2009-2010 Bowl Projections

Football-Bowl.com is a leading provider of college football bowl game information, schedules, historical data & much more. We are well aware of the fact that numerous sports site provide their annual bowl predictions as they make their picks for the 34 college bowl games to be played this season, and as a result we're here to bring you what we feel are the top sites for bowl projections. If you are looking to find out where your favorite school may be bowling this season, look no further than the 2009-2010 bowl projections here at Football-Bowl.com, the leading online destination for information on college football bowl games! Also, be sure to check out the 2009-2010 college football bowl schedule for all of the important dates & times for bowl games this winter.

Bowl Predictions & Projections for 2009-2010

Bowl games were originally founded as a way to match up some of the top teams in the country for an exhibition game after the season has concluded. In fact, the finals polls didn’t include bowl games until the 1970s! The original bowl game, the Rose Bowl, has become the most celebrated in the country outside of the newly created BCS National Championship Game and is known now as the ‘Granddaddy of them All.’ Since then, bowl games have become an integral part of every college football season.

Bowl games are also the reward for a great season. Teams must finish with a minimum of a 6-6 record to qualify for a postseason berth and each conference has specific bowl tie-ins that are listed next to each game. Follow along with football-bowl.com all season as we project where your favorite team will end up.

Remember, bowls often strike deals with one another to get a more favorable match up to sell more tickets. For example, the Hawai’i Bowl always gets the local Warriors if they’re bowl eligible and not playing in a BCS game. So, don’t assume that a team has a berth because that is their expected outright finish.

For example, the Outback Bowl took Iowa over Northwestern last year because Iowa travels much better. That happened despite Northwestern finishing ahead of Iowa in the Big Ten standings! Thus, when I say that a bowl has the #4 team from your favorite conference, it isn’t obligated to take the 4th place finisher.

Here are the November 8th, 2009 predictions for all 34 bowl games!

BCS BOWLS

BCS Championship (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2): Alabama vs. Texas

The Crimson Tide has ridden their defense and running game to a perfect 8-0 start and is still my choice to win the SEC. Meanwhile, Texas will be heavily favored in every game after this weekend’s game at Oklahoma State throughout the rest of the season and if both teams finish with unblemished marks, they’re going to play for the National Title.

Rose Bowl (Pac Ten Champ vs. Big Ten Champ): Oregon vs. Iowa

At this point, the Ducks are the prohibitive favorite to win the Pac Ten title. Meanwhile, Iowa is still the Big Ten favorite and the most likely team to jump in the National Title Game should they finish the season unbeaten. Neither team has played in the Rose Bowl in the last 15 years, so this would be a huge event for both schools.

Sugar Bowl (SEC Champ vs. At Large): ): Florida vs. Southern California

This is the match up that so many fans want to see: USC playing against the SEC’s most recent powerhouse. The USC-SEC match was narrowly avoided when the BCS left the Trojans out of the 2003 Championship game and both sides have been arguing since whether USC or the SEC would win in on a neutral field. It might not be for the national title, but a Florida-Southern California game would be the highest-rated BCS Bowl this season.

Orange Bowl (ACC Champ vs. At Large): ): Georgia Tech vs. Texas Christian

Georgia Tech qualifies as the ACC champion, which has their tie-in with the Orange Bowl. Meanwhile, Texas Christian remains the choice for a BCS non-qualifier with their stronger schedule and is a good bet to remain unbeaten.

One major footnote: I saw Kirk Herbstreit proclaim with a straight face that both Texas Christian and Boise State would earn BCS bowls if both finish undefeated. Let’s get serious here: BCS Bowls are a business and they’re going to pick the teams that sell the most tickets. That won’t be either TCU or Boise State, folks. Don’t expect both to play in BCS games this January.

Fiesta Bowl (Big XII Champ vs. At Large): Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

With Texas playing for the Big One, the Fiesta Bowl has their choice of at-large teams. Following Florida’s selection by the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl will snap up Penn State due to their enormous traveling fanbase. To add to the intrigue, the Battle of Pennsylvania will be renewed for the first time in a decade, this time matching ten teams in one of the biggest bowls in the country. This would generate enormous intrigue.

