Bowl Predictions, Week 2

As explained last week, this edition will just hit the high notes. To wit:

• Still mainting the winner of the Big 12 versus the winner of the SEC will go to the national title game, provide they're undefeated. That will be a challenge for both Texas and Alabama. The biggest question probably is what happens if Texas Tech wins Saturday.
  
• The SEC title game loser will probably end up in the Capital One Bowl, if I had to guess. This somewhat ironically means the loser of the the Cocktail Party this weekend is in a better position to go to a BCS bowl.
• There is something to the argument the Fiesta could take, say, Utah but I think instead they'll take the safe bet of someone like Ohio State, who were not hit that bad in the rankings and should easily finish eligible for a BCS at-large.
• The ACC saw a huge shakeup, with GT and VPI losing. This is bound to be the most volatile conference week-to-week.
• Once again, the college football world will barely scrape by with enough bowl eligible teams. And I'm working under somewhat optimistic assumptions. I have yet to find any documentation on what the NCAA or bowls would do if there are not enough bowl eligible teams. Right now it's looking like a good payday for the WAC, MAC, and especially the Sun Belt.
  
• Somewhat Non-Obvious Matchup of the Week: Car Care Bowl, Maryland vs. West Virginia. These two schools met every year from 1980 to 2007 but chose not to renew the rivalry in 2008. I don't know/remember if this is a named game or not, but nonetheless it should draw an enthusiastic crowd down in Charlotte.