With three more weeks remaining in college football’s regular season, here are CFT’s 2009-10 bowl projections.
Due to its 38-12 loss at home to Missouri this past weekend, you won’t find Kansas State (6-5 overall, 4-5 vs. FBS teams, 4-3 in Big 12 play) in here anywhere. But amazingly enough, the Wildcats would be a Texas-sized upset away from a BCS fiesta if they can beat Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln.
The Big Ten Conference, which recently received a hefty $4.5 million gift from USC via Stanford, certainly hopes K-State doesn’t pull it off.
Bowl Championship Series Title Game
January 7 — Pasadena, Calif.
BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
Projection: Alabama vs. Texas
BCS — Orange Bowl
January 5 — Miami Gardens, Fla.
BCS vs. BCS (ACC champion if available)
Projection: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
BCS — Fiesta Bowl
January 4 — Glendale, Ariz.
BCS vs. BCS (Big 12 champion if available)
Projection: TCU vs. Iowa
BCS — Sugar Bowl
January 1 — New Orleans
BCS vs. BCS (SEC champion if available)
Projection: Florida vs. Boise State
BCS — Rose Bowl
January 1 — Pasadena, Calif.
BCS (Big Ten champion if available) vs. BCS (Pac 10 champion if available)
Projection: Ohio State vs. Oregon
GMAC Bowl
January 6 — Mobile, Ala.
ACC No. 9 vs. MAC No. 2
Projection: Middle Tennessee State* vs. Northern Illinois
(* no eligible ACC team available)
Alamo Bowl
January 2 — San Antonio
Big Ten No. 4-5 vs. Big 12 No. 4-5
Projection: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma State
Papajohns.com Bowl
January 2 — Birmingham, Ala.
Big East No. 5 (or Sun Belt if none eligible) vs. SEC No. 9
Projection: West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Cotton Bowl
January 2 — Arlington, Texas
Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3-4
Projection: Nebraska vs. Mississippi
International Bowl
January 2 — Toronto
Big East No. 4 vs. MAC No. 3
Projection: Rutgers vs. Temple (within the last seven years both of these teams have had a 1-11 season)
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 (despite a pair of losses, we’re still on)
Capital One Bowl
January 1 — Orlando, Fla.
Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Projection: Penn State vs. LSU
Outback Bowl
January 1 — Tampa, Fla.
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3-4
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Georgia
Chick-fil-A Bowl
December 31 — Atlanta
ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Insight Bowl
December 31 — Tempe, Ariz.
Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Projection: Minnesota vs. Missouri
Sun Bowl
December 31 — El Paso, Texas
Pac 10 No. 3 vs. Big East No. 2, Big 12 No. 5 or Notre Dame
Projection: USC vs. Texas Tech
Armed Forces Bowl
December 31 — Fort Worth, Texas
Mountain West No. 3-4 vs. C-USA No. 3
Projection: Air Force vs. East Carolina
Texas Bowl
December 30 — Houston
Big 12 No. 8 vs. C-USA No. 7 or Navy
Projection: Texas A&M vs
. Navy (accept
ed bid)
Humanitarian Bowl
December 30 — Boise, Idaho
Mountain West No. 5 vs. WAC
Projection: UCLA* vs. Idaho
(* no eligible MWC team available)
Holiday Bowl
December 30 — San Diego
Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac 10 No. 2
Projection: Oklahoma vs. Stanford
EagleBank Bowl
December 30 — Washington D.C.
ACC No. 8 or MAC No. 4 vs. C-USA No. 6 or Army
Projection: Ohio vs. Marshall
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: Iowa State vs. Arkansas
Music City Bowl
December 27 — Nashville, Tenn.
ACC No. 5 vs. SEC No. 6-7
Projection: Boston College vs. Auburn
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
December 26 — Detroit
Big Ten No. 7 vs. MAC No. 1
Projection: Bowling Green* vs. Central Michigan
(* no eligible Big Ten team available)
Meineke Car Care Bowl
December 26 — Charlotte, N.C.
ACC No. 6 vs. Big East No. 3
Projection: Florida State vs. Pittsburgh
Emerald Bowl
December 26 — San Francisco
ACC No. 7 vs. Pac 10 No. 4-5
Projection: North Carolina vs. Arizona
Hawai’i Bowl
December 24 — Honolulu
C-USA No. 2 vs. WAC
Projection: SMU vs. Nevada (June Jones back in Hawai’i)
Poinsettia Bowl
December 23 — San Diego
Mountain West No. 2 vs. Pac 10 No. 6 (or WAC if none eligible)
Projection: Brigham Young vs. California
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
Projection: Wyoming vs. Fresno State
Nevada vs. Boise State… will make or break the BCS.