Updated college football bowl projections: TCU in Fiesta, Ohio State in Peach
William Burgess Read The Athletic’s latest college football bowl projections.
Updated: Sunday at 2:30 a.m. ET.
TCU fell inches shy of the goal line and a Big 12 title in a 31-28 overtime loss to Kansas State, but the Horned Frogs (12-1) still are projected to qualify for the College Football Playoff. The only question remaining is whether TCU will remain at No. 3 or fall to No. 4 behind Ohio State in the final rankings
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Kansas State (10-3) will play in the Sugar Bowl, likely against Alabama. Georgia (13-0) will surely be the No. 1 seed after routing LSU in Atlanta. The Dawgs will be back there for the Peach Bowl semifinal on Dec. 31. Michigan (13-0) as the No. 2 seed will head to the Fiesta Bowl.
Clemson (11-2) beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game and will head to the Orange Bowl, where its likely opponent is Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Tulane beat UCF on Saturday to win the AAC championship. In doing so it will earn the Group of 5’s New Year’s Six bowl berth, which this year is in the Cotton Bowl. Fresno State beat Boise State in the Mountain West title game and will play in the L.A. Bowl.
As for two schools ending long bowl droughts: Kansas looks likely to reach the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, while Connecticut should go to one of ESPN Events’ Florida bowls. We have the Huskies in Boca Raton.
Reminders:
- Most bowls do not have to select in strict order of conference standings. “Big 12 No. 3” or “Big Ten No. 3” means third choice, not third place, which is why a team with a worse record or head-to-head loss can jump a conference rival.
- The SEC office plays matchmaker with its bowls and schools.
- ESPN Events owns and operates 16 of the 41 FBS bowls. Most of those bowls involve Group of 5 conferences. ESPN Events can move teams to create intriguing matchups.
- All times Eastern.
New Year's Six
| BOWL | DATE | TEAM | CITY | VIEWING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Orange | Dec. 30 | Clemson (ACC) vs. Tennessee (SEC/B1G/ND) | Miami | 8 p.m. ESPN |
Sugar | Dec. 31 | Kansas State (Big 12) vs. Alabama (SEC) | New Orleans | Noon, ESPN |
Fiesta | Dec. 31 | No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU | Glendale, Ariz. | 4 p.m./8 p.m. ESPN |
Peach | Dec. 31 | No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State | Atlanta | 4 p.m./8 p.m. ESPN |
Cotton | Jan. 2 | USC (at-large) vs. Tulane (at-large/G5) | Arlington, Texas | 1 p.m. ESPN |
Rose | Jan. 2 | Penn State (B1G) vs. Utah (Pac-12) | Pasadena, Calif. | 5 p.m. ESPN |
Remaining bowls
| BOWL | DATE | TEAMS | CITY | VIEWING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bahamas | Dec. 16 | Miami-OH (MAC) vs. UAB (C-USA) | Nassau, Bahamas | 11:30 a.m. ESPN |
Cure | Dec. 16 | UTSA (ESPN) vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN) | Orlando, Fla. | 3 p.m. ESPN |
Fenway | Dec. 17 | Louisville (ACC No. 9) vs. Cincinnati (AAC) | Boston | 11 a.m. ESPN |
New Mexico | Dec. 17 | BYU (ESPN) vs. SMU (ESPN) | Albuquerque, N.M. | 2:15 p.m. ESPN |
LA Bowl | Dec. 17 | Washington State (Pac-12 No. 6) vs. Fresno State (MWC No. 1) | Inglewood, Calif. | 3:30 p.m. ABC |
Lendingtree | Dec. 17 | Southern Miss (Sun Belt No. 5) vs. Bowling Green (C-USA/MAC) | Mobile, Ala. | 5:45 p.m. ESPN |
