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The bowl projections are getting more and more exciting with each win for BYU.
Armed Forces Bowl vs. SMU (CBS)
Although the bowl game itself may not make anyone get excited, the opponent should. SMU is not a Power 5 team but of all the possible Group of 5 opponents, the Mustangs have some of the biggest history with BYU. They have squared off three times, with the Cougars winning all three. Of course, most famously, SMU was the victim in what is dubbed the “Miracle Bowl” in 1980 when BYU QB Jim McMahon led a furious comeback against the Mustangs and erased a 20-point deficit with just four minutes left in the game. Playing SMU in another bowl game would bring back some good memories.
Gasparilla Bowl vs. South Carolina (Sporting News)
Another bowl that may lack luster in outward appearance, but the fact that BYU would play an SEC opponent makes it attractive. The Gamecocks are on an ever-shortening list of teams BYU has never played. The Cougars would be thrilled to face a quality SEC team like South Carolina, who defeated a ranked Auburn team last month.
Fiesta Bowl vs. Oregon (ESPN)
This is where the fun begins. Three national writers, including two for ESPN, have BYU pinned into the Fiesta Bowl. Two of these have the Cougars squaring off against a PAC-12 opponent. Since the Rose Bowl is a College Football Playoff semifinal this season, the PAC-12 champion will likely go to the Fiesta Bowl if they are not invited to the final four. This pins BYU against the Ducks, who BYU faced in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl, where BYU thrashed the Ducks 38-8.
Fiesta Bowl vs. USC (ESPN)
USC will be out for revenge in this prime time matchup after BYU upset the ranked Trojans in Provo last season. USC is always in the mix for a PAC-12 title, given the extraordinary talent they attract to their campus. Like Oregon, USC’s season has not kicked off yet, but will this coming weekend.
Fiesta Bowl vs. Wisconsin (USA TODAY)
This has the potential to be another revenge game against the Cougars. The last time BYU faced the Badgers, they were dancing on the road in Madison as they upset No. 6 Wisconsin in one of the biggest upsets in BYU history. Ohio State is the cream of the crop in the Big 10 and will likely go to the College Football Playoff, leaving whoever they face in the conference title game a chance at an at-large bid such as this.