The bowls if selections were based on my C Ratings. Bowl tie-ins often reflect my attempt to synthesize the (often not entirely in agreement) bowl selection orders given by Wikipedia and CBS Sports, although the role of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in the WAC selection process, given how uncertain Wikipedia remains about it and the WAC selection rules seemingly being written before its involvement, remains perplexing. Teams in parenthesis are the teams that would be selected with Auburn and Oregon still going to the national championship game. (It’s always been a problem that strength of schedule takes the form strictly of opponents’ A Rating which itself doesn’t take into account strength of schedule, allowing inflated ratings from weak conferences, but it became really apparent this year.)
Despite its role in preventing a playoff, I actually feel a little sentimental towards the Rose Bowl’s Big 10/Pac-10 matchup this year; of all the years the Rose Bowl would be forced to pick a non-BCS team, it would be a year where the Pac-10 had a very, very strong second choice in Stanford! This isn’t a year like 2007 where the Rose Bowl would have blindly chosen an Illinois team markedly inferior to its alternatives.
For reasons I’ve covered before, don’t expect the Golden Bowl selections until late in the week at best. For the record, the non-BCS bowls in order of ideal prestige are now: Capitol One, Cotton, Outback, Alamo, Chick-fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports/Insight, Holiday, Sun/Texas, MAACO/Meineke Car Care, Music City, Liberty, Poinsettia, Independence, and so on. With Arizona State likely not bowl-eligible for playing two FCS opponents and finishing 6-6, Tennessee is the only bowl-eligible team not going to a bowl.
All times Eastern.
|
New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque, NM |
MWC #5 |
WAC (#3?) |
December 18 |
|
|
BYU |
Western Michigan |
2 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl Boise, ID |
MAC #3 |
WAC (#2?) |
December 18 |
|
|
Miami (OH) |
Fresno State |
5:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, LA |
C-USA #5 |
Sun Belt #1 |
December 18 |
|
|
SMU |
Florida International |
9 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl St. Petersburg, FL |
BE #6/SB #3 |
C-USA #4 |
December 21 |
|
|
Syracuse/USF |
Southern Miss |
8 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV |
MWC #1 |
Pac-10 #5 |
December 22 |
|
|
Air Force |
Toledo |
8 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Poinsettia Bowl San Diego, CA |
MWC #2 |
Navy/WAC |
December 23 |
|
|
San Diego State |
Navy |
8 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Honolulu, HI |
C-USA #2? |
Hawaii/WAC #4? |
December 24 |
|
|
Ohio |
Hawaii |
8 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Little Caesars Bowl Detroit, MI |
B10 #8/SB |
MAC #1 |
December 26 |
|
|
Middle Tenn. St. |
Northern Illinois |
8:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Shreveport, LA |
ACC #7/SB #5 |
MWC #3/SB #5 |
December 27 |
|
|
Maryland |
Utah |
5 PM |
ESPN2 |
|
|
Champs Sports Bowl Orlando, FL |
ACC #3 |
Big East #2/ND |
December 28 |
|
|
NC State |
West Virginia |
6:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
Insight Bowl Tempe, AZ |
Big 12 #4 |
Big 10 #5 |
December 28 |
|
|
Nebraska |
Michigan |
10 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Military Bowl Washington, DC |
ACC #8/MAC #4 |
C-USA #6 |
December 29 |
|
|
Boston College |
East Carolina |
2:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
Texas Bowl Houston, TX |
Big 12 #6 |
Big 10 #6 |
December 29 |
|
|
Kansas State |
Penn State |
6 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Valero Alamo Bowl San Antonio, TX |
Big 12 #3 |
Pac-10 #2 |
December 29 |
|
|
Missouri |
Arizona |
9:15 |
ESPN |
|
|
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Dallas, TX |
C-USA #3 |
Army/MWC #4 |
December 30 |
|
|
Tulsa |
Army |
Noon |
ESPN |
|
|
New Era Pinstripe Bowl New York, NY |
Big 12 #7 |
Big East #4 |
December 30 |
|
|
Baylor |
Louisville/Pittsburgh |
3:20 |
ESPN |
|
|
Music City Bowl Nashville, TN |
ACC #6 |
SEC #7? |
December 30 |
|
|
North Carolina |
Florida |
6:40 |
ESPN |
|
|
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl San Diego, CA |
Big 12 #5 |
Pac-10 #3 |
December 30 |
|
|
Texas A&M |
Wash/Arizona St |
10 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Meineke Car Care Bowl Charlotte, NC |
ACC #5 |
Big East #3 |
December 31 |
|
|
Clemson |
Pittsburgh/ND |
Noon |
ESPN |
|
|
Hyundai Sun Bowl El Paso, TX |
ACC #4 |
Pac-10 #4 |
December 31 |
|
|
Miami (FL) |
ND/Washington |
2 PM |
CBS |
|
|
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN |
C-USA #1 |
SEC #8? |
December 31 |
|
|
Central Florida |
Mississippi State |
3:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
Chick-fil-A Bowl Atlanta, GA |
ACC #2 |
SEC #5 |
December 31 |
|
|
Florida State |
LSU |
7:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
TicketCity Bowl Dallas, TX |
Big 12 #8 |
Big 10 #7 |
January 1 |
|
|
Texas Tech |
Northwestern |
Noon |
ESPNU |
|
|
Outback Bowl Tampa, FL |
Big 10 #3 |
SEC #3/4 (East) |
January 1 |
|
|
Michigan State |
South Carolina |
1 PM |
ABC |
|
|
Capitol One Bowl Orlando, FL |
Big 10 #2 |
SEC #2 |
January 1 |
|
|
Iowa |
Alabama |
1 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Gator Bowl Jacksonville, FL |
Big 10 #4 |
SEC #6 |
January 1 |
|
|
Illinois |
Georgia |
1:30 |
ESPN2 |
|
|
Rose Bowl Game pres. by VIZIO Pasadena, CA |
Big 10 #1/BCS |
Pac-10 #1/BCS |
January 1 |
|
|
Ohio State |
Oregon (Boise/Stan) |
5 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Glendale, AZ |
Big 12 #1/BCS |
BCS |
January 1 |
|
|
Oklahoma |
Connecticut |
8:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
Discover Orange Bowl Miami, FL |
ACC #1/BCS |
BCS |
January 3 |
|
|
Virginia Tech |
Wisconsin |
8:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
Allstate Sugar Bowl New Orleans, LA |
SEC #1/BCS |
BCS |
January 4 |
|
|
Auburn (TCU) |
Stanford (Boise St) |
8:30 |
ESPN |
|
|
GoDaddy.com Bowl Mobile, AL |
MAC #2 |
Sun Belt #2 |
January 6 |
|
|
Temple |
Troy |
8 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
AT&T Cotton Bowl Arlington, TX |
Big 12 #2 |
SEC #3/4 (West) |
January 7 |
|
|
Oklahoma State |
Arkansas |
8 PM |
FOX |
|
|
BBVA Compass Bowl Birmingham, AL |
Big East #5 |
SEC #9/SB #4 |
January 8 |
|
|
USF/Louisville |
Kentucky |
Noon |
ESPN |
|
|
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl San Francisco, CA |
P10 #6/ACC #9 |
WAC (#1?)/ACC #9 |
January 9 |
|
|
Georgia Tech |
Nevada |
9 PM |
ESPN |
|
|
BCS National Championship Game Glendale, AZ |
BCS #1 |
BCS #2 |
January 10 |
|
|
Boise St (Auburn) |
TCU (Oregon) |
8:30 |
ESPN |
|