Vegas | Dec. 17 | Oregon State (Pac-12 No. 4) vs. Florida (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Las Vegas | 7:30 p.m. ABC |
Frisco | Dec. 17 | Houston (ESPN) vs. Boise State (ESPN) | Frisco, Texas | 9:15 p.m. ESPN |
Myrtle Beach | Dec. 19 | South Alabama (ESPN) vs. Liberty (ESPN) | Myrtle Beach, S.C. | 2:30 p.m. ESPN |
Idaho Potato | Dec. 20 | Utah State (MWC) vs. Buffalo (MAC) | Boise, Idaho | 3:30 p.m. ESPN |
Boca Raton | Dec. 20 | Rice (ESPN) vs. Connecticut (ESPN) | Boca Raton, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. ESPN |
New Orleans | Dec. 21 | Troy (Sun Belt No. 2) vs. North Texas (C-USA) | New Orleans | 8 p.m. ESPN |
Armed Forces | Dec. 22 | Air Force (ESPN) vs. Oklahoma State (ESPN) | Fort Worth, Texas | 7:30 p.m. ESPN |
Independence | Dec. 23 | Louisiana* (Army) vs. Memphis (AAC) | Shreveport, La. | 3 p.m. ESPN |
Gasparilla | Dec. 23 | East Carolina (ESPN) vs. Wake Forest (ESPN) | Tampa, Fla. | 6:30 p.m. ESPN |
Hawaii | Dec. 24 | San Diego State (MWC) vs. Middle Tennessee (C-USA) | Honolulu | 8 p.m. ESPN |
Quick Lane | Dec. 26 | New Mexico State* (Big Ten No. 8) vs. Eastern Michigan (MAC) | Detroit | 2:30 p.m. ESPN |
Camellia | Dec. 27 | Georgia Southern (ESPN) vs. Ohio (ESPN) | Montgomery, Ala. | Noon ESPN |
First Responder | Dec. 27 | San Jose State (ESPN) vs. Western Kentucky (ESPN) | University Park, Texas | 3:15 p.m./6:45 p.m. ESPN |
Birmingham | Dec. 27 | Marshall (AAC) vs. Missouri (SEC No. 9) | Birmingham, Ala. | 3:15 p.m./6:45 p.m. ESPN |
Guaranteed Rate | Dec. 27 | Wisconsin (Big Ten No. 7) vs. Baylor (Big 12 No. 6) | Phoenix | 10:15 p.m. ESPN |
Military | Dec. 28 | UCF (AAC) vs. Duke (ACC No. 8) | Annapolis, Md. | 2 p.m. ESPN |
Liberty | Dec. 28 | Kansas (Big 12 No. 5) vs. Kentucky (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Memphis, Tenn. | 5:30 p.m. ESPN |
Holiday | Dec. 28 | North Carolina (ACC Nos. 2-4) vs. Oregon (Pac-12 No. 3) | San Diego | 8 p.m. Fox |
Texas | Dec. 28 | Texas Tech (Big 12 No. 4) vs. Arkansas (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Houston | 9 p.m. ESPN |
Pinstripe | Dec. 29 | Minnesota (Big Ten No. 5) vs. Syracuse (ACC Nos. 5-7) | Bronx, N.Y. | 2 p.m. ESPN |
Cheez-It | Dec. 29 | Oklahoma (Big 12 No. 3) vs. Florida State (ACC Nos. 2-4) | Orlando, Fla. | 5:30 p.m. ESPN |
Alamo | Dec. 29 | Texas (Big 12 No. 2) vs. Washington (Pac-12 No. 2) | San Antonio, Texas | 9 p.m. ESPN |
Duke's Mayo | Dec. 30 | Maryland (Big Ten No. 6) vs. NC State (ACC Nos. 5-7) | Charlotte, N.C. | Noon ESPN |
Sun | Dec. 30 | Pittsburgh (ACC Nos. 5-7) vs. UCLA (Pac-12 No. 5) | El Paso, Texas | 2 p.m. CBS |
Gator | Dec. 30 | Notre Dame (ACC Nos. 3-5) vs. Ole Miss (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Jacksonville, Fla. | 3:30 p.m. ESPN |
Arizona | Dec. 30 | Wyoming (MWC) vs. Toledo (MAC) | Tucson, Ariz. | 4:30 p.m. Barstool |
Music City | Dec. 31 | Iowa (Big Ten No. 4) vs. Mississippi State (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Nashville | Noon ABC |
ReliaQuest | Jan. 2 | Illinois (Big Ten No. 3) vs. South Carolina (SEC Nos. 3-8) | Tampa, Fla. | Noon ESPN2 |
Citrus | Jan. 2 | Purdue (Big Ten No. 2) vs. LSU (SEC No.2 ) | Orlando, Fla. | 1 p.m. ABC |
Teams that have accepted official bids are in bold.
* Replacement team for a conference without an eligible team.
(Photo: Kevin Abele / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
