Alabama looked like world-beaters. Cincinnati likely becomes the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines run over Iowa en route to the CFP, and Georgia is the de facto No. 3 or 4 team. That’s what we know. Here are the rest of the college football bowl projections following conference championship weekend.
College Football Bowl Projections
What are the college football bowl projections following the 2021 season? How do the New Year’s Six and College Football Playoffs shake out?
Friday, December 17
- Bahamas Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo
- Tailgreeter Cure Bowl: North Carolina vs. Kent State
Saturday, December 18
- RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State
- New Mexico Bowl: UTEP vs. Fresno State
- Radiance Technology Independence Bowl: UAB vs. BYU
- LendingTree Bowl: Marshall vs. Appalachian State
- Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel: San Diego State vs. Oregon State
- R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: UTSA vs. Louisiana
Monday, December 20
- Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by TaxAct: Coastal Carolina vs. Old Dominion
Tuesday, December 21
- Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Boise State
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl: North Texas vs. Tulsa
Wednesday, December 22
- Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs. Army
Thursday, December 23
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: UCF vs. Florida
Friday, December 24
- EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawai’i
Saturday, December 25
- TaxAct Camellia Bowl: Liberty vs. Western Michigan
Monday, December 27
- Quick Lane Bowl: Missouri vs. Central Michigan
- Military Bowl Presented by Peraton: Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina
Tuesday, December 28
- TickerSmarter Birmingham Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. LSU
- SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: San Diego State vs. Air Force
- AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Auburn
- San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. UCLA
- Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Purdue
Wednesday, December 29
- Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. Houston
- New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. NC State
- Cheez-It Bowl: Clemson vs. Iowa State
- Valero Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon
Thursday, December 30
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Virginia vs. South Carolina
- TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Arkansas vs. Minnesota
- Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State
- SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State vs. Penn State
Friday, December 31
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Tennessee
- Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Miami (FL) vs. Washington State
- Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: Utah State vs. Northern Illinois
Saturday, January 1
- Vrbo Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Texas A&M
- Allstate Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Baylor
Tuesday, January 4
- TaxAct Texas Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech
Date TBD
Mystery Bowl unnamed in Texas: Wyoming vs. Miami (OH)
Analyzing the College Football Bowl Projections
Among the bevy of intriguing matchups in the “non-NY6” bowl games, several conference champions vs. conference champions matchups take center stage. While some have UTSA taking on BYU in the Independence Bowl, the matchup against fellow conference champion Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl is too big of a draw to look over.
UTSA and Louisiana would essentially duke it out for Group of Five supremacy for teams not named Cincinnati. They would also lock up a spot in the Top 25 preseason rankings for next year in the process. The Arizona Bowl also pits MWC champ Utah State against MAC champ Northern Illinois.
Both USU and NIU dominated the action in their respective conference championship games on Saturday. As such, they ride into the New Year’s Eve game on high notes. Then, there’s Oklahoma vs. Oregon, which needs no introduction.
Western Kentucky would take on LSU to prove once and for all that LSU can’t defend the Air Raid offense. Coastal Carolina stays home in the Myrtle Beach Bowl while Florida and UCF take out their collective frustrations against one another in Tampa.
College Football’s New Year’s Six and Playoff Projections
- Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Cincinnati
- Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan
- Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Baylor
- Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon
- Fiesta Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oklahoma State
- Peach Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh
Analyzing the New Year’s Bowl Projections
What more can be said about Alabama that hasn’t already been said. Even after spotting the Bulldogs 10 points, the Crimson Tide were never in doubt of losing the SEC Championship to Georgia. They battled their way through adversity this season, and Nick Saban once again has led an impressive group into the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State takes on a scary Utah team while Oklahoma State is a downtrodden unit against a Michigan State team happy to be there. Don’t overlook Pittsburgh putting up a bevy of points on Notre Dame as Kenny Pickett looks to cement his legacy with one last game.
Then, there are the big ones where Cincinnati doesn’t get Georgia, rather Alabama. This is up for debate as the College Football Playoff Committee would have to move Cincinnati up to No. 3, ahead of Georgia, something that seems unlikely. That means a No. 4 Cincinnati team takes on a No. 1 Alabama team while Michigan gets handed Georgia.
Cincinnati gave Georgia all they could handle a year ago, proving they belong on the national stage. But Alabama in the College Football Playoff is a different story.