Tag: Bowl Projections

Tar Heels slated to face MAC power in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bowl projections

The UNC football team’s latest bowl projection has it facing off against one of the MAC’s top programs.

Despite all the disappointing results they’ve suffered during the 2024 college football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels will be playing in a bowl game later this month.

UNC won its first three games – beating Minnesota, Charlotte and NC Central – then lost to James Madison, Duke, Pitt and Georgia Tech.

North Carolina won its fourth game at Virginia, fifth at Florida State and then did what seemed impossible during its slide: clinch a bowl game by holding off Wake Forest.

Bowl projections change continuously – and we still don’t know where the Tar Heels will land.

In USA TODAY Sports’ latest projections, though, UNC will face the Ohio Bobcats in Detroit, Michigan at Ford Field in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

This bowl game was previously known as the Quick Lane Bowl for 10 years, Ironically, North Carolina participated in the first-ever Quick Lane Bowl back in 2014, losing 40-21 to Rutgers.

The Tar Heels, despite their cold stretches in recent years, will be bowling for a sixth-consecutive season. UNC faced West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl during 2023, losing 30-10 in Conner Harrell’s first start.

North Carolina’s only bowl victory during its current streak came back in 2019, when it dominated Temple, 55-13, during the Military Bowl. The Tar Heels lost to Texas A&M (41-27) in the 2021 Orange Bowl (2020 regular season), South Carolina (38-21) in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl and Oregon (28-27) in the 2022 Holiday Bowl.

Though it’s always exciting for your team to play in bowl games, they are essentially glorified exhibitions – unless you’re in the College Football Playoff. UNC lost its past two games, at Boston College then against NC State, so a bowl victory would be the perfect cap to another disappointing season.

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Where USA TODAY Sports sees Florida playing its bowl game

Here’s where USA TODAY Sports thinks the Gators will be playing their first postseason game in two years.

After missing out on the college football postseason last year, the Florida Gators will once again be playing in a bowl game thanks to the seven regular-season wins earned by Billy Napier and Co.

The clincher came two weeks ago when the Orange and Blue upset the highly-ranked Ole Miss Rebels in the Swamp, which followed a monumental victory over the LSU Tigers at home to kick off the winning streak. Then the triumph in Tallahassee last Saturday over the Florida State Seminoles clinched a winning record.

Last update, USA TODAY Sports editor Erick Smith picked Florida to face the Kansas State Wildcats in the Liberty Bowl. This week, the Gators are matched up with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Birmingham Bowl, which is scheduled to be played on Friday, Dec. 27 at either noon or 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Other Bowl Predictions

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach submitted their projections this week, with the former picking Florida against the TCU Horned Frogs in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. That game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Schlabach, on the other hand, foresees a trip to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl inside EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, against the Syracuse Orange on Thursday, Jan. 2. ESPN will also broadcast that game and kickoff is set for 7 p.m ET.

CBS Sports writer Jerry Palm projects the Gators to compete in the Gasparilla Bowl against the Memphis Tigers inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. That takes place on Friday, Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Latest USA TODAY Sports bowl projection create Big Ten matchup for Duke football

Where are the Duke Blue Devils in the latest USA TODAY Sports bowl projections?

Duke ended the 2024 college football regular season with a last-second 23-17 victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The Blue Devils finished up with a 9-3 record in the end, their second nine-win season in three years, to finish in a tie for fourth in the ACC (5-3 conference record). It’s clear Duke will draw a worthy bowl destination, but the question remains where that ends up being.

In Erick Smith’s latest bowl projections for USA TODAY Sports published on Monday, the Blue Devils drew the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The game, an ironic landing spot for Duke, will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the night of January 3rd.

Minnesota finished the season with seven wins, tied for seventh in the Big Ten with a 5-4 conference record. Despite the mediocre record, the Golden Gophers took some top teams down to the wire. They lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions, a certain College Football Playoff team, by one point just weeks after a 27-24 loss to the Michigan Wolverines.

Thanks to Miami’s 42-38 loss to Syracuse on Saturday, Smith thinks the SMU Mustangs will be the only ACC representative in the 12-team playoff bracket.

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed in ESPN’s latest Bowl Projections?

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed in ESPN’s latest bowl projections after Week 14?

The regular season has come to a close for the Oklahoma Sooners and now we wait. Wait for the Sooners to hire and offensive coordinator and wait for championship weekend to unfold to see where Oklahoma will play their bowl game.

Though the Sooners are just 6-6, they’ll be a popular choice for a variety of bowl venues due to the fan base’s willingness to travel and the eyes that they’ll draw on the broadcast.

For the team, the bowl game represents an opportunity to earn a payday, but just as important is the opportunity to give younger guys on the roster some snaps.

