If there were no college football playoffs or BCS, but bowl tie-ins, what might bowl season looked like?

[saturdaysarebetter]

If there were no college football playoffs or BCS, and the bowls still had their conference tie-ins, what might have this bowl season looked like?

Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.

Rose Bowl: Big 10 Champion Oregon vs. highest ranked non-conference champion Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl: SEC Champion Georgia vs. at-large Boise State
Cotton Bowl: Big 12 Champion Arizona State vs at-large Texas (local draw for ticket sales)
Orange Bowl: ACC Champion Clemson vs. at-large Penn State (Nittany Lions fans first trip to Orange Bowl since 2005 season)
Fiesta Bowl: At-large Ohio State vs At-large Tennessee
Peach Bowl: At-large SMU vs At-large Indiana

Would Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss be on the outside of NY6 bowls?

Thoughts?

 

[psuro]

If there were no college football playoffs or BCS, then the impetus for the PAC 12 teams (and others) to leave and join other conferences would not be there, as there would not be so much TV money to grab for. So, the teams would have been in the same conferences as they were before.

So, that would have put (more than likely)

Rose Bowl: Ohio State (Big Ten) and Oregon (PAC 12)
Sugar Bowl: Georgia (SEC) vs. Texas (Big 12)
Cotton Bowl: Penn State (at large) vs. Notre Dame (at large )
Orange Bowl: Clemson (ACC Champion) vs. Tennessse
Peach Bowl: Alabama (At Large) vs. Indiana (At large)
Fiesta Bowl: Boise (at large) and Arizona State (At Large)

There are some things to note:

1. Rose and Sugar both have two conference tie ins. Orange has one
That takes care of your Power 5 conference winners In the last poll (not ranking), Clemson was 16, but was a conference champion.

2. Bowls pick in a specific order and have/had limits to how far down the polls they can go. They can pick anyone, it's just a matter of whom they want if it's not a conference tie in.

3. There was a time when the Big 12 Champion was tied into the Cotton but that changed to the Sugar. Although that may have been after the creation of the BCS.

4. Getting screwed would be SMU. Because Clemson (#16) is a tie in.

Just my thoughts.

Note: edited to include Fiesta Bowl