2010 Bowl Projections: Predicting The BCS Bowl Lineup

With the Week 14 BCS rankings hot off the 21st-century equivalent of the presses on the Internet, it is now possible to do bowl projections for the BCS bowls with a fair amount of certainty. Let’s run them down.

This is more or less as it has always been projected: the last two undefeated teams in BCS automatic qualifier conferences are the top two teams in the BCS standings, and should meet for the national title in Glendale. Oregon, sadly, would be the road team, which limits the number of possible jersey combinations the Ducks could trot out to the low dozens.

The Badgers will win the Big Ten after things hold steady in next week’s final BCS rankings, and TCU will claim the automatic BCS bowl berth that goes to the highest-ranked team from a non-automatic qualifier conference and the Rose Bowl berth that goes with that distinction this year.

Two BCS at-large selections will likely meet in New Orleans for an ever-popular SEC vs. Big Ten showdown.

Virginia Tech can claim the ACC’s automatic BCS bowl berth with a win over Florida State in the ACC Championship Game this weekend, and would go to the Orange Bowl, which could take Stanford, guaranteed a BCS bowl berth if it remains fourth in the final BCS rankings, or the Big East champion, likely Connecticut.

The Fiesta Bowl takes Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion, and Connecticut, the Big East champion, to put together one of the most mis-matched, least exciting, and lowest-rated games in BCS history. Glendale tourism officials will have to hope that Oregon and Auburn fans make up for it one week later.