| | | |
Friday, December 13, 2002
BCS bowl breakdown
BCSfootball.com
With one week remaining before the Bowl Championship Series pairings are announced, four of the eight BCS berths have been clinched. Florida State, Miami, Purdue and Washington are all headed to a BCS bowl. Two more berths will be decided this Saturday in the Big XII and SEC Championship games. Five teams are vying for the two at-large bids: Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Oregon State and Oklahoma (pending the outcome of the Big XII title game).
Here is a preview of how the BCS is shaping up:
Oklahoma
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 1 |
11-0 |
*Kansas State (Dec. 2) *Big XII Championship Game in Kansas City |
| This is it for Oklahoma. The Sooners need to shake off their doldrums of the past three weeks and knock off Kansas State for the second time this season. If OU wins, you'll see lots of red in Miami on Jan. 3. If the Sooners lose, expect the BCS to pick them up as an at-large team for the Sugar Bowl. |
Florida State
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 2 |
11-1 |
regular season over |
| Florida State appears to have a solid grasp of second place in the BCS and a spot in the FedEx Orange Bowl. |
Miami
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 3 |
10-1 |
regular season over |
| It appears the only hope for Miami to reach the Orange Bowl is for Oklahoma to lose to Kansas State. Otherwise, the 'Canes will head to the Fiesta or Sugar Bowls as the Big East's BCS representative. |
Washington
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 4 |
10-1 |
regular season over |
| There is no chance for Washington to reach the Orange Bowl. The Rose Bowl is a nice consolation prize, though. |
Virginia Tech
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 5 |
10-1 |
regular season over |
| Va. Tech passed Oregon State in the latest BCS rankings. With Michael Vick back in the lineup, the Hokies are back in the hunt for a BCS at-large berth. Va. Tech is battling Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oregon State for the two at-large berths. Then again, if K-State beats Oklahoma, it's anybody's guess. |
Oregon State
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 6 |
10-1 |
regular season over |
| The Beavers have little history on their side and Ken Simonton does not have the star power of Michael Vick. Thus, Oregon State has a lot to overcome to reach the Fiesta or Sugar Bowls. |
Florida
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 7 |
9-2 |
*Auburn (Dec. 2) *SEC Championship Game in Atlanta |
| Florida can't afford another tanker like last year's SEC Championship Game performance against Alabama. A loss in the SEC title game would likely cost Florida a trip to a BCS bowl. A win would send UF to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. |
Nebraska
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 8 |
9-2 |
regular season over |
| The Huskers are lucky to still be thinking BCS. Colorado's prevent defense allowed Nebraska to drive for the game-winning field goal. Nevertheless, Josh Brown's kick might not be enough for Nebraska to overcome the power of Notre Dame, the allure of Michael Vick or the heartwarming story of Oregon State. |
Kansas State
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 9 |
10-2 |
*Oklahoma (Dec. 2), *Big XII Championship Game in Kansas City |
| The Big XII title game cost K-State a shot at the national championship in 1998. This year, the Wildcats can knock Oklahoma out of the running. A win would send K-State to the Fiesta Bowl; a loss and the 'Cats would slip to the Holiday or Alamo Bowls. |
Notre Dame
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| 11 |
9-2 |
regular season over |
| The Irish are currently 11th in the BCS rankings. It is highly improbable that Notre Dame will drop below the top 12 teams, thus making ND eligible for a BCS bowl. A trip to the Fiesta Bowl is likely. |
Purdue
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| N/A |
8-3 |
regular season over |
| Purdue is headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 34 years. |
Auburn
| BCS rank |
Record |
Remaining games |
| N/A |
9-2 |
*Florida (Dec. 2) *SEC Championship Game in Atlanta |
| Auburn has a chance to avenge its loss to Florida earlier this season. A win over the Gators would land Auburn in the Sugar Bowl; a loss would drop Auburn into the mix for one of the SEC's six other bowl bids. |
| | | |
|
|
