So what was that blog I posted a few days ago ?

It was last week that I mentioned in this space that I saw trouble on the horizon--for the BCS, and in specific, the Big 12 Conference. I mapped out a doomsday scenario where the champion of the Mid America Conference would play its way into the top 16 of the final BCS standings, leaving the Big 12 with only one BCS bid. (It's true--check the earlier blogs).

However, my particular doomsday scenario had Kent State winning the MAC and popping up one spot to #16, the magic ranking number for non-automatic qualifying conferences. When Northern Illinois defeated Kent State in double overtime, 44-37, I thought the Big 12 was safe with two bids--and posted as much in a blog yesterday morning. Who would have guessed that BCS #12 Nebraska would not only lose, but would be embarassed by a 7-5 Wisconsin team in the Big 10 title game, 70-31. That victory--along with UCLA's loss to Stanford and Texas falling to Kansas State last night opened the door for Northern Illinois to rise six spots, all the way to #15, which placed the Huskies in the Orange Bowl, and left the Big 12 and, to be more specific, Oklahoma, which seemed headed for a Sugar Bowl date with Florida, out in the cold. The ripple effect that ensued dropped every school down one spot in the bowl pecking order. OU, figuring to go BCS, had to settle for a Cotton Bowl matchup with former Big 12 member Texas A&M. The Longhorns, who had thought they were headed for Jerry World in Arlington and the Cotton Bowl, dropped one spot to the Alamo Bowl to face Oregon State, the highest-ranked three-loss team in the BCS standings at number 13.

Listed below are all of the bowl matchups. These are no longer projections. They're official.

BOWL DATE MATCHUP
New Mexico Dec. 15 Nevada (7-5) vs. Arizona
Famous Idaho Potato Dec. 15 Toledo (9-3) vs. Utah State (10-2)
Poinsettia Dec. 20 BYU vs. San Diego State (9-3)
Beef 'O' Brady's Dec. 21 UCF vs. Ball State
New Orleans Dec. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. East Carolina
Las Vegas Dec. 22 Boise State (10-2) vs. Washington
Hawaii Dec. 24 SMU vs. Fresno State (9-3)
Little Caesars Dec. 26 Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan
Military Dec. 27 Bowling Green (8-4) vs. San Jose State
Belk Dec. 27 Duke vs. Cincinnati
Holiday Dec. 27 Baylor vs. UCLA
Independence Dec. 28 Louisiana-Monroe vs. Ohio (8-4)
Russell Athletic Dec. 28 Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers
Meineke Car Care Dec. 28 Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Armed Forces Dec. 29 Rice vs. Air Force (6-6)
Kraft Fight Hunger Dec. 29 Arizona State vs. Navy
Pinstripe Dec. 29 Syracuse vs. West Virginia
Alamo Dec. 29 Texas vs. Oregon State
Buffalo Wild Wings Dec. 29 Michigan State vs. TCU
Music City Dec. 31 North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt
Sun Dec. 31 Georgia Tech vs. USC
Liberty Dec. 31 Iowa State vs. Tulsa
Chick-fil-A Dec. 31 LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson
Heart of Dallas Jan. 1 Purdue vs. Oklahoma State
TaxSlayer.com Gator Jan. 1 Northwestern vs. Mississippi State (8-4)
Capital One Jan. 1 Georgia vs. Nebraska
Outback Jan. 1 South Carolina (10-2) vs. Michigan
Cotton Jan. 4 Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M
BBVACompass Jan. 5 Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi (6-6)
GoDaddy.com Jan. 6 Kent State vs. Arkansas State
BCS Bowls
Rose Jan. 1 Stanford vs. Wisconsin
Orange Jan. 1 Florida State vs. Northern Illinois (12-1)
Sugar Jan. 2 Florida (11-1) vs. Louisville
Fiesta Jan. 3 Kansas State vs. Oregon
National Title Jan. 7 Notre Dame vs. Alabama (12-1)