With a round of conference championship games still yet to be played, the college football bowl landscape could look drastically different a week from now.
But with Notre Dame essentially locked into the championship game, it leaves one wondering what other teams might play in the BCS bowls, including the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. Barring some upsets, the BCS bowls offer a range of interesting matchups between the top teams in the nation.
Here are projected matchups for the BCS bowls, as well as some notes on the top bowl games that are not BCS tie-ins.
Discover BCS National Championship Game: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Notre Dame is already locked into the national title game after completing a 12-0 undefeated season with a win over USC last Saturday.
Alabama and Georgia will play this Saturday afternoon in a virtual playoff game in the SEC championship, with the winner going on to play for the national title. Both teams have been stellar in the SEC this season, but the loser may be out of the BCS picture all together.
Since only two teams per conference can make it into the BCS, the loser of the SEC championship game will likely be the odd man out, due to the fact that the Florida Gators are third in the rankings.
"For either one of these teams, it's not really a great scenario," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on a conference call Sunday according to the Associated Press. "You play your way into the championship game, which means you're the best team in your division. They're the best team in their division. They played their way into the game by a total body of work for the whole season. It doesn't seem quite right, but it is what it is.
Since the loser of the game will have two losses, Florida will take advantage as the highest-rated one-loss team in the SEC.
Alabama will win the game on Saturday and face Notre Dame in the national championship. Although Georgia has the talent to win, it's hard to see a Nick Saban team blow a chance at defending their national title.
The Crimson Tide thought their season was over when they were defeated by Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M 29-24 on Nov. 10, but earned a second chance when both Oregon and Kansas State lost their first games of the year the following week.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has played in games of this magnitude before and will not be fazed by the pressure. The defense for the Crimson Tide has been the best in the nation, allowing only 9.3 points per game.
The loser of the SEC title game will likely play in the Cotton Bowl, which will have a Big 12 team take on an SEC opponent.
Rose Bowl: Stanford Cardinal vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Rose Bowl is the most prestigious bowl game in college football and will have a talented team from the Pac-12 take on the winner of the Big Ten title game.
Stanford and UCLA will face off on Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship game, just one week after the two teams played in Los Angeles. UCLA lost that game 35-17, but this time a Rose Bowl spot is on the line.
One reporter claimed last week that UCLA lost the game on purpose to avoid a matchup with the Oregon Ducks, but coach Jim More dismissed that idea completely. The title game will be in Stanford this time and it is likely that the Cardinal will emerge victorious over the Bruins.
Stanford has the 11th ranked scoring defense in the country and are averaging nearly 400 yards of offense per week.
Nebraska will face off against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game on Saturday in Indianapolis and is likely to advance to the Rose Bowl.
The Huskers are 11-2 this season, while the Badgers have only gone 7-5, including 4-4 in the Big Ten. Wisconsin running back Montee Ball is having an excellent season, rushing for 1,528 yards and 18 touchdowns, but will face a tough Nebraska defense on Saturday.
The Huskers are ranked 31st in points against this season and were dominant in the team's 13-7 win against Iowa on Friday. The team I ranked eighth in rushing with over 250 yards per game and will be too much for the Badgers to handle.
The Rose Bowl will be a red-on-red battle between two defensively strong teams that can run the football. Ameer Abdullah has been one of the most impressive players on Nebraska and will be essential for the Huskers to win on Saturday. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season and has scored eight touchdowns.
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. Kansas State Wildcats
The Kansas State Wildcats still have one game left this season at home against Texas and will have the chance to right the season after losing 52-24 against Baylor on Nov. 17 to fall out of the national title picture.
The team was 10-0 entering the game, but simply couldn't stop Baylor on defense. Kansas State is ranked 22nd in scoring defense this year, but gave up 50 points for the first time this year in the loss.
The Wildcats will be the highest ranked team in the BCS in the Big 12 with a win and will make it to the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon, who will be the next team standing in the Pac-12 after the championship game and are likely to get an at-large bid.
The Fiesta Bowl knows that Oregon's fans travel well and that the Ducks will make a formidable matchup for the Wildcats.
Kansas State has Heisman-hopeful quarterback Collin Klien, who has thrown for 2,306 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to go along with 787 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. Oregon will counter with running back Kenjon Barner, who has been the most explosive player in the country while rushing for 1,624 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Florida Gators vs. Oklahoma Sooners
The Florida Gators have played the toughest schedule in college football this season and are in a prime spot to make the BCS.
The team feels it should be playing in the SEC championship instead of Georgia since both have 11-1 records, but the Bulldogs defeated the Gators 17-9 on Oct. 27 to take the advantage in the SEC East division.
The Gators will likely get a selection to the Sugar Bowl due to the fact that only two teams from each conference can make it to the BCS. With Alabama likely making it to the national championship game, a two-loss Georgia team will be ranked lower than the Gators, leaving them eligible for the game.
Oklahoma still has one matchup left against TCU on Saturday and will claim the Big 12 title outright with a win. The Sooners will likely receive an at-large bid to the Sugar Bowl if they can win on Saturday since Kansas State will likely play in the Fiesta.
The Sooners are 11-2 this season, with both losses coming to ranked opponents Notre Dame and Kansas State, who defeated Oklahoma 24-19 in the third week of the year,
Quarterback Landry Jones will face off against a tough Gators defense that was ranked 3rd in the nation allowing 12.9 points per game. Florida is gaining nearly 200 yard per game rushing and will give Oklahoma a tough defensive matchup.
