BCS Bowls - BCS Bowls

BY MIKE ROSE

The BCS bowls are locked in after tonight's official announcements on Fox.

First, the BCS standings:

1. Oklahoma

2. Florida

3. Texas

4. Alabama

5. USC

6. Utah

7. Texas Tech

8. Penn State

9. Boise State

10. Ohio State

Thoughts: No surprises. Oklahoma won the Big 12, destroying Missouri on Saturday, 62-21. That punched the Sooners' ticket to Miami. Florida, with a hard-fought 31-20 comeback win over previous No. 1 Alabama in an SEC title game for the ages on Saturday afternoon, was destined for the national title game after beating the Crimson Tide. USC, which beat archrival UCLA 28-7 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, was stuck at No. 5. The real question was how far Alabama would fall. Well, No. 4 is probably as good as I expected. Alabama wasn't going to slide to third, ahead of Texas. And Texas certainly deserves to be upset. The Longhorns beat Oklahoma head-to-head, but it's Oklahoma playing for the national title. But let's make sure we understand this right: two teams in the BCS top 10 -- Texas Tech and Boise State -- will not be going to a BCS bowl. I understand that having a playoff takes some of the juice out of the regular season, which each week being a playoff game and all. Maybe the powers that be can look into eliminating the automatic BCS bid for the six power conference champions. Just a thought. If we're going to put so much stock into the BCS standings, then how should Texas Tech and Boise State feel? I know the rule about having no more than two teams from one conference in the BCS. If a playoff is not possible, then let's tweak the BCS rules.

And now .....

National Championship, Jan. 8

No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1)

Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 5

No. 3 Texas (11-1) vs. No. 10 Ohio State (10-2)

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2

No. 4 Alabama (12-1) vs. No. 6 Utah (12-0)

Orange Bowl, Jan. 2

No. 12 Cincinnati (11-2) vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech (9-4)

Rose Bowl, Jan. 1

No. 5 USC (11-1) vs. No. 8 Penn State (11-1)

Thoughts: Not too surprised by any of the matchups. Once Oregon State lost to Oregon and USC eventually clinched the Pac-10, you knew Ohio State would get an at-large bid. And it's a good matchup against Texas. Boise State just wasn't going to get a bid over Ohio State. I know Boise State had a strong crowd at the Fiesta a few years back, but Ohio State is a national program. I really think the Rose Bowl could end up being the second best bowl behind the national title game. USC has a great defense. But Penn State's defense has played very well this season and is probably a bit underrated around the country. USC's offense has not been dominant by any stretch. Remember, the Trojans struggled offensively at times this season, especially against California and Oregon State.

For those wondering, Texas Tech ended up in the Cotton Bowl against Mississippi. A decent matchup. Mississippi beat Florida in The Swamp. Boise State will play TCU in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. Not the BCS, but that's a good matchup. TCU has a strong defense.

Just glancing over the bowl schedule quickly, two games caught my eye: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 and Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Source: weblogs.newsday.com