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The CollegeFootballNews.com bowl projections, picks and predictions for the College Football Playoff after Week 13.
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If there appear to be a ton of awful matchups, there’s a reason …
Simply put, there are probably going to be a ton of awful matchups.
However, this can change a wee bit if Mississippi State beats Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, and at the moment, we don’t project that to happen.
As we see it right now, there will be exactly enough bowl eligible teams for the slots – there won’t be any need to dive into the APR tie-breaker (if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry about it for now).
However, if the College Football Playoff rankings finish up as expected, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Florida will all need to find homes in either the CFP or in one of the New Year’s Six games. If that happens, there won’t be enough SEC teams for all of the good bowl ties.
That means the potential will be there for a whole slew of bizarre MAC vs. Power Five matchups just to fill out the exhibitions.
The one other key part to note will be the American Athletic Conference pecking order.
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As is, the league’s bowl-ties are AWFUL – a few of the stars are going to end up punching well below their respective weights. For now, the call is that Memphis and Cincinnati will split their two showdowns – with Memphis winning in the regular-season finale, and UC pulling off the victory in a rematch in the Conference USA Championship.
If that doesn’t happen and if the AAC champion is 12-1 and goes to the Cotton Bowl instead of projected Mountain West champ Boise State, then things get really nutty.
This will all start to clear up over the next several days, but for now …
2019-2020 Bowl Projections: Week 13
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
Friday, December 20
2:00 ET, ESPN
Thomas Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
MAC vs. Conference USA
Projection: Western Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
Last Season: FIU 35, Toledo 32
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Friday, December 20L
7:30 ET, ESPN2
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
American Athletic vs. at-large
Secondary: MAC, and if not, Conference USA
Projection: SMU vs. Eastern Michigan
Last Season: Ohio 27, San Diego State 0
Cure Bowl
Saturday, December 21
1:30 ET, CBS Sports Network
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
American Athletic vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Temple vs. Georgia State
Last Season: Tulane 41, Louisiana 24
New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, December 21
2:00 ET, ESPN
Branch Field at Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection: Southern Miss vs. Nevada
Last Season: Utah State 52, North Texas 13
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Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
Saturday, December 21
3:30 ET, ABC
Howard Schnellenberger Field at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
American Athletic vs. MAC
Projection: Tulane vs. Toledo
Last Season: UAB 37, Northern Illinois 13
Camellia Bowl
Saturday, December 21
5:30 ET, ESPN
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Buffalo vs. Arkansas State
Last Season: Georgia Southern 23, Eastern Michigan 21
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Saturday, December 21
7:30 ET, ABC
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Mountain West (champion) vs. Pac-12
Projection: Hawaii vs. Washington State
Last Season: Fresno State 31, Arizona State 20
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Saturday, December 21
9:00 ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Conference USA vs. Sun Belt (champion)
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Appalachian State
Last Season: Appalachian State 45, Middle Tennessee 13
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Monday, December 23
2:30 ET, ESPN
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
American Athletic vs. Conference USA
Secondary: ACC
Projection: UCF vs. WKU
Last Season: Marshall 38, USF 20
SoFi Hawai’i Bowl
Tuesday, December 24
8:00 ET, ESPN
Hawaiian Tel Federal Credit Union Field at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
BYU vs. American Athletic or Mountain West
Projection: BYU vs. Wyoming
Last Season: Louisiana Tech 31, Hawaii 14
Walk-On’s Independence Bowl
Thursday, December 26
4:00 ET, ESPN
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
ACC vs. SEC
Secondary: American Athletic, Conference USA
Projection: Florida State vs. Memphis
Last Season: Duke 56, Temple 27
Quick Lane Bowl
Thursday, December 26
8:00 ET, ESPN
