The Bowl Championship Series picture started to come into focus after this past weekend’s slate of games. LSU, a shoo-in for the Sugar Bowl, lost to the Hogs, giving the Razorbacks a leg up for New Orleans if Auburn takes care of business against South Carolina. Boise State easily became the biggest BCS loser of the weekend after falling to Nevada. Before kickoff, the Broncos had an outside shot at playing for the national championship. After the game, the Broncos find themselves missing the BCS altogether in all likelihood.

Auburn and Oregon both took care of their major tests, and both will be favored to win their last remaining game. TCU is now the team that is the most likely to play in the national championship should Oregon or Auburn be nipped in their last game. Stanford was also a big winner as they moved into the fourth position in the BCS, guaranteeing them a place in the BCS selection process.

BCS Bowls

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game

Auburn Tigers vs. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks do still have a rivalry game remaining, and Oregon State is plenty talented. However, it is hard to imagine Oregon losing this game with so much on the line. They are simply a better football team. Auburn on the other hand has a much more difficult task. The South Carolina Gamecocks await War Eagle in the SEC Championship game. Spurrier’s record in the SEC Championship game is very, very good although that entire record consists of his time as head coach at Florida. In the end, one has to believe that Cam Newton will do enough to win this game on a neutral site. It should set up a showdown between two of the most explosive offenses in the country.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

After all the mandatory selections, the Sugar Bowl gets the first pick. If Auburn wins the SEC Championship and plays in the BCS Championship game, the Sugar Bowl will get the first two picks. The Sugar Bowl would love to have the SEC represented in their game, and with Arkansas jumping so high in the BCS standings (7), the Razorbacks are a very attractive team. Ohio State has earned a share of the Big Ten conference championship, and Buckeye fans travel very, very well.

Orange Bowl

Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Stanford Cardinal

Virginia Tech is expected to win the ACC Championship game, but Florida State could sneak into the BCS if they upset Frank Beamer’s squad. The ACC champion is tied to the Orange Bowl, so one of the two will be here. The Orange Bowl then has to decide if they want to select the Big East Champion, projected to be UConn, or Stanford. Neither travels very well, but Stanford is the better and bigger matchup. It is possible that the Orange Bowl bites their tongue and selects UConn because of the travel distance. If West Virginia wins the Big East with a UConn loss to South Florida, this decision likely gets a lot easier for the Orange Bowl selection team.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. UConn Huskies

This projection has Nebraska winning the Big XII championship game which puts them into their contractually designated spot in the Fiesta Bowl. If Oklahoma defeats Nebraska, then they would end up here, and the Cornhuskers would drop out of the BCS. The Fiesta Bowl will have to grin and bear it as they select UConn because they won’t have a choice as the Rose Bowl must take TCU.

Rose Bowl

Wisconsin Badgers vs. TCU Horned Frogs

The Badgers should hold on to their lead over Ohio State in the BCS as neither of them has any games remaining. Because of the three way tie for the Big Ten championship, the tiebreaker is BCS ranking, of which Wisconsin is tops in the league. The Rose Bowl is obligated to take the Big Ten champion so Wisconsin ends up here. The Rose Bowl is also obligated to take a non-automatic qualifier if one must be taken should either the Pac Ten or Big Ten champion play in the BCS Championship game. TCU is clearly the choice, and will get their shot against the Badgers.

Other Bowls

  • New Mexico Bowl — BYU vs. Fresno State
  • uDrove Humanitarian Bowl — Toledo vs. Nevada
  • R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl — FIU vs. UTEP
  • Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl — Southern Miss vs. South Florida
  • MAACO Las Vegas Bowl — Utah vs. Ohio
  • S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl — San Diego State vs. Navy
  • Sheraton Hawaii Bowl — Hawaii vs. Tulsa
  • Little Caesars Pizza Bowl — Northern Illinois vs. Louisville
  • AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl — Boston College vs. Air Force
  • Champs Sports Bowl — North Carolina State vs. Notre Dame
  • Insight Bowl — Oklahoma State vs. Michigan
  • EagleBank Military Bowl — East Carolina vs. Clemson
  • Texas Bowl — Baylor vs. Illinois
  • Valero Alamo Bowl — Arizona vs. Texas A&M
  • Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl — Army vs. SMU
  • New Era Pinstripe Bowl — Syracuse vs. Kansas State
  • Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl — Tennessee vs. Miami (Fl)
  • Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl — Washington vs. Missouri
  • Meineke Car Care Bowl — North Carolina vs. West Virginia
  • Hyundai Sun Bowl — Maryland vs. Temple
  • AutoZone Liberty Bowl — Central Florida vs. Georgia
  • Chick-fil-A Bowl — Florida State vs. Mississippi State
  • TicketCity Bowl — Texas Tech vs. Northwestern
  • Outback Bowl — South Carolina vs. Iowa
  • Capital One Bowl — LSU vs. Michigan State
  • Gator Bowl — Florida vs. Penn State
  • GoDaddy.com Bowl — Miami (OH) vs. Troy
  • AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic — Oklahoma vs. Alabama
  • Birmingham Bowl — Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh
  • Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl — Boise State vs. Georgia Tech