Missouri and Oklahoma fans aren’t the only ones who will be pulling for their teams in the Big 12 championship game Saturday in San Antonio. The Rose Bowl will root for top-ranked Missouri. So will No. 13 Arizona State. No. 3 Ohio State will cheer for ol’ Oklahoma. Ditto No. 15 Illinois.
The Missouri-Oklahoma game will have a direct effect on three of the five Bowl Championship Series bowls and if the right upsets occur, such as Pittsburgh (4-7) beating No. 2 West Virginia (10-1), the BCS’ upcoming “Selection Sunday” could be as wide open as “Double Jeopardy.”
After consulting with various bowl officials, here are BCS projections in two different scenarios. (If this could be written in pencil, it would.)
If Missouri wins
BCS championship:
Missouri vs. West Virginia
The current BCS standings would remain the same and two of the top eight scoring teams in the country will put on a shootout the whole country wants. Missouri would play in its first major bowl since the Fiesta Bowl in 1972.
Fiesta Bowl:
Kansas vs. Arizona State
With the Fiesta losing its Big 12 anchor, it gets first pick for a replacement and it will stay in conference with the No. 5 Jayhawks (11-1). Arizona State (9-2) would get in only if it beats visiting Arizona (5-6).
Orange Bowl:
Boston College-Virginia Tech winner vs. Georgia
The Atlantic Coast Conference is the Orange’s anchor, and No. 4 Georgia (10-2) would be a natural.
Sugar Bowl:
Tenn.-LSU winner vs. Hawaii
The Sugar gets the Southeastern Conference winner and the last pick of at-large eligibles. Currently at No. 12, Hawaii (11-0) just qualifies and must still beat Washington (4-8).
Rose Bowl:
Ohio State vs. USC
No. 3 Ohio State (11-1) would fall back into the Rose Bowl’s lap and provide what could be the best game on the board. And the Rose Bowl knows it.
Now, if Oklahoma wins
BCS championship:
Ohio State vs. West Virginia
If anyone saw what Illinois quarterback Juice Williams did to the Buckeyes, what West Virginia’s Patrick White would do could be plain ugly.
Rose Bowl:
Illinois vs. USC
With the Rose losing Ohio State, the Rose Bowl would look heavily at the Big Ten’s Illinois (9-3), ranked 15th, over Georgia. The Illini need only to get into the top 14 to qualify.
Orange Bowl:
Boston College-Virginia Tech winner vs. Georgia
No change here.
Fiesta Bowl:
Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Two Big 12 teams? No problem. They didn’t meet this season, one of the chinks people put in Kansas’ armor.
Sugar Bowl:
Tenn.-LSU winner vs. Hawaii
See Orange Bowl.
What could make you perforate the above and put it on a roll is if Pitt, a 28 1/2-point underdog, wins at West Virginia and Oklahoma, a three-point favorite, beats Missouri.
Ohio State would make the title game, but who else?
“It becomes a seven-car pileup behind Ohio State,” said analyst Jerry Palm of . “It’ll be like a bad wreck on the Interstate.”
It could be No. 4 Georgia if No. 6 Virginia Tech and No. 7 LSU lose. It could be Virginia Tech if it beats No. 11 Boston College and jumps Georgia. It could be LSU if it beats No. 14 Tennessee and Virginia Tech loses.
“It comes down to voters,” Palm said. “Virginia Tech is ahead and may stay ahead or may not. If voters come out strong for one or the other, obviously it takes computers out of play.”
If it comes down to Virginia Tech and LSU, will voters remember all the way back to Sept. 8 when LSU ripped the Hokies, 48-7? Well, it won’t matter. West Virginia won’t lose to Pitt. Will it?
“If Pitt wins, it won’t be one of the top five upsets of the season,” Palm said. “It’ll just be another log on the fire.”
