Here are our third bowl projections of the season, which is the last with the BCS in place.
The projection this week is that Alabama and Oregon will meet in the title game. In addition, the projection is the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will have two teams apiece in the BCS. Notre Dame will be a BCS team if it gets to 10 wins and likely would get in with nine victories, but getting to nine victories is going to be tough for the Irish, who face a good Arizona State squad Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Notre Dame already has two losses.
The first BCS standings of the season come out Oct. 20. The final standings will be released Dec. 8.
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 AQ conference, the non-AQ team is guaranteed a spot. The Mountain West's Fresno State and the MAC's Northern Illinois are unbeaten and should be favored in the rest of their games. If either of those teams finish unbeaten, pencil them in as BCS participants. Each also has a shot if it loses only once, as with Northern Illinois last season; NIU had a loss but still garnered an Orange Bowl bid.
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.
BCS MATCHUPS
BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Date: Jan. 6
Time/TV: 8:30 p.m., ESPN
Matchup: BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
Projection: Alabama vs. Oregon
Note: SEC power vs. Pac-12 finesse. It would be a fitting end to the BCS era. But will either of these teams finish unbeaten?
ROSE BOWL
FIESTA BOWL
SUGAR BOWL
ORANGE BOWL
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
KRAFT FIGHT HUNGER BOWL
PINSTRIPE BOWL
BELK BOWL
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL
BUFFALO WILD WINGS BOWL
ARMED FORCES BOWL
MUSIC CITY BOWL
ALAMO BOWL
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.
