does not bode well for the Wildcats who travel to Champaign for their in-state clash with the Illini on Saturday.  Ohio lost this week but I still think they are the class of the MAC.