It is time for the first bowl projections of the season! Each team has given a glimpse of how they will look this season, and with that comes creating hypothetical bowl matchups. New to this year’s bowl season are the Cactus Bowl (replacing the Rate Bowl), the Puerto Rico Bowl (replacing the Bahamas Bowl), the return of the Poinsettia Bowl (replacing the LA Bowl), and the Frisco Football Classic. Below is every matchup, including the College Football Playoff, and the teams that are projected to play in December/January.
Celebration Bowl (Dec. 12 at 12 PM EST)
South Carolina State vs Alabama State
Arizona Bowl (TBD)
Central Michigan vs UNLV
Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15 at 5:30 PM EST)
North Texas vs Georgia State
Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15 at 9 PM EST)
Akron vs Southern Miss
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec.18 at 11 AM EST)
Marshall vs UTSA
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18 at 2:30 PM EST)
Auburn vs James Madison
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21 at 11 AM EST)
Old Dominion vs UMass
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21 at 2:30 PM EST)
Toledo vs South Alabama
Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22 at 1:30 PM EST)
USF vs Miami OH
Cure Bowl (Dec. 22 at 5 PM EST)
UConn vs Delaware
Independence Bowl (Dec. 22 at 8:30 PM EST)
Kansas State vs Washington
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23 at 2 PM EST)
Missouri State vs Louisiana
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23 at 5:30 PM EST)
Arizona State vs Army
Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23 at 7:30 PM EST)
North Dakota State vs Boise State
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23 at 9 PM EST)
Middle Tennessee State vs Texas State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24 at 2:30 PM EST)
New Mexico vs Appalachian State
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24 at 7 PM EST)
Hawaii vs Colorado State
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26 at 12 PM EST)
Pittsburgh vs Minnesota
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26 at 2 PM EST)
Vanderbilt vs Memphis
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26 at 3:30 PM EST)
Virginia vs Michigan
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26 at 5:30 PM EST)
Louisiana Tech vs Jacksonville State
Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26 at 7:30 PM EST)
Nebraska vs Iowa State
Military Bowl (Dec. 28 at 2 PM EST)
Florida State vs Tulsa
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28 at 5 PM EST)
Duke vs UCLA
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29 at 2 PM EST)
Kentucky vs Troy
Pop Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29 at 5:30 PM EST)
Virginia Tech vs Houston
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29 at 9 PM EST)
Texas Tech vs Oregon
Gator Bowl (Dec. 30 at 11:30 PM EST)
SMU vs Mississippi State
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30 at 3 PM EST)
Northwestern vs Florida
Reliaquest Bowl (Dec. 31 at 12 PM EST)
Iowa vs LSU
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31 at 2 PM EST)
Wake Forest vs Arizona
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31 at 3:45 PM EST)
USC vs Missouri
Texas Bowl (Dec. 31 at 7:30 PM EST)
Oklahoma State vs Texas A&M
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2 at 12 PM EST)
Penn State vs Tennessee
First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2 at 3:30 PM EST)
Cincinnati vs San Diego State
Liberty Bowl (Jan 2. At 7:30 PM EST)
West Virginia vs Oklahoma
CFP First Round:
8/9:
Utah vs Alabama
Photo Courtesy Utah Athletics
Many people are not as high on Utah as I am, but I see a team that has the potential to host a first round matchup. Built on an experienced defense under Morgan Scalley, the offense has impressed in the first few weeks thanks to QB Devon Dampier and WR Braden Pegan. Coming to Salt Lake City would be Alabama, who has shown flashes in their games so far but have made several early-game mistakes that would be hard to overcome against a CFP team.
5/12:
Ole Miss vs Western Michigan
Photo Courtesy Ole Miss Athletics
Just missing out on a first round bye is Ole Miss, and they would host the MAC Champions, Western Michigan. The Broncos use a run-heavy offense led by QB Broc Lowry along with a stout defense that would put up a fight against Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy. However, the Ole Miss offense is no match to what Western Michigan faced against Michigan, so I have the Rebels running away with this one.
7/10:
Ohio State vs BYU
Photo Courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Ryan Day would be back to the same point he was two years ago, when the Buckeyes hosted a first round game and decided to keep winning en route to a national championship. This would be Kalani Sitake’s first CFP game with BYU, and he would rally the team to put up a fight against Ohio State. Ultimately, it will take a missed OSU field goal for BYU to win here, and history has told us that scenarios like this are not uncommon.
6/11:
Notre Dame vs Louisville
Photo Courtesy Louisville Athletics
In this scenario, there would be nothing for Notre Dame fans to complain about regarding their placement in the playoff. The Irish have the ability to make a long run, but they could also go down in the first round depending on their matchup. Louisville, led by Lincoln Kienholz, knows how to consistently put points up on the board, and if Notre Dame cannot compete with them drive for drive on offense, this is the game where I see an upset happening.
CFP Quarterfinals:
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30 at 7:30 PM EST)
3 Georgia vs Louisville
Two southern teams get to travel across the country to Phoenix, and Jeff Brohm gets a nice introduction to what it is like coaching against Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. Georgia wins this one and advances in the CFP for the first time since 2022.
Peach Bowl (Jan 1. at TBD)
2 Texas vs Ohio State
Take what Ohio State did in the first half versus Texas two weeks ago, keep it going in the second half, and Ohio State gets their revenge. Ryan Day will not make the same mistake twice with his game management, and the players will be extra motivated like they were after the Michigan loss in 2024.
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1 at TBD)
1 Miami vs Utah
It’s hard to pick against my #1 team at this point of the season because of how electric Miami’s offense is. Fresh off a bye, they take care of business against Utah and ride into the next round of the CFP.
Rose Bowl (Jan 1. at TBD)
4 Indiana vs Ole Miss
Similar to Miami, is it possible to say Curt Cignetti is going to lose another football game? I am not betting on another magical run at this point in time, partly due to how good Ole Miss looked against Louisville and LSU. Pete Golding is writing his own story in Oxford right now following the Lane Kiffin saga and is doing a pretty good job with his team.
CFP Semifinals:
Orange Bowl (Jan 14. at 7:30 PM EST)
Miami vs Ole Miss
A rematch of last year’s Fiesta Bowl goes to Hard Rock Stadium for round 2. The two Heisman frontrunners, Darian Mensah and Trinidad Chambliss, battle for what is likely a QB1 position in the 2027 NFL draft.
Sugar Bowl (Jam 15. At 7:30 PM EST)
Ohio State vs Georgia
These two programs have not seen each other since Ohio State’s kicker, Noah Ruggles, shanked the game winning field goal in the 2022 Peach Bowl, as the first ball drop on that New Year’s Eve night. Ryan Day gets another crack at taking down Kirby Smart, the most accomplished coach right now (sorry Dabo Swinney).
Conference Winners:
ACC
Miami
American
Tulsa
Big 12
Utah
Big Ten
Indiana
CUSA
Delaware
MAC
Western Michigan
Mountain West
North Dakota State
Pac-12
Boise State
SEC
Texas
Sun Belt
James Madison