Week Seven 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: Alabama v. Oregon

Ho hum.  Alabama took the weekend off and Oregon went up 21-0 in the first quarter against Washington before cruising to victory against the Huskies.  With everyone else falling around them, these two remain constant.  The longer this season goes on the more confident I become that this pick is going to come to fruition at the end of the season.

Rose Bowl: Nebraska v. Notre Dame

Yes Nebraska gave up 63 points to Ohio State.  I can't put the Buckeyes here so I am sticking with the Huskers.  The Michigan schools have a shot and there is a chance whoever wins the Purdue-Wisconsin game this weekend could end up here, but Nebraska is still explosive on offense and they have the talent on defense to be better than they were Saturday.  The Big Ten is extremely messy this year.  I still have Notre Dame here since I don't see a PAC 12 team finishing with fewer than three losses.

 

Sugar Bowl: Florida v. West Virginia

I had been saying Florida, LSU, and Georgia were the next three in.  With The Gators beating the Tigers and Georgia being dominated by South Carolina it is hard to put anyone else here.  South Carolina has a shot but their next two games are on the road in Baton Rouge and Gainesville, and I have them going 0-2.  West Virginia beat Texas but I still want to see more before I put them in as the Big XII champion.  That defense is horrendous and Kansas State and Oklahoma both pose daunting challenges.

Fiesta Bowl: Kansas State v. Clemson

KSU is still my pick to win the Big XII but West Virginia is creeping up.  Clemson is going to lose to South Carolina so their margin for error the rest of the way through ACC play is very slim.  That being said, they still don't have any difficult road games in conference remaining and it isn't like anyone else is setting the world on fire.  I am going to keep Clemson here but keep an eye on the Tigers who have to win out their conference schedule to get here.

 

Orange Bowl: Florida State v. Louisville

I called it here last week that North Carolina State would be a tough test for the Noles.  I still think Florida State wins the conference but any chance of them ending somewhere better went out the window.  Louisville and Rutgers look like the best teams in the Big East (with Cincinnati a close third).  I am keeping the Cardinals here but it is still too early to be sure.

 

Capital One Bowl: Michigan State v. LSU

Michigan State is pretty clearly the next best bowl eligible team so they get picked up (again) by the Capital One Bowl.  The folks in Orlando pair Sparty with LSU (though Georgia and South Carolina are available) which at least gives them a unique match up.  This bowl game is pretty up in the air right now.

Outback Bowl: Michigan v. South Carolina

Reports of the Wolverines' demise have been greatly exaggerated (by me).  OK so beating Purdue isn't that impressive but I am back on the Big Blue bandwagon and I think they finish with 7-8 wins and that might be all they need to end up in Tampa.  The SEC team comes down to Georgia and Carolina.  The BUlldogs were here last year and lost to Cocky so I think they grab South Carolina.

 

Gator Bowl: Wisconsin v. Texas A&M

Wisconsin is bad but so is the rest of their division.  Beat Purdue this weekend and Wisconsin is a 7-8 win team and that makes them prime Gator Bowl candidates.  I still like the Aggies here but there is a possibility that this could be Tennessee or Mississippi State depending on how things fall

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Northwestern v. Oklahoma State
No change here since I think Northwestern can still finish with 7-8 wins. The Cats have some athletes on that team but their defense is still pretty suspect and they don't have great lines on either side of the ball so I don't see them contending with the top three teams in their division.  Oklahoma State is one of the most dangerous teams in the Big XII but they just aren't as good as they were last year.  They could hand out some upsets but I still think the Cowboys end up here.

Texas Bowl: Purdue v. TCU

Purdue swaps places with Michigan after their blowout loss but they should still be a bowl team.  TCU is still my pick here from the Big XII but Texas Tech and Baylor are also possibilities for this slot.

Ticket City Bowl: Minnesota v. Tulsa

I am still liking Minnesota's chances to get two more wins so they remain here.  Same as last week, C-USA is going to have a hard time filling their bowl slots but they do have some flexibility to decide who goes where and they may want their best teams playing against schools from the Big Ten.

Little Caeser's Pizza Pizza Bowl: Western Kentucky v. Ohio

Rather than repeat what I have said the last few weeks about this same pick, I want to talk about Iowa a little bit.  The Hawkeyes certainly have a shot to get in the bowl picture but I still don't see three games where I feel comfortable picking the Hawkeyes to win.  Don't expect to see Iowa here unless they get an extra win.