The College Football News bowl projections, and the predictions for the College Football Playoff after Friday night and before the big Saturday of Championship Week.
– New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
– College Football Playoff Predictions
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews
Bowl Projections are hard enough to figure out in normal times, but this year it’s an almost impossible task with all the last second changes.
Bowls aren’t really following the contracted tie-ins, some jumped the gun to get their matchups settled with less-than-stellar teams just so they could get going, and a whole lot of programs are opting out on a big.
But here’s the get-it-close-to-the-pin call after a crazy Friday night when all three underdogs won their respective conference championships, and Nebraska beat Rutgers on the road.
What does this mean?
1. Nebraska is probably in even at 3-5. The bowls need teams, no one wants to play football games more than Nebraska does – it’s not opting out of anything – and there are openings.
2. Ball State’s win over Buffalo in the MAC Championship and UAB’s win over Marshall in the Conference USA Championship probably don’t mean all that much. The matchups from earlier in the week should still hold, but a lot might depend on what happens with the Boise State vs. San Jose State Mountain West Championship – the MAC is supposed to play a Mountain West team in the Arizona Bowl.
And the big one …
3. Oregon is in a New Year’s Six game after winning the Pac-12 Championship. USC is almost certainly out of the New Year’s Six, the Pac-12 is totally out of the College Football Playoff, and now the Ducks should be off to the Fiesta Bowl.
Schools that opted out of a bowl invite
Boston College, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Kansas State, Louisville, Pitt, San Diego State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, UCLA, Utah, Washington
These will change throughout day as more news comes in, and we’ll do the big one on Saturday night.
Team has accepted bowl bid
2020-2021 Bowl Projections
All times Eastern
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Monday, December 21
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Bowl Tie-Ins: Conference USA or MAC or Sun Belt
Last Season: No Game
Bowl Matchup: Appalachian State vs North Texas
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Tuesday, December 22
ESPN, 3:30
Lyle Smith Field at Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Last Season: Ohio 30, Nevada 21
Bowl Matchup: Tulane vs Nevada
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Tuesday, December 22
ESPN, 7:00 pm
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or C-USA or MAC
Last Season: Arkansas State 34, FIU 26
Projection: UCF vs BYU
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Wednesday, December 23
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Sun Belt Champion (if available)
Last Season: Appalachian State 31, UAB 17
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs Georgia Southern
Montgomery Bowl
Wednesday, December 23
ESPN or ESPN2, 7:00 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. AAC
Last Season: No Bowl
Note: This is the Fenway Bowl for this year only
Bowl Matchup: Florida Atlantic vs Memphis
New Mexico Bowl
Thursday, December 24
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Mountain West or Conference USA or MAC
Last Season: San Diego State 48, Central Michigan 11
Bowl Matchup: Hawaii vs. Houston
Camellia Bowl
Friday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Last Season: Arkansas State 34, FIU 26
Projection: Buffalo vs. Louisiana
Union Home Mortgage Gasparillia Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ABC, 12:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or SEC
Last Season: UCF 48, Marshall 25
Projection: South Carolina vs. Liberty
Cure Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC, MAC, Sun Belt
Last Season: Liberty 23, Georgia Southern 16
Projection: UAB vs. Coastal Carolina
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12
Last Season: WKU 23, Western Michigan 20
Projection: Tulsa vs UTSA
LendingTree Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Last Season: Louisiana 27, Miami University 17
Bowl Matchup: WKU vs. Georgia State
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Army vs. Pac-12
Last Season: Louisiana Tech 14, Miami 0
Projection: Army vs Arizona State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Saturday, December 26
ESPN, 10:15 pm
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Last Season: Air Force 31, Washington State 21
Note: Was Cheez-It Bowl last season
Projection: TCU vs Minnesota
Military Bowl presented by Perspecta
Monday, December 28
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. AAC
Last Season: North Carolina 55, Temple 13
Projection: Nebraska vs Navy
Cheez-It Bowl
Tuesday, December 29
ESPN, 5:30 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big 12
Last Season: Notre Dame 33, Iowa State 9
Note: Was Camping World Bowl last season
Projection: NC State vs Oklahoma State
Valero Alamo Bowl
Tuesday, December 29
ESPN, 9:00 pm
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Last Season: Texas 38, Utah 10
Projection: Iowa State vs. USC
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Wednesday, December 30
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big Ten
Last Season: Kentucky 37, Virginia Tech 30
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Penn State
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Wednesday, December 30
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Last Season: Louisville 38, Mississippi State 28
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Thursday, December 31
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Last Season: Tulane 30, Southern Miss 13
Projection: Colorado vs. Mississippi State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Thursday, December 31
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Last Season: Navy 20, Kansas State 17
Projection: West Virginia vs. Kentucky
Arizona Bowl
Thursday, December 31
CBS Sports Network, 4:00 pm
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. MW
Last Season: Wyoming 38, Georgia State 17
Projection: Ball State vs. Boise State
Texas Bowl
Thursday, December 31
ESPN, 8:00 pm
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Last Season: Texas A&M 24, Oklahoma State 21
Projection: Texas vs. Arkansas
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Friday, January 1
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC, ACC vs. SEC
Last Season: Cincinnati 38, Boston College 6
Projection: Marshall vs. San Jose State
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Friday, January 1
ABC, 1:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Last Season: Alabama 35, Michigan 16
Projection: Northwestern vs. Auburn
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Saturday, January 2
ESPN, 12:00 pm
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Last Season: Tennessee 23, Indiana 22
Projection: Miami vs. Ole Miss
Outback Bowl
Saturday, January 2
ESPN, 12:30 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Last Season: Minnesota 31, Auburn 24
Projection: Iowa vs. Missouri
Bowls That Aren’t Being Played
Bahamas (Conference USA vs. MAC)
Fenway (the Montgomery Bowl this year)
Hawaii (Mountain West vs. AAC or Conference USA)
LA Bowl (Pac-12 vs. Mountain West)
Las Vegas (Pac-12 vs. SEC)
New Era Pinstripe (ACC vs Big Ten)
Quick Lane (Big Ten vs MAC)
Redbox (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday (ACC vs. Pac-12)
Tony the Tiger (ACC vs. Pac-12)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl (AAC vs. Conference USA)
– New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
– College Football Playoff Predictions
