The College Football News bowl projections, and the predictions for the College Football Playoff after Week 1.
It’s going to be the weirdest bowl season ever, starting with hoping that there actually will be a bowl season.
There are too many bowls available considering just 76 teams are expected to play college football in 2020 – maybe 77 if you throw in Air Force – so some modifications have to be made.
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One thing is for certain – no one knows exactly how this is all going to work. So let’s start with a few things we’re almost sure of.
1. Don’t project anything for the Big Ten, Pac-12, MAC and Mountain West. If they return, we’ll add them into the projections.
2. The College Football Playoff schedule is set. Assume the CFP will go off, and as long as there’s some normalcy to this college football season, expect the New Year’s Six and biggest bowls are going to happen.
3. Remember, ESPN has a LOT of money pumped into this. It’s going to want programming, and everyone will want to try generating revenue wherever and however they can. If it’s possible to do this, it’ll happen, which is why …
4. The NCAA and the eligibility side will become really, really flexible. The call will be for a team to get to five wins to get in, but considering some have scheduling issues, the first bar will probably be set at going .500. Also …
5. This can be changed. The whole eligibility thing is an arbitrary call. Remember, outside of the College Football Playoff, these are all glorified exhibitions. There’s a shot that everyone gets to go bowling this year to get in one extra game.
To do this, we have to eliminate some bowls that would’ve been going in normal times. The RedBox (Big Ten vs. Pac-12) has already decided not to go.
Because geography will matter more than ever, and because of the contracted bowl tie-ins, we’re going to assume that three – Famous Idaho Potato (MAC vs. Mountain West), Quick Lane (Big Ten vs. MAC), and the NOVA Home Loans Arizona (MAC vs. Mountain West) – won’t happen.
So here’s how we’re going to do this. The College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six are set, and we’ll assume the cut-off will be for teams to get to .500, with a few exceptions for teams that get close.
As an added twist, we’ll also include a slew of mid-level bowl games that can only be played if everyone gets to go bowling regardless of record. So …
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2020-2021 Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff Predictions: Week 1
BOWL PROJECTIONS
If every college team is allowed to go bowling regardless of record
Call these the bowl games on the bubble. The only way they’ll be played will be if all the teams are allowed to go bowling – or if the Big Ten and Pac-12 return. Don’t assume any of them will go off – few of these teams will be bowl eligible, if any – but …
Bahamas Bowl
ESPN, Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Middle Tennessee vs. ULM
Cactus Bowl
ESPN, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Bowl Projection: Kansas vs. Vanderbilt
Camellia Bowl
ESPN, Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Rice vs. South Alabama
Gasparillia Bowl
ESPN, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or SEC
Bowl Projection: Georgia Tech vs. FIU
LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Pac-12 vs. MWC
Bowl Projection: Duke vs. Ole Miss
Mistubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
ESPN, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Georgia State vs. Missouri
Myrtle Beach Bowl
ESPN, Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or MAC or Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: USF vs. Coastal Carolina
New Mexico Bowl
ESPN, Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or C-USA or MAC
Bowl Projection: East Carolina vs. UTEP
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
ESPN, Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12
Bowl Projection: North Texas vs. Arkansas
SoFi Hawaii Bowl
ESPN, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: MWC vs. AAC or C-USA
Bowl Projection: Tulsa vs. Charlotte
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
ESPN, Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Normal Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or C-USA or MAC or MWC
Bowl Projection: Texas State vs. UTSA
Those bowls are all long shots – again, most of those teams won’t be close to bowl eligible – and then there are the …
– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 1
– Bowls That Will Likely Be Played, Part 2
– New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
– College Football Playoff Predictions