This is the week 9 edition of college football bowl projections, where teams continue to shuffle their bowl placements based on their performances. Let’s get right into the matchups!
Celebration Bowl (Dec. 12 at 12 PM EST)
South Carolina State vs Alabama A&M
Arizona Bowl (TBD)
Western Michigan vs UNLV
Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15 at 5:30 PM EST)
Buffalo vs Tulsa
Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15 at 9 PM EST)
Arkansas State vs San Jose State
San Juan Bowl (Dec. 16 at 7:30 PM EST)
Clemson vs Appalachian State
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec.18 at 11 AM EST)
UConn vs South Alabama
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18 at 2:30 PM EST)
Auburn vs James Madison
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21 at 11 AM EST)
South Florida vs Delaware
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21 at 2:30 PM EST)
Louisiana vs Wyoming
Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22 at 1:30 PM EST)
Miami OH vs Colorado State
Cure Bowl (Dec. 22 at 5 PM EST)
Toledo vs Liberty
Independence Bowl (Dec. 22 at 8:30 PM EST)
Memphis vs Kansas State
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23 at 2 PM EST)
Jacksonville State vs Louisiana Tech
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23 at 5:30 PM EST)
West Virginia vs Air Force
Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23 at 7:30 PM EST)
New Mexico vs Oregon State
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23 at 9 PM EST)
Middle Tennessee State vs Fresno State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24 at 2:30 PM EST)
Georgia State vs North Dakota State
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24 at 7 PM EST)
UAB vs Texas State
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26 at 12 PM EST)
North Carolina vs Nebraska
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26 at 2 PM EST)
Duke vs Florida Atlantic
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26 at 3:30 PM EST)
Louisville vs Iowa
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26 at 5:30 PM EST)
Marshall vs Ohio
Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26 at 7:30 PM EST)
Illinois vs Cincinnati
Military Bowl (Dec. 28 at 2 PM EST)
Boston College vs North Texas
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28 at 5 PM EST)
Florida State vs Washington
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29 at 2 PM EST)
Mississippi State vs UTSA
Pop Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29 at 5:30 PM EST)
SMU vs Houston
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29 at 9 PM EST)
Texas Tech vs USC
Gator Bowl (Dec. 30 at 11:30 PM EST)
Virginia Tech vs LSU
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30 at 3 PM EST)
Minnesota vs Ole Miss
Reliaquest Bowl (Dec. 31 at 12 PM EST)
Wisconsin vs Florida
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31 at 2 PM EST)
Pittsburgh vs Oregon
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31 at 3:45 PM EST)
Arizona vs Tennessee
Texas Bowl (Dec. 31 at 7:30 PM EST)
Oklahoma State vs Missouri
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2 at 12 PM EST)
Northwestern vs Alabama
First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2 at 3:30 PM EST)
Michigan vs Army
Liberty Bowl (Jan 2. At 7:30 PM EST)
UCF vs South Carolina
CFP First Round:
8/9:
UCLA vs Kentucky
This is the first time Kentucky has appeared in Chandler’s College Football Playoff bowl projections. First year head coach WIll Stein has his Wildcats at 7-1, with two ranked wins so far. They travel to Pasadena to play UCLA, who continues to find ways to win with Ty Dieffenbach at quarterback.
5/12:
Indiana vs Boise State
Boise State has a strong grip on the G6 playoff spot heading into week 9. They have won 6 straight after losing to Oregon in week 1. Indiana has had poor offensive showings over the last few weeks, but their defense weathered this storm against Michigan last weekend. Boise State should be able to take this game to the last possession.
7/10:
Notre Dame vs Wake Forest
Two teams who are still largely unproven face off in the first round. Notre Dame’s best win is against Wisconsin, while Wake Forest’s best win came over Louisville. Wake Forest has won their last four games since the loss against Miami, with an average margin of victory of about 29 points. The Demon Deacons get the edge here because of their recent offensive firepower.
6/11:
BYU vs Texas
Texas is back in the playoff as the only two-loss team following a win over Ole Miss. Turnovers are still an issue for Arch Manning, which will be more costly in the postseason. BYU saw UCF’s best in the upset loss and will need to bounce back. BYU is capable of beating the best as seen with Notre Dame, but this will be a competitive game that goes down to the wire.
CFP Quarterfinals:
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30 at 7:30 PM EST)
4 Utah vs Indiana
Utah overcame first half offensive struggles to beat Houston in their biggest game of the season to this point. A game against Indiana would be low scoring because of their strong defenses, but Utah has shown an intense ground attack through both Devon Dampier and Wayshawn Parker that would likely win them this type of game.
Peach Bowl (Jan 1. at TBD)
1 Miami vs Kentucky
The biggest question here is if Kentucky can stop Miami’s high powered offense. Nobody has been able to stop the Hurricanes, who have scored 30+ points in every game this season. Kentucky’s offense will not be able to keep up unless their defense forces turnovers and takes Malachi Toney away as Miami’s No. 1 offensive target.
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1 at TBD)
3 Georgia vs BYU
Georgia has not seen the field since being upset at home by Auburn. Gunner Stockton should be able to bounce back from his mistakes in that game and get the offense rolling again. The Bulldog defense is elite and will make life tough for BYU offensively in this matchup.
Rose Bowl (Jan 1. at TBD)
2 Ohio State vs Wake Forest
There is still no indication of the impact Luke Fahey at quarterback will have on Ohio State, as they are coming off of a bye week. However, the Buckeye defense stepped up at Indiana when Julian Sayin went down and Ohio State won the game. This dominance defensively will need to continue for Ohio State to make it into the playoff and win this matchup against Wake Forest.
CFP Semifinals:
Orange Bowl (Jan 14. at 7:30 PM EST)
Miami vs Utah
Sugar Bowl (Jan 15. at 7:30 PM EST)
Ohio State vs Georgia
Conference Winners:
ACC
Miami
American
UTSA
Big 12
Utah
Big Ten
Ohio State
CUSA
Liberty
MAC
Toledo
Mountain West
New Mexico
Pac-12
Boise State
SEC
Georgia
Sun Belt
James Madison
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