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Bowl projections: Alabama-Florida State in BCS title game

Here are our latest bowl projections for the last season with the BCS in place.

Stanford's victory over Oregon on Thursday caused a huge shakeup in the projections. For the first time, the projection is that Alabama and Florida State will meet in the title game. That would mean the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC would have two teams apiece in the BCS. Fresno State also is projected to get a BCS berth.

Saturday's Alabama-LSU game in Tuscaloosa obviously could cause another shakeup.

Fresno State is unbeaten and No. 16 in this week's BCS standings. BCS rules stipulate that if a team from a non-automatic qualifying conference (Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) finishes in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or finishes in the top 16 of the final BCS standings and is ranked ahead of a league champ from an automatic qualifying conference, the non-AQ team is guaranteed a spot. Fresno State is five spots ahead of UCF -- the front-runner in the AAC -- this week.

The MAC's Northern Illinois also is unbeaten and two spots behind Fresno State. As with Fresno, NIU should be favored in the rest of its games.

The final BCS standings will be released Dec. 8.

Remember that a bowl's tie-in with a league doesn't necessarily mean it will get the third- or fourth-, etc., place team from the league; instead, it means it gets the third or fourth, etc., selection from that league.

Check out the top images from the 10th weekend of college football play.

BCS MATCHUPS

ROSE BOWL

Site: Pasadena, Calif.
Date: Jan. 1
Time/TV: 5 p.m., ESPN
Matchup: BCS/Big Ten vs. BCS/Pac-12
Projection: Ohio State vs. Stanford
Note: The Big Ten and Pac-12 champs head to Pasadena automatically if they are not in the title game. And even if one or both is in the title game, Rose Bowl organizers still crave a Big Ten/Pac-12 matchup.

FIESTA BOWL

Site: Glendale, Ariz. Date: Jan. 1
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Matchup: BCS/Big 12 vs. BCS
Projection: Baylor vs. Fresno State
Note: The Big 12 champ is contractually obligated to the Fiesta if it is not in the national title game. This season, the Fiesta gets the last pick among the at-large teams. Fresno State seems a good bet to finish unbeaten; if the Bulldogs finish unbeaten, they will be in the BCS -- and they would be the last at-large pick. Baylor remains the pick to win the Big 12.

SUGAR BOWL

Site: New Orleans
Date: Jan. 2
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Matchup: BCS/SEC vs. BCS
Projection: Auburn vs. UCF
Note: The SEC champ is contractually obligated to the Sugar if it is not in the national title game. But the Sugar always wants an SEC team even if the champ is in the title game. The Sugar gets the second pick among the at-large teams. By virtue of its win over Louisville, UCF is the pick to win the AAC.

ORANGE BOWL

Week 10: Things we learned

Jadeveon-Clowney-PQ-131102.jpg

From Jadeveon Clowney coming up empty again vs. Mississippi State to Ohio State's unsung tight end, here are the lessons we learned from the college football weekend. **More ...**

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

THE OTHER BOWLS

NEW MEXICO BOWL

LAS VEGAS BOWL

FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

BEEF 'O' BRADY'S BOWL

HAWAII BOWL

LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL

POINSETTIA BOWL

MILITARY BOWL

TEXAS BOWL

Hot 100 seniors

In his midseason update of the top 100 seniors in college football, Gil Brandt has UCLA LB Anthony Barr No. 1 and a previously unranked player in his top 5. **More ...**

KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL

PINSTRIPE BOWL

BELK BOWL

RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL

BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL

ARMED FORCES BOWL

MUSIC CITY BOWL

ALAMO BOWL

Check out special college football uniforms worn during the 2013 season.

HOLIDAY BOWL

ADVOCARE V100 BOWL

SUN BOWL

LIBERTY BOWL

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL

HEART OF DALLAS BOWL

GATOR BOWL

CAPITAL ONE BOWL

OUTBACK BOWL

COTTON BOWL

BBVA COMPASS BOWL

GODADDY.COM BOWL

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.

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