In ESPN’s latest bowl projections (ESPN+), college football analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are split on where they expect the Oklahoma Sooners to land in bowl season. Bonagura believes the Sooners will head to the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida to play the N.C. State Wolfpack. N.C. State finished the season 6-6 and 3-5 in ACC play with wins over Cal, Stanford, and UNC in conference play.

Schlabach has the Sooners landing in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, facing former Big 12 foe, the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU went 8-4 and 6-3 in Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs are riding a three-game winning streak, beating Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Cincinnati to close the season. They also earned wins over Kansas and Utah during conference play.

Whichever bowl Oklahoma lands in, they’ll face a challenge as they try to formulate an offense that can be more efficient than what we’ve seen in SEC play.

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ESPN suggests these two bowl destinations for Florida after FSU win

ESPN updated its bowl projections for the Florida Gators after the dust settled from college football’s Week 14.

Florida football clinched a bowl berth two weekends ago with a win over the Ole Miss Rebels in the Swamp and then solidified its first winning campaign in four years in Tallahassee on Saturday with a 31-11 win over the Florida State Seminoles.

Now that the Gators are back in the postseason picture, the national media has begun including Billy Napier and Co. in their respective bowl game projections. Last week, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach submitted their first predictions for the Orange and Blue during the regular season; they offer their updated takes after Week 14.

ESPN’s bowl predictions for Florida

Bonagura projects a Florida matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl — the game Schlabach picked last week — at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. That game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Schlabach now foresees a trip to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl inside EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, against the Syracuse Orange on Thursday, Jan. 2. ESPN will also broadcast that game and kickoff is set for 7 p.m ET.

Next up for Florida

The Gator Nation waits with bated breath to hear which bowl game their beloved football team will play in this winter. Stay tuned to this website for more information.

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CBS Sports bowl projection predicts Penn State’s playoff fate following Big Ten championship game

What does Penn State’s College Football Playoff outlook look like now after clinching a spot in the Big Ten championship game?

Penn State will get a slightly surprising chance to play for the Big Ten championship next weekend in Indianapolis after finishing off an 11-1 regular season and getting a big helping hand from Michigan to drop Ohio State into two-loss territory. A win next weekend against undefeated Oregon may be considered a bit surprising as well, but it would be rewarded with not only a Big Ten trophy to add to Penn State’s collection, but a first-round bye in the upcoming College Football Playoff.

But the latest bowl projection from CBS Sports suggests Penn State may not come home from Indianapolis next week with a new trophy. Instead, Penn State will be gearing up for a first-round playoff matchup.

Jerry Palm of CBSSports is projecting Oregon to top Penn State in the Big Ten championship game, keeping the top-ranked Ducks in the no. 1 seed in the playoff and getting the first-round bye. Without a conference championship, Penn State would be knocked out of any bye situation and would be playing in the first round. According to Palm’s latest projection, Penn State would fall to the no. 6 seed in the bracket, which would be good enough to secure a home playoff game in Beaver Stadium.

So who would Penn State play according to this projection? The Indiana Hoosiers.

Like Penn State, Indiana wrapped up an 11-1 regular season and both teams lost to Ohio State for their only setbacks in the regular season. Penn State got the nod for the Big Ten title game appearance over Indiana based on a tiebreaker related to the combined winning percentage by opponents since the two schools did not face each other this season. You have to imagine Indiana would be absolutely fired up to make a point if they did indeed have to make the trip to Beaver Stadium for the first round.

According to Palm’s updated playoff projection, the winner of the hypothetical Penn State-Indiana matchup would go on to face SMU, whom Palm is predicting will win the ACC and get a first-round bye. Matchups against Indiana (at home) and SMU may not be the worst draw in the playoff field. Wins in each could set up a potential matchup with Georgia (Palm’s projected SEC champion), Notre Dame, or Arizona State (Palm’s projected Big 12 champion).

The College Football Playoff selection committee will update its rankings on Tuesday night. Penn State could be about to move up one spot overall following Ohio State’s loss. But the focus now is simply on trying to take down Oregon and hand the Ducks their first loss of the year. A win could potentially land Penn State the no. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

You can view all of Palm’s updated College Football Playoff projections via CBSSports.com.

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UNC’s bowl game projection changes after big loss at Boston College

Yes, the North Carolina Tar Heels will be playing in a bowl game.

Believe it or not, the North Carolina Tar Heels will still participate in college football’s postseason.

That reality is certainly difficult to believe after Saturday’s letdown, in which UNC lost 41-21 at Boston College. The final score is misleading, as North Carolina (6-5, 3-4) trailed by 34 points, until two garbage-time scores from freshman running back Davion Gause.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the Tar Heels clinched their sixth-consecutive trip to a bowl game. UNC held off Wake Forest, 31-24, enjoying a career day from Omarion Hampton and timely defensive stops.

North Carolina’s bowl projections have changed throughout 2024: being included in the initial conversation after three straight wins to open the year, falling out of contention with four straight losses, then re-appearing after escaping the Demon Deacons.

