College Football's Post-Week 5 Bowl Projections
With five weeks in the books, college football’s bowl and national title picture is surrounded in uncertainty.
The new playoff format has added a new layer of intrigue, as four teams – instead of two – will have a shot at the national championship once the bowl pairings are announced in early December.
While only five weeks are in the books, it’s never too early to start looking at what the bowl picture might hold for each conference and team this year. The post-Week 5 bowl projections are a mixture between picks for the next few weeks, how things would look if the season ended today, and the results from the first five weeks of action. Expect several changes over the next few weeks, especially as the heart of conference play arrives in October.
College Football's Post-Week 5 Bowl Projections
Bowl | Date | Tie-In | Projection |
New Orleans | Dec. 20 | Sun Belt vs. | Nevada vs. |
New Mexico | Dec. 20 | C-USA vs. | UTSA vs. |
Las Vegas | Dec. 20 | Mountain West vs. | Boise State vs. |
Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 20 | MAC vs. | Air Force vs. |
Camellia | Dec. 20 | MAC vs. | ULL vs. |
Miami Beach | Dec. 22 | American vs. | Cincinnati vs. |
Boca Raton | Dec. 23 | C-USA vs. | FAU vs. |
Poinsettia | Dec. 23 | Mountain West vs. | Colorado State vs. |
Bahamas | Dec. 24 | C-USA vs. | Marshall vs. |
Hawaii | Dec. 24 | C-USA vs. | MTSU vs. |
Heart of Dallas | Dec. 26 | Big Ten vs. | Rice vs. |
Quick Lane | Dec. 26 | ACC vs. | North Carolina vs. |
Bitcoin St. Petersburg | Dec. 26 | ACC vs. | UCF vs. |
Military | Dec. 27 | ACC vs. | Temple vs. |
Sun | Dec. 27 | ACC vs. | Duke vs. |
Independence | Dec. 27 | ACC vs. | Virginia vs. |
Pinstripe | Dec. 27 | ACC vs. | Georgia Tech vs. |
Holiday | Dec. 27 | Big Ten vs. | Wisconsin vs. |
Liberty | Dec. 29 | SEC vs. | Tennessee vs. |
Russell Athletic | Dec. 29 | ACC vs. | West Virginia vs. |
Texas | Dec. 29 | Big 12 vs. | TCU vs. |
Music City | Dec. 30 | ACC/Big Ten vs. | Iowa vs. |
Belk | Dec. 30 | ACC vs. | Louisville vs. |
San Francisco | Dec. 30 | Big Ten vs. | Minnesota vs. |
Outback | Jan. 1 | Big Ten vs. | Nebraska vs. |
Citrus | Jan. 1 | Big Ten/ACC vs. | Ohio State vs. |
Armed Forces | Jan. 2 | American/Army vs. | Houston vs. |
TaxSlayer | Jan. 2 | ACC/Big Ten vs. | Miami vs. |
Alamo | Jan. 2 | Big 12 vs. | Kansas State vs. |
Cactus | Jan. 2 | Big 12 vs. | Texas vs. |
Birmingham | Jan. 3 | American vs. | Florida vs. |
GoDaddy | Jan. 4 | MAC vs. | Arkansas State vs. |
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New Year's Bowls |
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Peach | Dec. 31 | At-large vs. | Auburn vs. |
Fiesta | Dec. 31 | At-large vs. | UCLA vs. |
Capital One | Dec. 31 | At-large vs. | Clemson vs. |
Cotton | Jan. 1 | At-large vs. | Baylor vs. |
Rose | Jan. 1 | Playoff | Florida State vs. |
Sugar | Jan. 1 | Playoff | Alabama vs. |
National Title | Jan. 12 | Semifinal Winner vs. | Alabama vs. |
* Indicates conference not projected to have enough bowl-eligible teams.