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
ACC vs. Big Ten
Secondary: MAC
Projection: North Carolina vs. Michigan State
Last Season: Minnesota 34, Georgia Tech 10
Military Bowl Presented By Northrup Grumman
Friday, December 27
12:00 ET, ESPN
Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium, Annapolis, MD
ACC vs. American Athletic
Projection: Louisville vs. Navy
Last Season: Cincinnati 35, Virginia Tech 31
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Friday, December 27
3:20 ET, ESPN
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Nebraska
Last Season: Wisconsin 35, Miami 3
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Friday, December 27
6:45 ET, ESPN
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Texas vs. FIU*
*No SEC team projected available
Last Season: Baylor 45, Vanderbilt 38
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Friday, December 27
8:00 ET, FS1
SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, CA
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Michigan vs. Washington
Last Season: Northwestern 31, Utah 20
Cheez-It Bowl
Saturday, December 28
10:15 ET, ESPN
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Secondary: Mountain West
Projection: Kansas State vs. Ohio*
Last Season: TCU 10, Cal 7 OT
*No Pac-12 or Mountain West projected available
Camping World Bowl
Saturday, December 28
12:00 ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State
Last Season: Syracuse 34, West Virginia 18
SERVPRO First Responders Bowl
Monday, December 30
12:30 ET, ESPN
Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, TX
Big 12 vs. Conference USA
Projection: TCU vs. Marshall
Last Season: Boise State vs. Boston College cancelled
Redbox Bowl
Monday, December 30
4:00 ET, FOX
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Illinois vs. Cal
Last Season: Oregon 7, Michigan State 6
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Monday, December 30
4:00 ET, ESPN
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
SEC vs. (likely) ACC, or Big Ten
Projection: Miami vs. Liberty*
Last Season: Auburn 63, Purdue 14
*No SEC team projected available
Belk Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
12:00 ET, ESPN
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Pitt vs. Charlotte*
Last Season: Virginia 28, South Carolina 0
*No SEC team projected available
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
2:00 ET, CBS
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Virginia vs. Arizona State
Last Season: Stanford 14, Pitt 13
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
3:45 ET, ESPN
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Big 12 vs. SEC
Secondary: American Athletic
Projection: Iowa State vs. Tennessee
Last Season: Oklahoma State 38, Missouri 33
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
4:30 ET, CBS Sports Network
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Sun Belt vs. Mountain West
Projection: Georgia Southern vs. San Diego State
Last Season: Nevada 16, Arkansas State 13 OT
Valero Alamo Bowl
Tuesday, December 31
7:30 ET, ESPN
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection: Baylor vs. USC
Last Season: Washington State 28, Iowa State 26
VRBO Citrus Bowl
Wednesday, January 1
1:00 ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
SEC vs. Big Ten or ACC
Projection: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
Last Season: Kentucky 27, Penn State 24
Outback Bowl
Wednesday, January 1
1:00 ET, ESPN
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Penn State vs. Auburn
Last Season: Iowa 27, Mississippi State 22
Birmingham Bowl
Thursday, January 2
3:00 ET, ESPN
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
American Athletic vs. SEC
Secondary: ACC
Projection: Cincinnati vs. UAB*
Last Season: Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34
*No SEC or ACC teams projected available
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TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Thursday, January 2
7:00 ET, ESPN
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
SEC vs. (likely) Big Ten, or ACC
Projection: Kentucky vs. Iowa
Last Season: Texas A&M 52, NC State 13
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Friday, January 3
3:30 ET, ESPN
Lyle Smith Field at Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Central Michigan vs. Utah State
Last Season: BYU 49, Western Michigan 18
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Saturday, January 4
11:30 am ET, ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Big Ten vs. Mountain West
Projection: Indiana vs. Air Force
Last Season: Army 70, Houston 14
Mobile Alabama Bowl
Monday, January 6
7:30 ET, ESPN
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Miami University vs. Louisiana
Last Season: Troy 42, Buffalo 32
– 2019-2020 College Football Conference Bowl Tie-Ins