Projecting every bowl and playoff game after Week 14
The start of college football’s 2018-19 bowl season is just one month away, but with Week 14 in the books and the regular season completed, it’s never too early to take a peek at the potential matchups this postseason. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are Athlon's projected picks after Week 14 to reach the CFB Playoff. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are a notch above the rest of the NCAA, with the Fighting Irish up next at No. 3. The No. 4 spot is a close call between Oklahoma, Georgia and Ohio State. However, we give a slight nod to the Sooners over the Bulldogs for the No. 4 spot. At 13-0 and the champion of the American Athletic Conference, UCF will be back in the New Year's Six for the second year in a row.
The 2018-19 bowl schedule features 40 overall games (most airing on ESPN, ABC and CBS) including the national championship. Additionally, the semifinals will take place on Dec. 29 this season. The Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl will host the semifinals, while the national championship will be held in Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Jan. 7.
Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Wyoming and ULM are just on the outside of our bowl projections.
How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports' predictions for every 2018 bowl and playoff game after Week 14:
*NEW: Predictions for Every Bowl Game*
Editor's Note: This is the set bowl schedule, updated on Dec. 3 to reflect final announcement of games.
College Football Bowl Projections for 2018-19 (After Week 14)
| Bowl |
Date/ TV |
Tie-In | Projection |
| New Mexico | Dec. 15 |
Mountain West vs. C-USA |
Utah State |
| Cure | Dec. 15 |
American vs. Sun Belt |
Louisiana |
| Las Vegas | Dec. 15 |
Mountain West vs. Pac-12 |
Arizona State |
| Camellia | Dec. 15 |
MAC vs. Sun Belt |
Eastern Michigan |
| New Orleans | Dec. 15 |
C-USA vs. Sun Belt |
MTSU |
| Boca Raton | Dec. 18 |
C-USA vs. American |
UAB |
| Frisco | Dec. 19 |
American vs. At-Large |
Ohio |
| Gasparilla | Dec. 20 |
American vs. C-USA/ACC |
Marshall |
| Bahamas | Dec. 21 |
C-USA vs. MAC |
FIU |
| Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 21 |
Mountain West vs. MAC |
BYU |
| Birmingham | Dec. 22 |
American vs. SEC |
Wake Forest |
| Armed Forces | Dec. 22 |
American vs. Big 12 |
Army |
| Dollar General | Dec. 22 |
MAC vs. Sun Belt |
Buffalo |
| Hawaii | Dec. 22 |
Mountain West vs. C-USA |
Hawaii |
| First Responder | Dec. 26 |
Big Ten vs. C-USA |
Boise State |
| Quick Lane | Dec. 26 |
ACC vs. Big Ten |
Minnesota |
| Cheez-It | Dec. 26 |
Big 12 vs. Pac-12 |
California |
| Independence | Dec. 27 |
ACC vs. SEC |
Temple |
| Pinstripe | Dec. 27 |
ACC vs. Big Ten |
Miami |
| Texas | Dec. 27 |
Big 12 vs. SEC |
Baylor |
| Music City | Dec. 28 |
SEC vs. Big Ten/ACC |
Auburn |
| Camping World | Dec. 28 |
ACC vs. Big 12 |
West Virginia |
| Arizona | Dec. 28 |
Mountain West vs. Sun Belt |
Arkansas State |
| Alamo | Dec. 28 |
Big 12 vs. Pac-12 |
Washington State |
| Belk | Dec. 29 |
ACC vs. SEC |
Virginia |
| Redbox | Dec. 31 |
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 |
Michigan State |
| Military | Dec. 31 |
American vs. ACC |
Virginia Tech |
| Liberty | Dec. 31 |
Big 12 vs. SEC |
Missouri |
| Holiday | Dec. 31 |
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 |
Northwestern |
|
TaxSlayer Gator |
Dec. 31 |
SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten |
NC State |
| Sun | Dec. 31 |
ACC vs. Pac-12 |
Pitt |
| Outback | Jan. 1 |
Big Ten vs. SEC |
Mississippi State |
| Citrus | Jan. 1 |
Big Ten vs. SEC |
Penn State |
New Year's Six Bowls |
|||
| Chick-fil-A Peach | Dec. 29 |
At-Large vs. At-Large |
Florida |
| Fiesta | Jan. 1 |
At-Large vs. At-Large |
UCF |
| Rose | Jan. 1 |
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 |
Washington |
| Sugar | Jan. 1 |
Big 12 vs. SEC |
Georgia |
College Football Playoff |
|||
| Orange | Dec. 29 |
Playoff Semifinal |
Oklahoma |
| Cotton | Dec. 29 |
Playoff Semifinal |
Notre Dame |
National Championship |
|||
|
CFB National Championship (Santa Clara, Calif.) |
Jan. 7 |
Orange Winner vs. Cotton Bowl Winner |
Clemson |
North Texas vs.
Tulane vs.
Fresno State vs.
Georgia Southern vs.
Appalachian State vs.
Northern Illinois vs.
San Diego State vs.
USF vs. 
Toledo vs.
Western Michigan vs. 
Memphis vs. 
Houston vs.
Troy vs. 
Louisiana Tech vs.
Boston College vs.
Georgia Tech vs. 
TCU vs.
Duke vs.
Wisconsin vs.
Vanderbilt vs.
Purdue vs.
Syracuse vs.
Nevada vs. 
Iowa State vs.
South Carolina vs. 
Oregon vs.
Cincinnati vs.
Oklahoma State vs.
Utah vs.
Texas A&M vs.
Stanford vs.
Iowa vs.
Kentucky vs. 
Michigan vs.
LSU vs.
Ohio State vs.
Texas vs. 
Alabama vs.
Clemson vs.
* Indicates conference not expected to fill allotted slots. At-large team will be selected to fill that spot.
Teams in bold have accepted a bid to bowl.
