I’ll admit it. The BCS “worked” this year. USC and Texas are the two best teams, they’re the only undefeated teams and everyone wants to see them play. A playoff would still be better, but at least we get to enjoy some great matchups with the upcoming BCS bowls.

The Rose Bowl featuring USC vs. Texas should be a great game. Many are calling the USC offense the greatest of all time, but before anyone gets into that argument the Trojans have to prove themselves against a tough Texas defense. They’ve been feasting on Pac-10 defenses all season, which frankly doesn’t mean much. I can’t wait for this game.

The Fiesta Bowl offers a matchup of two legendary college football programs with Notre Dame taking on Ohio State. The Buckeye defense is probably the best in the country and they’ll be tested by an explosive Notre Dame offense. The advantage might be in the matchup of the Ohio State offense against a weak Notre Dame defense. The Buckeye offense has come alive in the second half of the season and should be tough to stop.

Of course, Oregon fans will be pissed, and frankly they should be. They’re ranked #5 in the BCS and they only have one loss (to #1 USC), but they’ve been shut out of the BCS bowl games and two two-loss teams are facing each other in the Fiesta Bowl. Again, cue up the argument for a playoff. That said, Oregon would get crushed by both Ohio State and Notre Dame, so it’s hard to take their argument too seriously.

The Orange Bowl pits Joe Paterno against Bobby Bowden in a matchup of the two winningest programs in college football history. Everyone (including me) thought Joe Pa was finished, but he woke up and started playing his freshmen and now he has the third-ranked team in the country. His Penn State team should have the horses to handle Florida State.

Finally, we have the Sugar Bowl. This one isn’t nearly as interesting. Fortunately for the Big East, West Virginia had a solid season and they should give Georgia a decent game. That said, it’s time to boot the Big East from the BCS. Better yet, let’s boot the whole system and get a playoff. In the meantime, drink up and enjoy the games.

UPDATE – The early lines are in, and the experts aren’t necessarily expecting tight games. USC is favored by 6.5 points over Texas; Ohio State is favored by 5.5 points over Notre Dame; Penn State is favored by 7.5 points over FSU; and Georgia is favored by 8.5 points over West Virginia. It will be interesting to see how the lines move leading upto the games.