Coming into Saturday, the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide meeting again in the BCS National Championship Game seemed like a sure thing. If the Georgia Bulldogs could score an upset against LSU, and if the Oklahoma St. Cowboys looked dominant in Bedlam, then maybe there'd be an outside shot the voters could slip the Pokes into New Orleans.
But what was supposed to happen if OSU looked that dominant? 44-10?
I still think Alabama is better, and I think LSU-Georgia analyst Gary Danielson's State of the BCS Address soothed rematch angst in certain pockets of the country, but the fact that SEC powers are lobbying for Bama -- Nick Saban, thanks for stopping by College GameDay! -- does show THE REMATCH OF THE CENTURY is not being taken for granted in Birmingham.
Follow @sbnation on Twitter | Like SB Nation on Facebook | Sign up for our Newsletter
With that in mind, here are two sets of 2011-12 bowl projections. Clean and unclean. The first will fly just fine in SEC country, but sneak past that one for what could happen around the nation if the humans in charge decide they don't want to see a repeat.
Both piles of bowl projections, with locked-in teams bolded:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date |
Bowl |
Team |
Team |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
Gildan New Mexico |
San Diego State (8-4) |
Western Michigan (7-5) |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl |
Toledo (8-4) |
Utah State (7-5) |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl |
Marshall (6-6) |
UL-Lafayette (8-4) |
|
|
12/20/2011 |
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl |
Iowa State (6-6) |
Florida International (8-4) |
|
|
12/21/2011 |
SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl |
Wyoming (8-4) |
Louisiana Tech (8-4) |
|
|
12/22/2011 |
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas |
Boise State (11-1) |
Arizona State (6-6) |
|
|
12/24/2011 |
Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl |
Nevada (7-5) |
SMU (7-5) |
|
|
12/26/2011 |
Advocare Independence Bowl |
Air Force (7-5) |
N.C. State (7-5) |
|
|
12/27/2011 |
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl |
Northwestern (6-6) |
Ohio (9-4) |
|
|
12/27/2011 |
Belk Bowl |
North Carolina (7-5) |
Louisville (7-5) |
|
|
12/28/2011 |
Military Bowl |
Wake Forest (6-6) |
Temple (8-4) |
|
|
12/28/2011 |
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl |
Texas (7-5) |
California (7-5) |
|
|
12/29/2011 |
Champs Sports Bowl |
Florida State (8-4) |
Notre Dame (8-4) |
|
|
12/29/2011 |
Valero Alamo Bowl |
Kansas State (10-2) |
Washington (7-5) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl |
Tulsa (8-4) |
BYU (9-3) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
New Era Pinstripe Bowl |
Missouri (7-5) |
Rutgers (8-4) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl |
Virginia (8-4) |
Mississippi State (6-6) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Insight Bowl |
Baylor (9-3) |
Penn State (9-3) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas |
Texas A&M (6-6) |
Iowa (7-5) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Hyundai Sun Bowl |
Georgia Tech (8-4) |
Utah (7-5) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
AutoZone Liberty Bowl |
Cincinnati (9-3) |
Vanderbilt (6-6) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl |
UCLA (6-7) |
Illinois (6-6) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Chick-fil-A Bowl |
Auburn (7-5) |
Virginia Tech (11-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
TicketCity Bowl |
Purdue (6-6) |
Houston (12-1) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Outback Bowl |
Nebraska (9-3) |
South Carolina (10-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Capital One Bowl |
Michigan State (10-3) |
Georgia (10-3) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl |
Ohio State (6-6) |
Florida (6-6) |
|
|
1/6/2011 |
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic |
Oklahoma (9-3) |
Arkansas (10-2) |
|
|
1/7/2011 |
BBVA Compass Bowl |
Pitt (6-6) |