December, 19th Bowl Games

• St. Petersburg Bowl (Big East #6 vs. C-USA/Sun Belt): South Florida vs. East Carolina
• New Mexico Bowl (WAC #3 vs. MWC #5): Idaho vs. Iowa State (Not Enough MWC Teams)

December, 20th Bowl Games

• New Orleans Bowl (Sun Belt #1 vs. C-USA #4): Troy vs. Southern Mississippi

December, 22nd Bowl Games

• Las Vegas Bowl (Pac Ten #4/5 vs. MWC #1): Oregon State vs. Utah

December, 23rd Bowl Games

• Poinsettia Bowl (Pac Ten #6 vs. MWC #2): Navy (Not Enough Pac Ten Teams) vs. Brigham Young

December, 24th Bowl Games

• Hawai’i Bowl (C-USA #2 vs. WAC #2): Marshall vs. Nevada

December, 26th Bowl Games

• Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East #3 vs. ACC #5/6): Cincinnati vs. Clemson
• Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (Big Ten #7 vs. MAC #1): Michigan vs. Central Michigan
• Emerald Bowl (ACC #7 vs. Pac Ten #4/5): North Carolina vs. Stanford

December, 27th Bowl Games

• Music City Bowl (ACC #5 vs. SEC #6/7/8): Florida State vs. Georgia

December, 28th Bowl Games

• Independence Bowl (Big XII #7 vs. SEC #6/7/8): Texas Tech vs. Arkansas

December 29th Bowl Games

• Champs Sports Bowl (Big Ten #4 vs. ACC #4): Minnesota vs. Boston College
• Chik-Fil-A Bowl (ACC #2 vs. SEC #3/4/5): Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
• Eaglebank Bowl (ACC #8 vs. Army/C-USA): Duke vs. Temple

December 30th Bowl Games

• Holiday Bowl (Pac Ten #2 vs. Big XII #3): California vs. Oklahoma State
• Humanitarian Bowl (WAC #1 vs. MWC #3/4): Boise State vs. San Diego State

December 31st Bowl Games

• Sun Bowl (Pac Ten #3 vs. Big XII #5): Arizona vs. Texas A&M
• Insight Bowl (Big XII #6 vs. Big Ten #6): Missouri vs. Northwestern
• Texas Bowl (Big XII #8 vs. C-USA #3/4): Kansas State vs. Southern Methodist
• Armed Forces Bowl (Pac Ten #7 vs. MWC #3/4): Fresno State (Not Enough Pac Ten Teams) vs. Air Force

January 1st Bowl Games

• Gator Bowl (Big East #2/Notre Dame vs. ACC #3): Notre Dame vs. Miami
• Capital One Bowl (Big Ten #2 vs. SEC #2): Ohio State vs. LSU
• Cotton Bowl (Big XII #2 vs. SEC #3/4/5): Oklahoma vs. Auburn
• Outback Bowl (Big Ten #3 vs. SEC #3/4/5): Wisconsin vs. South Carolina

January 2nd Bowl Games

• Papajohns.com Bowl (Big East #5 vs. SEC #9): Rutgers vs. Kentucky
• Alamo Bowl (Big Ten #5 vs. Big XII #4/5): Michigan State vs. Nebraska
• Liberty Bowl (SEC #6/7/8 vs. C-USA #1): Mississippi vs. Houston

January 3rd Bowl Games

• International Bowl (Big East #4 vs. MAC #3): West Virginia vs. Kent State

January 6th Bowl Games

• GMAC Bowl (ACC #9 vs. MAC): Middle Tennessee State (Not Enough ACC Teams) vs. Ohio

   

Past 2009-2010 Bowl Projections:

• October 19, 2009 Bowl Predictions
• October 26, 2009 Bowl Predictions

By Matt Baxendall
DFN Sports Staff Writer

Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s football writer. Keep an eye out all fall for his multiple weekly articles discussing everything college football. If you want to get in touch with him, email him at Matt.Baxendell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @MattBaxendell