Capital One Bowl Projection Round-Up, Week 4
Mark Schlabach (ESPN): LSU vs. Ohio State
Brett McMurphy (ESPN): Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin
ESPN Big Ten & SEC Blog: Auburn vs. Penn State
Jerry Palm (CBSSports): LSU vs. Ohio State
Bill Bender (Sporting News): LSU vs. Nebraska
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): LSU vs. Ohio State
Phil Steele: Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin
After an upset-filled weekend of college football, the experts only made a few changes to their bowl picks. Of the four experts who chose LSU vs. Ohio State as the Capital One Bowl matchup in week three, only Bill Bender of the Sporting News made a change, instead pitting Nebraska against LSU – both teams are 3-0. The last time the Cornhuskers and Tigers met was in the 1987 Sugar Bowl. Nebraska upset higher-ranked LSU 30-15 and leads the overall series between the schools with a record of 5-0-1.
Receiving two votes in this week’s projections is an Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin matchup – this would be the first time the Rebels and Badgers meet. Wisconsin evened its season record at 1-1, defeating Eastern Illinois 37-3 in week two and sat out for its bye in week three. Ole Miss is 3-0 and has put up at least 35 points in each of its contests this season. The Rebels overwhelmed Louisiana-Lafayette in week three, beating the Ragin’ Cajuns 56-15 to kick off a three-game home stand.
Following the news that Penn State’s bowl ban would be lifted effective immediately, the ESPN Big Ten Blog has the Nittany Lions re-entering bowl play in Orlando on New Year’s Day. The ESPN SEC Blog’s prediction this week is Auburn. If this stands, it would be a rematch of the 2003 Capital One Bowl in which the Tigers defeated the Nitanny Lions 13-9, evening the record between the schools to 1-1.