Southern Miss (11-2) |
|
|
1/8/2011 |
GoDaddy.com Bowl |
Northern Illinois (10-3) |
Arkansas State (10-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Rose Bowl |
Wisconsin (11-2) |
Oregon (11-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl |
Oklahoma State (11-1) |
Stanford (11-1) |
|
|
1/3/2011 |
Allstate Sugar Bowl |
Michigan (10-2) |
TCU (10-2) |
|
|
1/4/2011 |
Discover Orange Bowl |
Clemson (10-3) |
West Virginia (9-3) |
|
|
1/9/2011 |
Allstate BCS National Championship Game |
Alabama (11-1) |
LSU (13-0) |
And your rematch-proof projections:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date |
Bowl |
Team |
Team |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
Gildan New Mexico |
San Diego State (8-4) |
Western Michigan (7-5) |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl |
Toledo (8-4) |
Utah State (7-5) |
|
|
12/17/2011 |
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl |
Marshall (6-6) |
UL-Lafayette (8-4) |
|
|
12/20/2011 |
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl |
Wyoming (8-4) |
Florida International (8-4) |
|
|
12/21/2011 |
SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl |
Boise State (11-1) |
Louisiana Tech (8-4) |
|
|
12/22/2011 |
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas |
TCU (10-2) |
Arizona State (6-6) |
|
|
12/24/2011 |
Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl |
Nevada (7-5) |
SMU (7-5) |
|
|
12/26/2011 |
Advocare Independence Bowl |
Air Force (7-5) |
N.C. State (7-5) |
|
|
12/27/2011 |
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl |
Northwestern (6-6) |
Ohio (9-4) |
|
|
12/27/2011 |
Belk Bowl |
North Carolina (7-5) |
Louisville (7-5) |
|
|
12/28/2011 |
Military Bowl |
Wake Forest (6-6) |
Temple (8-4) |
|
|
12/28/2011 |
Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl |
Missouri (7-5) |
California (7-5) |
|
|
12/29/2011 |
Champs Sports Bowl |
Florida State (8-4) |
Notre Dame (8-4) |
|
|
12/29/2011 |
Valero Alamo Bowl |
Baylor (9-3) |
Washington (7-5) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl |
Tulsa (8-4) |
BYU (9-3) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
New Era Pinstripe Bowl |
Iowa State (6-6) |
Rutgers (8-4) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl |
Virginia (8-4) |
Mississippi State (6-6) |
|
|
12/30/2011 |
Insight Bowl |
Texas (7-5) |
Penn State (9-3) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas |
Texas A&M (6-6) |
Iowa (7-5) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Hyundai Sun Bowl |
Georgia Tech (8-4) |
Utah (7-5) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
AutoZone Liberty Bowl |
Cincinnati (9-3) |
Vanderbilt (6-6) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl |
UCLA (6-7) |
Illinois (6-6) |
|
|
12/31/2011 |
Chick-fil-A Bowl |
Auburn (7-5) |
Virginia Tech (11-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
TicketCity Bowl |
Purdue (6-6) |
Houston (12-1) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Outback Bowl |
Nebraska (9-3) |
South Carolina (10-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Capital One Bowl |
Michigan State (10-3) |
Georgia (10-3) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl |
Ohio State (6-6) |
Florida (6-6) |
|
|
1/6/2011 |
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic |
Oklahoma (9-3) |
Arkansas (10-2) |
|
|
1/7/2011 |
BBVA Compass Bowl |
Pitt (6-6) |
Southern Miss (11-2) |
|
|
1/8/2011 |
GoDaddy.com Bowl |
Northern Illinois (10-3) |
Arkansas State (10-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Rose Bowl |
Wisconsin (11-2) |
Oregon (11-2) |
|
|
1/2/2011 |
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl |
Kansas State (10-2) |
Michigan (10-2) |
|
|
1/3/2011 |
Allstate Sugar Bowl |
Stanford (11-1) |
Alabama (11-1) |
|
|
1/4/2011 |
Discover Orange Bowl |
Clemson (10-3) |
West Virginia (9-3) |
|
|
1/9/2011 |
Allstate BCS National Championship Game |
Oklahoma State (11-1) |
LSU (13-0) |
For more college football, visit SB Nation's many college football blogs.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4651926/131565251.jpg)