This week was insane, Notre Dame is back, and USC has some flaws. Because of that some things really shook up. Be sure to check out this week’s “Game Day” tab in the DA, for complete analysis of the Big 12 bowl projections.

BCS BOWL GAMES
BCS National Championship – BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2
(Monday Jan. 7th – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida State Seminoles
There is Alabama and then there is everyone else. The Crimson Tide have the most dominant defense in college football. After last year’s national championship, Nick Saban and company has done nothing but reload. They’ve outscored their opponents 128-14 look unstoppable. Alabama will be tough to beat. As for the Seminoles, they’ll get tested this weekend as they have a top ten showdown with the Clemson Tigers. If they get by Clemson, the ‘Noles should be able to run the table with an easy ACC schedule.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – BCS Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Thursday Jan. 3rd – 8:30 PM – University of Phoenix Stadium)
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. USC Trojans
Geno Smith and company continue to put up video game numbers. Smith has nine touchdowns and just nine interceptions. He also broke Marc Bulger’s school record for career passing yards, in WVU’s 42-12 win over James Madison. He’s also got two wide receivers in Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin that rank one and two in receptions per game. As for USC after a disappointing loss to Stanford, USC was a little bit exposed. The Cardinal were able to show that USC lacked depth on defense. Despite this past weekend’s loss, USC should turn it around and get an at-large BCS bid.

Allstate Sugar Bowl – BCS SEC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Wednesday Jan. 2nd – 8:30 PM – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
LSU Tigers vs. Oklahoma Sooners
The Tigers should get through the season with at the most one loss. LSU ranks fourth in total defense having a unit that can absolutely shut opposing offenses down. The Tigers are also benefitting from having a quarterback that can manage the game, in Zach Mettenberger, he’s completed 72.7% of his passes for 609 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the Sooners’ side of things, Oklahoma can move the football. They had early problems up front after dealing with the loss of center Ben Habern to a career ending neck injury. Landry Jones and Sooners should get tested this weekend as they face a tough Kansas State team.

Rose Bowl Game – BCS Big Ten No. 1 vs. BCS Pac-12 No. 1
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 5:00 PM – Rose Bowl)
Michigan Wolverines vs. Oregon Ducks
The Big Ten isn’t very good this season. Just when everyone thought that Michigan State was the best team, they go out and loose at home against Notre Dame. Because of that Michigan looks like they can bounce back from that tough week one loss against Alabama. Denard Robinson and the Wolverines should be able to get to and win the Big Ten Championship. The Oregon Ducks are probably the best team in the Pac-12. With speedsters all over the field led by De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon is tough for any defense to slow down.

Discover Orange Bowl – BCS ACC No. 1 vs. BCS At-Large
(Tuesday Jan. 1 – 8:30 PM – Sun Life Stadium)
Clemson Tigers vs. Louisville Cardinals
With great weapons all over the field in Tajh Body, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins have too much speed for the ACC to handle. Clemson should only loose one game this season and that’s probably this weekend to Florida State. With that the one-loss season should be able to put the Tigers back in the Orange Bowl for a second straight season. As for Louisville they may be the underrated team in the nation. Teddy Bridgewater is dynamic, and can make things happen at any time.

NON BCS BOWL GAMES
GoDaddy.com Bowl – MAC No. 1 vs. Sun Belt No. 2
(Sunday Jan. 6th – 9:00 PM – Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
Ohio Bobcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns

BBVA Compass Bowl – SEC No. 8/9 vs. Big East No. 5/C-USA
(Saturday Jan. 5th – 1:00 PM – Legion Field)
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Syracuse Orange

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Friday Jan. 4th – 8:00 PM – Dallas Cowboys Stadium)
Texas Longhorns vs. South Carolina Gamecocks

TicketCity Bowl – Big Ten No. 7 vs. C-USA No. 5
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – Cotton Bowl)
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Houston Cougars

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl – Big Ten No. 4/5 vs. SEC No. 6
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – Noon – EverBank Field)
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Capital One Bowl – Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Michigan State Spartans vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Outback Bowl – Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3/4
(Tuesday Jan. 1st – 1:00 PM – Raymond James Stadium)
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Florida Gators

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
(Monday Dec. 31st – Noon – LP Field)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ole Miss Rebels

Hyundai Sun Bowl – ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
(Monday Dec. 31st – 2:00 PM – Sun Bowl)
Virginia Cavaliers vs. Arizona Wildcats

AutoZone Liberty Bowl – C-USA No. 1 vs. Big East No. 5/SEC No. 8/9
(Monday Dec. 31st – 3:30 PM – Liberty Bowl)
Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Missouri Tigers

Chick-fil-A Bowl – ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 31st – 7:30 PM – Georgia Dome)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – C-USA No. 3 vs. MWC No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 11:45 AM – Amon G. Carter Stadium)
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Fresno State Bulldogs

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Navy vs. Pac-12 No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – AT&T Park)
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Utah Utes

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East No. 4
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 3:15 PM – Yankee Stadium)
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. South Florida Bulls

Valero Alamo Bowl – Pac-12 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 6:45 PM – Alamodome)
Stanford Cardinal vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big Ten No. 4/5
(Saturday Dec. 29th – 10:15 PM – Sun Devil Stadium)
Baylor Bears vs. Wisconsin Badgers

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl – ACC No. 7 vs. SEC
(Friday Dec. 28th – 2:00 PM – Independence Bowl)
Maryland Terrapins vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Russell Athletic Bowl – Big East No. 2 vs. ACC No. 3
(Friday Dec. 28th – 5:30 PM – Florida Citrus Bowl)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6
(Friday Dec. 28th – 9:00 PM – Reliant Stadium)
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Purdue Boilermakers

Military Bowl – Army vs. ACC No. 8
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 3:00 PM – RFK Stadium)
Army Black Knights vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Belk Bowl – ACC No. 5 vs. Big East No. 3
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 6:30 PM – Bank of America Stadium)
Miami Hurricanes vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – Pac-12 No. 3 vs. Big 12 No. 5
(Thursday Dec. 27th – 9:45 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
UCLA Bruins vs. TCU Horned Frogs

Little Caesars Bowl – Big Ten No. 8 vs. MAC No. 2
(Wednesday Dec. 26th – 7:30 PM – Ford Field)
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – C-USA No. 2 vs. MWC No. 5
(Monday Dec. 24th – 8:00 PM – Aloha Stadium)
East Carolina Pirates vs. Hawaii Warriors

R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 6
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – Noon – Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – MWC No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
(Saturday Dec. 22nd – 3:30 PM – Sam Boyd Stadium)
Boise State Broncos vs. Oregon State Beavers

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Big East No. 6 vs. C-USA No. 4
(Friday Dec. 21st – 7:30 PM – Tropicana Field)
UCONN Huskies vs. SMU Mustangs

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – BYU vs. MWC No. 2
(Thursday Dec. 20th – 8:00 PM – Qualcomm Stadium)
BYU Cougars vs. Nevada Wolfpack

Gilden New Mexico Bowl – MWC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 7
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 1:00 PM – University Stadium)
San Diego State Aztecs vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – WAC No. 1/2 vs. MAC No. 3
(Saturday Dec. 15th – 4:30 PM – Bronco Stadium)
Utah State Aggies vs. Ball State Cardinals