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 4 th place finisher.

Here are the November 1 st, 2009 predictions for all 34 bowl games!

BCS BOWLS

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

Alabama moved to 9-0 with a home victory against highly ranked Louisiana State and appear set for an unbeaten showdown with the Florida Gators. Meanwhile, Texas just has to be careful not to trip over their own two feet and they’ll be playing for the crystal trophy.

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

Despite their loss, Oregon still is the favorite in the Pac Ten Championship race. That said, the Ducks can’t afford to lose another game and allow tiebreakers to come into effect, especially if they lose to Arizona. Meanwhile, Ohio State appears to be the favorite to win the Big Ten and return to Pasadena for the first time in over a decade.

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 likely end up 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. Despite Penn State’s recent loss to Ohio State, they’re still big favorites to finish 10-2 and I can’t imagine the Fiesta Bowl overlooking their enormous fan base now that Notre Dame is out of the BCS picture. Even though the Nittany Lions lost to Iowa, they travel better and have a much bigger television appeal, making them the choice as the Big Ten’s 2 nd team.

Their opponent seems most likely to be the Pittsburgh Panthers. I’m firmly in Pitt’s corner in the Big East race and the Fiesta Bowl seems likely to maneuver with the other BCS games to set up this recently defunct rivalry in the Keystone State.

December, 19th Bowl Games

• St. Petersburg Bowl (Big East #6 vs. C-USA/Sun Belt): Louisiana-Lafayette (Not Enough Big East Teams) vs. Central Florida
• New Mexico Bowl (WAC #3 vs. MWC #5): Fresno State vs. San Diego State

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): California vs. BYU

December, 23rd Bowl Games

• Poinsettia Bowl (Pac Ten #6 vs. MWC #2): Louisiana-Monroe (Not Enough Pac Ten Teams) vs. Utah

December, 24th Bowl Games

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

December, 26th Bowl Games

• Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East #3 vs. ACC #5/6): West Virginia vs. North Carolina
• Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl (Big Ten #7 vs. MAC #1): Idaho (Not Enough Big Ten Teams) vs. Central Michigan
• Emerald Bowl (ACC #7 vs. Pac Ten #4/5): Bowling Green (Not Enough ACC Teams) vs. Stanford

December, 27th Bowl Games

• Music City Bowl (ACC #5 vs. SEC #6/7/8): Boston College vs. Auburn

December, 28th Bowl Games

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

December 29th Bowl Games

• Champs Sports Bowl (Big Ten #4 vs. ACC #4): Northwestern vs. Clemson
• Chik-Fil-A Bowl (ACC #2 vs. SEC #3/4/5): Miami vs. Georgia
• Eaglebank Bowl (ACC #8 vs. Army/C-USA): Temple (Not Enough ACC Teams) vs. East Carolina

December 30th Bowl Games

• Holiday Bowl (Pac Ten #2 vs. Big XII #3): Oregon State vs. Nebraska
• Humanitarian Bowl (WAC #1 vs. MWC #3/4): Boise State vs. Kansas (Not Enough MWC Teams)

December 31st Bowl Games

• Sun Bowl (Pac Ten #3 vs. Big XII #5): Notre Dame vs. Arizona
• Insight Bowl (Big XII #6 vs. Big Ten #6): Texas Tech vs. Michigan State
• Texas Bowl (Big XII #8 vs. C-USA #3/4): Kansas State vs. Navy (clinched)
• Armed Forces Bowl (Pac Ten #7 vs. MWC #3/4): Iowa State (Not Enough Pac Ten Teams) vs. Air Force

January 1st Bowl Games

• Gator Bowl (Big East #2/Notre Dame vs. ACC #3): Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
• Capital One Bowl (Big Ten #2 vs. SEC #2): Iowa vs. LSU
• Cotton Bowl (Big XII #2 vs. SEC #3/4/5): Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee
• 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): South Florida vs. South Carolina
• Alamo Bowl (Big Ten #5 vs. Big XII #4/5): Minnesota vs. Oklahoma
• 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): Rutgers vs. Northern Illinois

January 6th Bowl Games

• GMAC Bowl (ACC #9 vs. MAC #2): Middle Tennessee State (Not Enough ACC Teams) vs. Ohio

Past 2009-2010 Bowl Projections:

• October 19, 2009 Bowl Predictions
• October 26, 2009 Bowl Predictions
• November 2, 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