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By now, you've no doubt seen a bowl projection or two (or fifty). I've posted them whenever I find them, as has Kate in the morning DBRs. The latest from SB Nation, the mothership of this here blog, has the Bears playing in the Fiesta Bowl, just as the one before it did. That's not altogether surprising; SB Nation as a whole has been on the Baylor train all season, and the Selection Committee has now voted the Bears into the CFB Playoff two weeks in a row.
It is a bit surprising when other, more traditional forms of media start to take notice. On the heels of Andy Staples calling Baylor the "Surprise Team of the Midseason" this morning, the experts at SI.com released their Crystal Ball, a look at their predictions for how the second half of the CFB season plays out, that includes, among other things, projections by each expert for how the BCS lineup will look in January 2014. Baylor fans should be quite happy to see that the experts unanimously chose Baylor to represent the Big 12 in the Fiesta Bowl this year, which at least implies they believe we will win the conference championship. The opponents slotted against us change, but the message is clear: SI.com believes the Baylor Bears are for real.*
*They feel the same way about Art Briles, who is picked twice as National Coach of the Year.
Give me your thoughts in the comments on which of the opponents listed you'd like most to see. There are seven predictions on the board, and Clemson (3) receives the most votes to play against us, followed by Wisconsin (2), Fresno State (1), and Michigan State (1). The last one would be a snoozer for me since Michigan State has basically no offense, but the vastly conflicting styles could make for an interesting game. The first would be almost a dream-come-true, should we not make the NCG itself. There would be eyeballs a-plenty for a Baylor-Clemson game, and it would rain touchdowns in Arizona that night.
What do you think? Assuming Baylor makes the Fiesta Bowl,* who do you want to see the Bears play?
*Just go with it.