With five more weeks remaining in college football’s regular season, here are CFT’s 2009-10 bowl projections. We’re not really sure what this accomplishes, but we’ll be posting them up every Monday morning until reality strikes on Dec. 6. Don’t make any travel plans according to the information that follows below, especially if you are a Colorado State fan.
Bowl Championship Series Title Game
BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
Projection: Florida vs. Texas
BCS — Orange Bowl
January 5 — Miami Gardens, Fla
BCS vs. BCS (ACC champion if available)
Projection: Georgia Tech vs. TCU
BCS — Fiesta Bowl
January 4 — Glendale, Ariz.
BCS vs. BCS (Big 12 champion if available)
Projection: Penn State vs. Boise State
BCS — Sugar Bowl
January 1 — New Orleans
BCS vs. BCS (SEC champion if available)
Projection: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
BCS — Rose Bowl
January 1 — Pasadena, Calif.
BCS (Big Ten champion if available) vs. BCS (Pac 10 champion if available)
Projection: Iowa vs. Oregon
GMAC Bowl
January 6 — Mobile, Ala.
ACC No. 9 vs. MAC No. 2
Projection: Middle Tennessee State* vs. Central Michigan
(*no eligible ACC team available)
Alamo Bowl
January 2 — San Antonio, Texas
Big Ten No. 4-5 vs. Big 12 No. 4-5
Projection: Minnesota vs. Nebraska
Papajohns.com Bowl
January 2 — Birmingham, Ala.
Big East No. 5 (or Sun Belt if none eligible) vs. SEC No. 9
Projection: Rutgers vs. Kentucky
Cotton Bowl
January 2 — Arlington, Texas
Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3-4 (West preference)
Projection: Oklahoma vs. Auburn (would have been a great bowl game after the 2004 season) >
International Bowl
January 2 — Toronto, Canada
Big East No. 4 vs. MAC No. 3
Projection: Pittsburgh vs. Northern Illinois
Liberty Bowl
January 2 — Memphis, Tenn.
C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 6-7
Projection: Houston vs. South Carolina
Gator Bowl
January 1 — Jacksonville, Fla.
ACC No. 3 vs. Big East No. 2, Big 12 No. 4, or Notre Dame
Projection: Miami (Fla.) vs. Notre Dame (“Convicts vs. Catholics” is back!)
Capital One Bowl
January 1 — Orlando, Fla.
Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Projection: Ohio State vs. LSU (rematch of 2008 BCS title game)
Outback Bowl
January 1 — Tampa, Fla.
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3-4 (East preference)
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
Chick-fil-A Bowl
December 31 — Atlanta
ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia
Insight Bowl
December 31 — Tempe, Ariz.
Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Projection: Michigan vs. Texas Tech
Sun Bowl
December 31 — El Paso, Texas
Pac 10 No. 3 vs. Big East No. 2, Big 12 No. 5 or Notre Dame
Projection: California vs. Missouri
Armed Forces Bowl
December 31 — Fort Worth, Texas
Mountain West No. 3-4 vs. C-USA No. 3
Projection: Air Force vs. SMU
Texas Bowl
December 30 — Houston
Big 12 No. 8 vs. C-USA No. 7 or Navy
Projection: Texas A&M vs. Navy
Humanitarian Bowl
December 30 — Boise, Ida.
Mountain West No. 5 vs. WAC No. 1
Projection: Colorado State vs. Idaho (Rams have lost six in a row, but will win next three, and then regret it)
Holiday Bowl
December 30 — San Diego
Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac 10 No. 2
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. USC (if Pete Carroll likes the area, he can stay and coach the Chargers)
EagleBank Bowl
December 30 — Washington D.C.
ACC No. 8 or MAC No. 4 vs. C-USA No. 6 or Army
Projection: Duke vs. Marshall (most formal sounding bowl ever)
Champs Sports Bowl
December 29 — Orlando, Fla.
ACC No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4-5
Projection: Clemson vs. Michigan State
Independence Bowl
December 28 — Shreveport, La.
Big 12 No. 7 vs. SEC No. 8 (or Sun Belt if none eligible)
Projection: Kansas vs. Arkansas
Music City Bowl
December 27 — Nashville, Tenn.
ACC No. 5 vs. SEC No. 6-7
Projection: Boston College vs. Mississippi
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
December 26 — Detroit
Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC No. 1
Projection: Northwestern vs. Temple (sign of the Apocalypse?)
Meineke Car Care Bowl
December 26 — Charlotte, N.C.
ACC No. 6 vs. Big East No. 3
Projection: Florida State vs. West Virginia
Emerald Bowl
December 26 — San Francisco
ACC No. 7 vs. Pac 10 No. 4-5
Projection: North Carolina vs. Stanford
Hawai’i Bowl
December 24 — Honolulu
C-USA No. 2 vs. WAC No. 3
Projection: East Carolina vs. Nevada
Poinsettia Bowl
December 23 — San Diego
Mountain West No. 2 vs. Pac 10 No. 6 (or WAC if none eligible)
Projection: BYU vs Arizona
MAACO Bowl
December 22 — Las Vegas
Mountain West No. 1 vs. Pac 10 No. 4-5
Projection: Utah vs. Oregon State
New Orleans Bowl
December 20 — New Orleans
C-USA No. 4 vs. Sun Belt champion
Projection: Southern Miss vs. Troy
St. Petersburg Bowl
December 19 — St. Petersburg, Fla.
Big East No. 6 (or Sun Belt if none eligible) vs. C-USA No. 5
Projection: South Florida vs. Central Florida
New Mexico Bowl
December 19 — Albuquerque
Mountain West No. 3-4 vs. WAC No. 2
Projection: San Diego State vs. Fresno State
USC will not be taking a Holiday from the BCS just a Holiday from the Rose Bowl and a much needed one at that. We’re tired of stomping weak Big 10 teams. Oregon will have that pleasure this season, good for them.
USC will play in the Orange or the Fiesta. Depending on which bowl wants a 10-2 USC that will bring huge TV ratings and an enormous crowd its all about the almighty dollar. Only 1 non -AQ non BCS team will get in between BSU and TSU probably BSU because of the quality W over an eventual 11-1 Oregon. USC will likely go to the Fiesta to play BSU because Arizona and Los Angeles are so close as opposed to the Orange in Miami to play the ACC Champ. Here are realistic BCS bowl projections.
BCS Champ: Florida v. Texas
Rose: Oregon v. Iowa
Fiesta: USC v. BSU
Orange: Georgia Tech v. Penn State
Sugar: Bama v. Cincy