Everyone likes to debate artificially inflated bowl matchups, right?

If there's one thing unequivocally ignorable on any college football editorial page, it's bowl projections. Especially BCS bowl projections. Unlike preseason rankings, which serve to slake the palates of fans deprived of the pomp and perjury of college porkball for seven months, bowl predictions are aimless midseason speculations made obsolete with each subsequent Saturday. BCS projections are worse still, presupposing that selection to a Bowl Championship Series game means anything more than a Cotton or Capital One matchup, save of course for a $10 million payout differential.

JOBU'S WEEKLY TOP 26

Team

Record

Last

1. Ohio State

7–0

3

2. Michigan

7–0

4

3. Louisville

6–0

2

4. Southern Cal

6–0

5

5. Texas

6–1

6

6. West Virginia

6–0

7

7. Auburn

6–1

10

8. Florida

6–1

1

9. Tennessee

5–1

8

10. Notre Dame

5–1

9

11. Boise State

7–0

12

12. Clemson

6–1

13

13. California

6–1

14

14. LSU

5–2

15

15. Georgia Tech

5–1

16

16. Arkansas

5–1

18

17. Oregon

5–1

21

18. Rutgers

6–0

22

19. Wisconsin

6–1

23

20. Boston College

5–1

25

21. Oklahoma

4–2

24

22. Pittsburgh

6–1

26

23. Texas A&M

6–1

NR

24. Missouri

6–1

20

25. Iowa

5–2

11

26. Nebraska

6–1

NR
 
Dropouts: Georgia (17), Virginia Tech (19)
But by all means, don't let that stop you from enjoying these ironclad BCS bowl projections!

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The way the picking order breaks down among non-Rose bowls, Sugar goes first (Florida, SEC champ), then Orange (Clemson, ACC champ), then Fiesta (Texas, Big 12 champ). Sugar's sure to go Notre Dame with its next pick if it wants to save New Orleans from round two of Jesus' wrath. Orange will have a real dilemma on its hands, with several qualified candidates, but Tennessee's as good as any and will likely have gone the longest without a loss. It's the Fiesta that's stuck with this year's non-BCS qualifier, leaving them no choice but to select Boise.

We all agreed that Southern Cal's due a loss before December? Alrighty, then that leaves the winner of Ohio State–Michigan versus the winner of Louisville–West Virginia. Edge to the Buckeyes in the former thanks to home-field advantage. Same goes for U of L which hosts the Mountaineers, who have been spotting teams entire first halves all season. Meanwhile the Cards appear a far more balanced team, despite the scrape against Cincy. No one seems to be able to stop West Virginia's rush, but when it happens—and it always does—they have nothing else to answer with offensively, making the Cards this year's sacrificial lambs—er, birds.