ESPN College Football

The time has come for my preseason bowl projections. I can tell you that my notepad looks like chicken scratches because I have redone these about 10 times. This is never an easy assignment because there are so many variables to consider, from win-loss record, to geography, to previous bowl appearances.

Then you throw Notre Dame in the mix. I agree with Brian Bennett's projection, which has Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl. I just do not see a BCS bid this year with that schedule and continued uncertainty at quarterback. That takes away a valuable spot for a Big East member.

I have seven Big East bowl-eligible teams with five open spots. That means two are going to have to get an at-large berth without a Big East tie-in.

West Virginia is my preseason pick to win the Big East, so the Mountaineers get the BCS spot. The rest is completely up in the air.

Also, keep in mind the Big East does not go by order of finish in the conference. Bowls are allowed to pick whomever they desire, in consultation with the league office.

BCS, Orange Bowl: West Virginia versus ACC

Belk Bowl: Louisville versus ACC. I would have had USF in here, but the Bulls played in this game last season. This is a good geographic fit.

Pinstripe Bowl: Pitt versus Big 12. I put the Panthers here for geographic purposes more than anything. I have them finishing second in the league. With the Champs Bowl unavailable, it made the most sense to put them here. The league does not like to have repeat appearances in consecutive years, so that is why Syracuse is elsewhere.

BBVA Compass Bowl: USF versus SEC. The Bulls finish No. 3 in my final Big East standings, but the loss of the Champs Sports Bowl to Notre Dame sends them here. I just do not see the Belk Bowl two straight years.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: Syracuse versus C-USA. Make it two in a row for the Orange.

At-large: Cincinnati, Connecticut. I have Cincinnati, Louisville and Syracuse finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with 3-4 conference records. I picked Syracuse over Cincinnati and UConn as the most appealing option.

No bowl: Rutgers. I have the Scarlet Knights finishing one win short of bowl eligibility. The nonconference schedule is actually pretty difficult with North Carolina and both independent service academies -- all three made bowl games last season.

There's nothing more wild and crazy than projecting bowl games before a single game has kicked off. But we're two wild and crazy guys.

The Big Ten bowl projections take on a new dimension this year, as the league splits into divisions and adds a championship game. The title game means one more loss for a typically elite team. Will the league keep its streak alive of sending two teams to BCS bowls? Is there a national championship contender in the group? Who stays home for the holidays?

The league race figures to be as competitive as it has been in recent memory. There could be a bunch of teams finishing with 7-9 wins, and if so, bowl selections likely will come down to other factors (fan base, etc.).

Here's our best stab at projecting who goes where come December and January.

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO: Wisconsin vs. BCS team

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. BCS team

Capital One Bowl: Ohio State vs. SEC team

Outback Bowl: Iowa vs. SEC team

Gator Bowl: Penn State vs. SEC team

Insight Bowl: Michigan State vs. Big 12 team

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Michigan vs. Big 12 team

TicketCity Bowl: Illinois vs. Big 12 team

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Northwestern vs. MAC team

At-large bowl: Purdue

Projecting bowl games before any games are played? Heck, why not?

Here's our way, way too early prediction on how things may stack up.

And yes, if Oregon beats LSU in Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 3, we will immediately shake things up. And add a bowl game.

Rose Bowl Game: Stanford vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo: Oregon vs. Big 12
Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Arizona State vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun: Washington vs. ACC
MAACO Las Vegas: Utah vs. Mountain West
Kraft Fight Hunger: Arizona vs. ACC or Army
Gildan New Mexico: UCLA vs. Big 12

Note: These don't exactly correspond to our Power Rankings, which will be released later.

Yes, it's August. Yes, it's early.

But here's a look at where I've got the Big 12 teams slated in the bowl pecking order for 2011.

It's entirely possible that the nine-game conference schedule keeps the Big 12 from filling out all its bowl slots, but for now, I'll give the league the benefit of the doubt. The math is a little complicated, but I see seven teams in the Big 12 that should at least field a quality team capable of finishing above .500.

BCS National Championship Game: Oklahoma vs. BCS

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Texas A&M vs. BCS

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. SEC

Valero Alamo Bowl: Missouri vs. Pac-12

Insight Bowl: Baylor vs. Big Ten

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas vs. Big Ten

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Big East

Projecting which bowl game Notre Dame will play in requires you to make a definitive statement about the Irish season.

Unlike other teams, Notre Dame doesn't have the luxury of finishing 6-6 and getting a bowl tie-in from a conference. The only tie-ins the Irish have as an independent are a BCS at-large clause and once-in-every-four-years agreement with the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. (Notre Dame can also replace the Big 12 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl if that league doesn't qualify enough teams.)

So you have to decide whether the Irish are bound for: a great, BCS-worthy season; a 7-to-9 win, Champs Sports type of year; a 6-6 campaign that leaves them searching but not guaranteed a postseason slot; or a losing year.

This Notre Dame team looks too strong to have a losing record. A BCS berth is a realistic goal, given the returning talent from last year and the lack of any real titans on the schedule. But as I've written before, the schedule has very few breaks, and it's likely to cause the Irish to lose more than two games.

With all that in mind, I'm projecting Notre Dame to finish 9-3 and go to the Champs Sports Bowl, where it will face an ACC team. That would represent solid progress by the program in Year 2 under Brian Kelly but fall just short of fans' high expectations for this year's team.

Predictions are always difficult in the ACC, but with what’s going on at Miami and North Carolina, this is a particularly difficult assignment. Will the NCAA sideline any of Miami’s starters? Will the program receive the death penalty? What sanctions will Carolina receive, and will interim coach Everett Withers be able to rally the team together for another respectable season? All questions that are impossible to answer right now, but I’ve got my best guess as to how everything will play out this postseason. Here’s a look at the ACC’s preseason bowl projections:

Discover Orange Bowl: Florida State

Fiesta Bowl: Virginia Tech

Chick-fil-A Bowl: Clemson

Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech

Belk Bowl: NC State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Miami

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Maryland

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman: Boston College

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Duke

With less than two weeks until the college football season is officially underway, it's time to take a look at how it might end this season.

I know, we're jumping ahead, but it's always fun to speculate about the future.

Today, we will look at where we think SEC teams will be this postseason. Will the SEC produce its sixth national champion in row? Can the league crack the double-digit mark for bowl teams? Will the defending champs even make it to a bowl? Who will be playing in January?

We've got the answers. Well, the projected answers.

Of course, these will change throughout the season, but with the way the league currently looks, here are our bowl projections for SEC teams:

Allstate BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 9: Alabama

Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 3: LSU

Capital One Bowl: Jan. 2: South Carolina

AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 6: Arkansas

Outback Bowl, Jan. 2: Georgia

Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Mississippi State

Gator Bowl, Jan. 2: Florida

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Tennessee

AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn

BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 7: Ole Miss