BCS Central blog

In a BCS bowl like no other, two SEC teams will battle for the title in a replay of a regular season game.

#1 LSU, trying to win a third title,  is 1-0 in the BCS NCG and 4-0 in BCS bowls – a record for wins without a loss.  The Tigers are 76-41 vs. the SEC in the BCS era.  #2 Alabama is 1-0 in the BCS NCG and 1-2 in BCS bowls.  The Crimson Tide is 71-44 vs. the SEC in the BCS era.

The LSU Tigers are 13-0, 9-0 in the SEC, 2-0 in AQ OOC games, and seeking their seventh quality win of the season.  The Alabama Crimson Tide is 11-1, 7-1 in the SEC, 1-0 in AQ OOC games, and going for a fourth quality win & first upset win.

The SEC will extend its BCS NCG winning streak to six as it starts a losing streak.  The conference will be 16-7 in BCS bowls and 8-1 in BCS title games.

#15 Clemson is making its BCS bowl debut in the Orange Bowl.  The Tigers are 0-4 vs. the Big East in the BCS era.  #23 West Virginia is 2-0 in BCS bowls, but has not played in the Orange Bowl previously.  The Mountaineers are 10-10 vs. the Big East in the BCS era.

The Clemson Tigers are 10-3, 7-2 in the ACC, 1-0 in AQ OOC games, and seeking their third quality win of the season.  The West Virginia Mountaineers are 9-3, 5-2 in the Big East, 1-1 in AQ OOC games, and trying to get their first quality win & second upset win.

The ACC is 1-8 in the Orange Bowl and 2-11 in BCS bowls.  The Big East is 2-2 in the Orange Bowl and 6-7 in BCS bowls.

The ACC is 1-2 vs. the Big East in the Orange Bowl, 2-2 in BCS bowls, and 61-48 in all games during the BCS era.

#11 Virginia Tech is 0-2 in the Sugar Bowl and 1-4 in BCS bowls.  The Hokies have never faced a Big Ten team in the BCS era.  #13 Michigan is playing in the Sugar Bowl for the first time and is 1-3 in BCS bowls.  The Wolverines are going up against an ACC team for the first time in the BCS era.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are 11-2, 7-2 in the ACC, 0-0 in AQ OOC games, and trying to get their first quality win of the season.  The Michigan Wolverines are 10-2, 6-2 in the Big Ten, 1-0 in AQ OOC games, and seeking their second quality win & second upset win.

The ACC is 1-2 in the Sugar Bowl and 2-11 in BCS bowls.  The Big Ten is 2-1 in the Sugar Bowl and 11-12 in BCS bowls.

The ACC is 0-0 vs. the Big Ten in the Sugar Bowl, 0-2 in BCS bowls, and 15-19 in all games during the BCS era.

#3 Oklahoma State will make its first BCS bowl appearance.  The Cowboys are 5-2 vs. the Pac-12 in the BCS era.  #4 Stanford is 1-1 in BCS bowls, but has not played in the Fiesta Bowl before.  The Cardinal is 1-2 vs. the Big 12 in the BCS era.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are 11-1, 8-1 in the Big 12, 1-0 in AQ OOC games and seeking their fifth quality win of the season.  The Stanford Cardinal is also 11-1, 8-1 in the Pac-12, 2-0 in AQ OOC games, and trying to get its first quality win & first upset win.

The Big 12 is 3-4 in the Fiesta Bowl and 8-10 in BCS bowls.  The Pac-12 is 2-0 in the Fiesta  Bowl and 10-6 in BCS bowls.

The Big 12 is 0-1 vs. the Pac-12 in the Fiesta Bowl, 2-2 in BCS bowls, and 37-33 in all games during the BCS era.

#5 Oregon, 1-2 in BCS bowls, lost in its only previous Rose Bowl appearance in the BCS era, which was against Ohio State of the Big Ten. The Ducks are 7-5 vs. Big Ten teams in the BCS era.  #10 Wisconsin is 2-1 in the Rose Bowl (2-0 vs. Pac-12 teams), and has not played in any other BCS bowl.  The Badgers are 9-1 vs. Pac-12 teams in the BCS era.

The Oregon Ducks are 11-2, 9-1 in the Pac-12, 0-1 in AQ OOC games, and are seeking their second quality win of the season.  The Wisconsin Badgers are also 11-2, 7-2 in the Big Ten, 1-0 in AQ OOC games this season, and are going for their fourth quality win & second upset win.

The Pac-12 is 5-5 in the Rose Bowl and 10-6 in BCS bowls.  The Big Ten is 3-7 in the Rose Bowl and 11-12 in BCS bowls.

The Pac-12 is 5-3 against the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl, 6-3  in BCS bowls, and 40-32 in all games during the BCS era.

In the recent bowl season, there was little variation among the polls and BCS computer systems in how often they ranked a winning bowl team higher.   This is probably due to the fact that there were few games in which two closely-ranked teams faced each other.   Other than in three BCS bowls (BCS NCG, Rose, and Sugar), the difference in the two teams’ rankings was usually substantial.

A cell in the table below has an asterisk (*) to indicate that the component named in the column header ranked the winner of the bowl named in a particular row higher.  In addition to the polls and the six BCS computers systems, Massey‘s Margin Of  Victory and Sagarin‘s Predictor, which take into account points, have been included.