Sometimes, college football gives us a break from the insanity. Week 12 wasn’t as crazy as the last few weeks, but we still saw a playoff contender get knocked off. That changes our college football bowl projections and affects the College Football Playoff bracket as well.
College Football Bowl Projections | Week 13
How do the bowl projections shake up following another week in college football? Which teams do we project playing in bowl games this season?
Bowl Projections
Texas Bowl: Iowa State vs. Mississippi State
Citrus Bowl: Michigan State vs. Kentucky
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arkansas
Arizona Bowl: Utah State vs. Eastern Michigan
Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. UCLA
Gator Bowl: NC State vs. Tennessee
Las Vegas Bowl: Minnesota vs. Oregon State
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Texas A&M
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri
Alamo Bowl: Arizona State vs. Wake Forest
Cheez-It Bowl: Boston College vs. Kansas State
Pinstripe Bowl: North Carolina vs. Penn State
Fenway Bowl: Miami (FL) vs. Houston
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Purdue
Holiday Bowl: Clemson vs. Baylor
More Bowl Projections
Liberty Bowl: West Virginia vs. South Carolina
First Responder Bowl: Syracuse vs. Louisiana
Birmingham Bowl: UTSA vs. SMU
Military Bowl: ECU vs. Western Kentucky
Quick Lane Bowl: Maryland vs. Central Michigan
Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Appalachian State
Hawaii Bowl: San Diego State vs. UAB
Gasparilla Bowl: Washington State vs. West Virginia
Armed Forces Bowl: UCF vs. Coastal Carolina
Frisco Bowl: BYU vs. Fresno State
Remaining Bowl Projections
Idaho Potato Bowl: Nevada vs. Washington State
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Liberty vs. Florida State
New Orleans Bowl: South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech
Los Angeles Bowl: Air Force vs. South Alabama
Lending Tree Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. Boise State
Independence Bowl: Marshall vs. Army
New Mexico Bowl: UTEP vs. Wyoming
Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Tulsa
Cure Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State
Bahamas Bowl: Memphis vs. San Jose State
Analyzing the College Football Bowl Projections
If you like running the football, there are a number of games for you. Michigan State and Kentucky square off, meaning we get to watch Kenneth Walker III and Christopher Rodriguez duel it out. Wisconsin and Arkansas might see who can throw the least amount of passes, but it will be a battle in the trenches.
Underrated games include a UTSA team that survived another week in thrilling fashion against an SMU squad that finds itself reeling. Holton Ahlers (ECU) and Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky) are capable of throwing for over 400 yards each, which could lead to an exciting contest.
College Football’s New Year’s Six and Playoff Projections
Cotton Bowl: Georgia vs. Cincinnati
Orange Bowl: Ohio State vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State
Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Utah
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh
Peach Bowl: Oregon vs. Oklahoma
Analyzing the New Year’s Bowl Projections
We saw the most change in our college football bowl projections in the New Year’s Six bowl games. Oregon’s loss to Utah stings, but it doesn’t knock them out of this group completely.
Georgia and Cincinnati remain on track for a rematch of last year’s Peach Bowl. Ohio State and Alabama face off in a familiar matchup, with the Buckeyes playing lights out lately. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud sling it out, but the real battle everyone wants to watch is Jameson Williams and John Metchie III vs. Ohio State’s trio of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ole Miss learned QB Matt Corral will declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, so his status for a bowl game appears to be in jeopardy against Oklahoma State. Confidence in Utah rose this weekend, and they’ll face a Michigan team that’s ready to win a Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997.
Notre Dame’s playing as well as anyone, and missing the playoff still means they land a Fiesta Bowl game against Pitt. Kenny Pickett can sling it, and the Fighting Irish would need to find a way to slow down Jordan Addison, too. Oregon’s consolation prize for losing this weekend is a matchup against Oklahoma, and a win for either program could build momentum for the 2022 campaign.