BCS bowl picture will be clear after Saturday
Oregon's Darron Thomas (1) celebrates with teammates after he scored a running touchdown in the third quarter against Arizona. (Nov. 26, 2010) Credit: AP
The BCS bowl schedule is taking shape and will be finalized after this weekend's games.
The official matchups will be revealed on Sunday night. ESPN will air the "BCS Countdown" show at 8:15 p.m., followed by a "BCS Selection Special" at 9 p.m.
By that time it should be known which two teams will be playing for the BCS national title on Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.
Auburn and Oregon are on a collision course. The Tigers jumped over the Ducks to No. 1 in the latest BCS standings. But Auburn and Oregon just need to win this week to stay 1-2 and play for the title.
The Tigers will play No. 19 South Carolina for the SEC championship in Atlanta on Saturday (CBS, 4 p.m.).
Oregon plays Oregon State in the Civil War on Saturday in Corvallis (ABC, 3:30 p.m.).
If Auburn and Oregon both win, here is how the BCS bowls could look like when the matchups are official:
BCS National Championship: Auburn (SEC champion) vs. Oregon (Pac-10 champion)
Rose Bowl: The Big Ten had a three-way tie for its title. The tiebreaker is broken by the highest ranked team in the BCS standings. Wisconsin is currently No. 5, Ohio State No. 6 and Michigan State No. 8. It looks like a lock that the Badgers will head to Pasadena as the Big Ten representative. If Oregon plays for the national title, the Rose Bowl, by rule, must take the highest ranked school from a non-automatic qualifying conference. That would be TCU at No. 3. Still, if the Horned Frogs finish in the top 4 of the final BCS standings they get an automatic at-large spot. Unless Oregon or Auburn loses, Wisconsin vs. TCU seems like the matchup.
Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl will take the Big 12 champion, which will be either Oklahoma or Nebraska. Stanford is No. 4 in the BCS standings and would get an automatic at-large bid based on that ranking. The Orange Bowl could be interested in Stanford, but it would make more sense to have the Fiesta Bowl take the Cardinal. Stanford's fan base is small and presumably will not travel well. In simplest terms, Stanford is closer to Arizona than Miami.
Sugar Bowl: If Auburn is playing in Glendale, the Sugar Bowl will still take an SEC team. Arkansas, currently No. 7 in the BCS standings, would be a likely choice. It looks like the Big Ten will get two teams into the BCS once again. Ohio State could be the at-large pick the Sugar Bowl takes.
Orange Bowl: The Orange Bowl will take the ACC champion, which will be either Florida State or Virginia Tech. For the same reason the Orange Bowl would be hesitant to take Stanford, the Fiesta Bowl may not want to take the Big East champion. Connecticut simply needs to win on Saturday night to clinch the Big East title and BCS bid. West Virginia and Pittsburgh are still alive if the Huskies loses. Of those three teams, the Mountaineers have a fan base that will travel. So the Orange Bowl could take the Big East champion, which would be a shorter trip for fans. A possible Virginia Tech/Florida State winner vs. West Virginia matchup would be tempting for the Orange Bowl.
Here's a look at this weekend's biggest games:
Friday
No. 25 Northern Illinois vs. Miami (Ohio) at Ford Field in Detroit (ESPN2, 7 p.m.): The winner gets the MAC's automatic bid to the Little Caesars Bowl.
Saturday
Rutgers at No. 24 West Virginia (ABC, noon): West Virginia needs to win and Connecticut needs to lose for the Mountaineers to win the Big East title.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (ESPN, noon): Same thing for Pittsburgh: a win and losses by Connecticut and West Virginia gives the Panthers the Big East title. If that scenario plays out, the Panthers would be heading to a BCS bowl at just 7-5.
Conference USA Championship
SMU vs. Central Florida at Bright House Networks Stadium in Orlando (ESPN2, noon): The winner gets a bid to the Liberty Bowl.
No. 2 Oregon at Oregon State (ABC, 3:30 p.m.): The Civil War has extra meaning for the Ducks this season. Oregon has already clinched the Pac-10. A win over Oregon State puts the Ducks in the BCS national title game.
SEC Championship
No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 19 South Carolina at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta (CBS, 4 p.m.): Auburn needs to win this game to earn a spot in the BCS national title game. This won't be an easy game for the Tigers. South Carolina played Auburn tough earlier in the season, losing 35-27. The Gamecocks are physical and have a balanced offensive attack with quarterback Stephen Garcia, standout freshman running back Marcus Lattimore and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. Auburn dug out of a 24-0 hole and beat Alabama, 28-27, in an epic comeback win in Tuscaloosa last Friday. At this point, it's hard to go against Cam Newton and the Tigers. But expect Steve Spurrier to have South Carolina ready for this game.
No. 21 Florida State vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (ESPN, 7:45 p.m.): Virginia Tech comes into the game on a 10-game winning streak. But Hokies coach Frank Beamer is 1-8 against Florida State in his career. This, however, will be his first game against Jimbo Fisher, who replaced Bobby Bowden this season. In 2005, Florida State upset Virginia Tech to win the ACC title and gain the automatic BCS bid. The winner of this game is headed to the Orange Bowl.
Big 12 Championship
No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Nebraska at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington (ABC, 8 p.m.): It's fitting that in Nebraska's final season in the Big 12 that the two longtime rivals meet for the conference title. Even before the Big 12, Nebraska and Oklahoma were heated rivals in the old Big Eight Conference. The winner of this game heads to the Fiesta Bowl. The key to this game will be the health of Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez, who is still battling ankle injury.
Connecticut at South Florida (ESPN2, 8 p.m.): Connecticut wins the Big East title and gets the conference's automatic BCS bid with a win over the Bulls.
