Deshaun Watson
The first seven weeks of the college football season are in the books. And as expected, the 2016 season has already experienced some unexpected teams on the rise and on the decline. Florida State was picked by many as a preseason favorite to reach the national championship, but the Seminoles are out of the picture with two losses. Louisville, Washington and Michigan are three teams on the rise in 2016 and should factor into the playoff picture. In Week 6, Alabama and Ohio State inched closer to an unbeaten record in Week 7, while Clemson needed overtime to beat NC State. Boise State holds onto the top spot for the Group of 5 teams in this week's projection. Additionally, the pool of projected teams to reach six or more wins is getting thin. Just like last season, a few teams with losing records could make a bowl game.
The start of college football’s 2016-17 bowl season is still than two months away, but it’s never too early to take a peek at the potential matchups this postseason.
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The bowl season features 41 matchups, with five games on Dec. 17 starting the 2016-17 slate. The postseason concludes on Jan. 9 with the national championship, while the playoff semifinals are on Dec. 31 this year.
The post-Week 7 bowl projections are a mixture between picks for the next few weeks, preseason projections, how things would look if the season ended today, and the results from the first seven weeks of action. Expect several changes over the next few weeks.
College Football's Post-Week 7 Bowl Projections
Bowl | Date | Matchup | Projection |
New Mexico | Dec. 17 | C-USA vs. MW | UTSA vs. Colorado State |
Las Vegas | Dec. 17 | Pac-12 vs. MW | San Diego State vs. Arizona State |
AutoNation Cure | Dec. 17 | American vs. Sun Belt | UConn vs. Georgia Southern |
Camellia | Dec. 17 | MAC vs. Sun Belt | Akron vs. Troy |
New Orleans | Dec. 17 | C-USA vs. Sun Belt | Southern Miss vs. UL Lafayette |
Miami Beach | Dec. 19 | American vs. MAC | Western Michigan vs. Houston |
Boca Raton | Dec. 20 | American/MAC vs. C-USA | USF vs. MTSU |
Poinsettia | Dec. 21 | BYU vs. MW | BYU vs. Air Force |
Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 22 | MW vs. MAC | Central Michigan vs. Wyoming |
Bahamas | Dec. 23 | American/MAC vs. C-USA | Old Dominion vs. Ohio |
Armed Forces | Dec. 23 | American vs. Big 12 | Kansas State vs. Navy |
Dollar General | Dec. 23 | Sun Belt vs. MAC | Toledo vs. Appalachian State |
Hawaii | Dec. 24 | MW vs. C-USA | WKU vs. Hawaii |
St. Petersburg | Dec. 26 | American vs. ACC | Memphis vs. South Alabama* |
Quick Lane | Dec. 26 | ACC vs. Big Ten | NC State vs. Maryland |
Independence | Dec. 26 | ACC vs. SEC | Georgia Tech vs. Army* |
Heart of Dallas | Dec. 27 | Big Ten vs. C-USA | Louisiana Tech vs. Michigan State |
Military | Dec. 27 | American vs. ACC | Temple vs. Wake Forest |
Holiday | Dec. 27 | Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | Penn State vs. Utah |
Cactus | Dec. 27 | Big 12 vs. Pac-12 | Texas vs. UCLA |
Pinstripe | Dec. 28 | ACC vs. Big Ten | Miami vs. Northwestern |
Russell Athletic | Dec. 28 | ACC vs. Big 12 | West Virginia vs. North Carolina |
Foster Farms | Dec. 28 | Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | Minnesota vs. USC |
Texas | Dec. 28 | Big 12 vs. SEC | Ole Miss vs. TCU |
Birmingham | Dec. 29 | American vs. SEC | Tulsa vs. Arkansas State* |
Belk | Dec. 29 | ACC vs. SEC | Georgia vs. Virginia Tech |
Alamo | Dec. 29 | Big 12 vs. Pac-12 | Baylor vs. Washington State |
Liberty | Dec. 30 | Big 12 vs. SEC | Missouri vs. Oklahoma State |
Sun | Dec. 30 | ACC/ND vs. Pac-12 | Pitt vs. Colorado |
Arizona | Dec. 30 | Sun Belt vs. MW | New Mexico vs. Idaho |
Music City | Dec. 30 | ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC | Auburn vs. Indiana |
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus | Dec. 31 | Big Ten vs. SEC | Florida vs. Nebraska |
TaxSlayer | Dec. 31 | ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC | LSU vs. Florida State |
Outback | Jan. 2 | Big Ten vs. SEC | Arkansas vs. Iowa |
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New Year's Six |
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Orange | Dec. 30 | ACC vs. ND/SEC/Big Ten | Louisville vs. Tennessee |
Cotton | Jan. 2 | At-large vs. At-large | Boise State vs. Wisconsin |
Rose | Jan. 2 | Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | Michigan vs. Stanford |
Sugar | Jan. 2 | Big 12 vs. SEC | Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M |
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CFB Playoff |
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Chick-fil-A Peach | Dec. 31 | Playoff Semifinal | Alabama vs. Washington |
Fiesta | Dec. 31 | Playoff Semifinal | Ohio State vs. Clemson |
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National Title | Jan. 9 | Peach Winner vs. Fiesta Winner | Alabama vs. Ohio State |
