Call it Shakeup Saturday in terms of our weekly bowl projections. Auburn's miraculous turnaround season has taken college football's center stage. The Tigers might not be in position to reach the BCS title game at this moment, but Auburn is likely to be favored in Saturday's SEC championship game. So if the Tigers beat Missouri, the computers could sway the human voters to move Auburn all the way to No. 1 or No. 2. It's complicated, but the bottom line is that AU can turn the final year of the BCS into one last referendum on conference clout and strength of schedule.
Alabama is not out of the picture either. If this crazy season keeps spinning off its axis, next week's games could feature another slew of upsets and surprises. For now, we'll pencil the Tide into the Sugar Bowl. By beating Texas A&M on Saturday, Missouri actually has a chance to get into the national championship debate as well, but it has to start by beating Auburn this week in Atlanta. If that doesn't happen, a two-loss Missouri might still have raised its national profile enough to be an attractive choice for the Capital One Bowl.
The Cotton Bowl picks next, and while many see the potential for a Johnny Manziel draw, A&M's four losses now move it behind LSU in the pecking order. The Bayou Bengals have plenty of pull at ticket offices in their neighboring Lone Star State, by the way.
The rest of the SEC projections haven't changed. Georgia is clinging to a New Year's Day bowl thanks to a double-overtime win against Georgia Tech on Saturday. Ole Miss is still holding on to its spot in Nashville thanks to its seven wins this year. Vanderbilt is stuck with the Liberty Bowl because the Music City Bowl is not expected to make the Dores repeat last year's appearance. And Mississippi State is now bowl eligible thanks to its upset in Thursday's Egg Bowl.
VIZIO BCS National Championship Game, Jan. 6: Auburn
Allstate Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Alabama
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1: Missouri
AT&T Cotton Bowl, Jan. 3: LSU
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1: South Carolina
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31: Texas A&M
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Georgia
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Dec. 30: Ole Miss
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Dec. 31: Vanderbilt
BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 4: Mississippi State