On Monday, the Tar Heels’ bowl projection changed once again. USA TODAY Sports now has UNC to the Sun Bowl, played annually in El Paso, Texas, with 2024 CFP National Champion runner Washington the Tar Heels’ opponent.

After beating Wake, UNC was predicted to face a ranked Tulane squad in the Annapolis, Md.-based Military Bowl.

North Carolina was previously projected to the Sun Bowl on several occasions, most recently after beating NC Central in Week 3.

UNC is no stranger to playing in the Sun Bowl with five previous appearances, most recently in a 25-23 loss to now-ACC foe Stanford in 2016. North Carolina fans might best remember this game by now-New York Jets defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who continuously entered the backfield and made Mitch Trubisky uncomfortable.

If the Tar Heels beat NC State on Saturday, they’re likely projected to a better bowl game. If UNC loses, there’s no telling what bowl it ends up in.

USA TODAY projects Florida football’s 2024 bowl game

Florida’s upset win over Ole Miss guaranteed the Gators a spot in a bowl game, and USA TODAY has a prediction for which one.

The Florida Gators are bowl-eligible with a chance to finish the regular season 7-5 pending a win on Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles.

USA TODAY is one of the many outlets projecting the 2024 bowl matchups, and college sports editor Erick Smith likes the Orange and Blue to land in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Kansas State.

Florida has never played in the Liberty Bowl, which takes place on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. ET, but the game is one of several bowls with an automatic SEC tie-in. The Gators would face a Big 12 opponent, not necessarily Kansas State.

Billy Napier is 0-1 in bowl games as the Florida Gators head coach. Florida lost the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl, 30-3, against Oregon State during his first season with the program, and the Gators finished the 2023 season with only five wins — six wins are required for bowl eligibility.

Other Bowl Predictions

CBS Sports writer Jerry Palm projects Florida to face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Gasparilla Bowl, while ESPN has the Gators playing in either the Birmingham Bowl against North Carolina State (Bonagura) or the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against TCU (Schlabach).

Coming up for Florida

The Gators will face the Seminoles inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN 2.

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Latest Oklahoma Sooners bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners heading in USA TODAY Sports Bowl Projections after win over Alabama?

The Oklahoma Sooners are going bowling. After their dominant win over he Alabama Crimson Tide, the Sooners moved to 6-5 on the season and have a chance to clinch a winning record this week against the LSU Tigers.

With bowl eligibility secured, it’ll be interesting to see where the Sooners land when bowl invites are issued.

ESPN’s analysts believe the Sooners will end up in either the Gasparilla Bowl vs. Virginia Tech or the Independence Bowl vs. West Virginia.

Well, Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports believes the Sooners will play the Mountaineers but that they’ll be in the First Responder Bowl on January 3 inside the friendly confines of the Cotton Bowl.

Though it would be a little odd to play in the Cotton Bowl without the Texas State Fair taking place surrounding the game, making the trip to Dallas would be a simple one for Oklahoma fans wanting to take in the bowl game festivities.

Still, after what the 2024 season has been for the Oklahoma Sooners, just reaching a bowl game feels like an accomplishment. It’s an opportunity to finish the season on a high note and give the younger guys returning for 2025 more practice time to develop before the season is over.

Oklahoma has a chance to improve their bowl destination with a win over the LSU Tigers this Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed in ESPN Bowl Projections after upset win?

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed during bowl season according to ESPN’s latest bowl projections?

The Oklahoma Sooners are going bowling after pulling off the incredible upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now at 6-5 with one game left in the regular season, the Sooners will get an opportunity to play in a bowl game.

Two weeks ago, it felt like a foregone conclusion that the Sooners would miss the postseason after watching their lead against Missouri slip away. But the Sooners responded with resilience and toughness in their 24-3 win over Alabama.

So, where are they headed for a bowl game? ESPN’s college football analysts are split.

Kyle Bonagura has the Sooners headed to the Gasparilla Bowl to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Tampa, Florida. Mark Schlabach has Oklahoma going to Shreveport, Louisiana to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Independence Bowl.

The Independence Bowl was the game that started Oklahoma’s 25-season bowl streak. Bob Stoops led the Sooners to a 7-5 record but lost to Ole Miss 27-25. However, that set the stage for their national championship run in 2000.

The Sooners have a history with the Mountaineers from their time in the Big 12 together. Oklahoma holds a 12-3 all-time record over West Virginia. The last time the two played in 2023, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had a record-setting eight total touchdowns in the Sooners 59-20 win.

Oklahoma and Virginia Tech have only played once, a 27-17 win back in 1991 with Cale Gundy under center for the Sooners.

Whether they play West Virginia or Virginia Tech, either bowl provides the Sooners an opportunity to finish the season on a high note.

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