College Football Bowl Projections – Week 8
College football bowl projections for Week 8 of the 2016 season. Ohio State and Clemson survived upset bids and remain on path for a showdown in the desert.
College football bowl projections for Week 8 of the 2016 season. Ohio State and Clemson survived upset bids and remain on path for a showdown in the desert.
With a little bit of help from the college football gods, Clemson survived an NC State upset bid and remains on track to play in one of the College Football Playoff semifinal games.
The only change I made with the semis this week was putting Ohio State as the No. 2 seed and dropping Clemson to No. 3 for the Fiesta Bowl projection. But the matchup stays the same. Meanwhile, I still have Alabama and Washington on a collision course toward the Peach Bowl.
Other notes include Michigan State dropping to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, while Northwestern is now slated for the Holiday Bowl.
Where does your favorite team fit into the postseason equation?
Note: An asterisk (*) denotes that the respective league did not have enough teams eligible to fill its bowl slot, thus it went to a team from a different league.
Bowl Projections
Cure Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Orlando, Florida
Tie-ins: AAC/Sun Belt
Cure Bowl Projection: UConn (AAC) vs. Arkansas State (Sun Belt)
Las Vegas Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Tie-ins: Mountain West/Pac-12
Las Vegas Bowl Projection: Boise State (MW) vs. Oregon (Pac-12)
Camellia Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Tie-ins: MAC/Sun Belt
Camellia Bowl Projection: Akron (MAC) vs. Appalachian State (Sun Belt)
New Mexico Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tie-ins: Conference USA/Mountain West
New Mexico Bowl Projection: Western Kentucky (C-USA) vs. Wyoming (MW)
New Orleans Bowl
Date: Dec. 17
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Tie-ins: Conference USA/Sun Belt
New Orleans Bowl Projection: Louisiana Tech (C-USA) vs. Georgia Southern (Sun Belt)
Miami Beach Bowl
Date: Dec. 19
Location: Miami, Florida
Tie-ins: AAC/MAC
Miami Beach Bowl Projection: Memphis (AAC) vs. Central Michigan (MAC)
Boca Raton Bowl
Date: Dec. 20
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Tie-ins: AAC/Conference USA
Boca Raton Bowl Projection: Tulsa (AAC) vs. Old Dominion (C-USA)
Poinsettia Bowl
Date: Dec. 21
Location: San Diego, California
Tie-ins: MAC/Mountain West/BYU (BYU tied to bowl if not in CFP)
Poinsettia Bowl Projection: BYU vs. San Diego State (MW)
Idaho Potato Bowl
Date: Dec. 22
Location: Boise, Idaho
Tie-ins: MAC/Mountain West
Idaho Potato Bowl Projection: Ohio (MAC) vs. Air Force (MW)
Bahamas Bowl
Date: Dec. 23
Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Tie-ins: AAC/MAC
Bahamas Bowl Projection: UCF (AAC) vs. Toledo (MAC)
Armed Forces Bowl
Date: Dec. 23
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-ins: AAC/Big 12/Navy (automatically takes spot if eligible)
Armed Forces Bowl Projection: Texas Tech (Big 12) vs. Navy
Dollar General Bowl
Date: Dec. 23
Location: Mobile, Alabama
Tie-ins: MAC/Sun Belt
Dollar General Bowl Projection: Western Michigan (MAC) vs. Troy (Sun Belt)
Hawaii Bowl
Date: Dec. 24
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-ins: Conference USA/Mountain West
Hawaii Bowl Projection: Middle Tennessee (C-USA) vs. New Mexico (MW)
Quick Lane Bowl
Date: Dec. 26
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Tie-ins: ACC/Big Ten
Quick Lane Bowl Projection: Georgia Tech (ACC) vs. Indiana (Big Ten)
St. Petersburg Bowl
Date: Dec. 26
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
Tie-ins: ACC/AAC
St. Petersburg Bowl Projection: South Alabama* (Sun Belt) vs. Temple (AAC)
Independence Bowl
Date: Dec. 26
Location: Shreveport, Louisiana
Tie-ins: ACC/SEC
Independence Bowl Projection: Wake Forest (ACC) vs. Cal* (Pac-12)
Military Bowl
Date: Dec. 27
Location: Annapolis, Maryland
Tie-ins: ACC/AAC
Military Bowl Projection: Pittsburgh (ACC) vs. Cincinnati (AAC)
Holiday Bowl
Date: Dec. 27
Location: San Diego, California
Tie-ins: Big Ten/Pac-12
Holiday Bowl Projection: Northwestern (Big Ten) vs. Arizona State (Pac-12)
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Date: Dec. 27
Location: Dallas, Texas
Tie-ins: Big Ten/Conference USA
Heart of Dallas Bowl Projection: Michigan State (Big Ten) vs. Southern Miss (C-USA)
Cactus Bowl
Date: Dec. 27
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Tie-ins: Big 12/Pac-12
Cactus Bowl Projection: Texas (Big 12) vs. Colorado (Pac-12)
Texas Bowl
Date: Dec. 28
Location: Houston, Texas
Tie-ins: Big 12/SEC
Texas Bowl Projection: Baylor (Big 12) vs. Ole Miss (SEC)
Russell Athletic Bowl
Date: Dec. 28
Location: Orlando, Florida
Tie-ins: ACC/Big 12
Russell Athletic Bowl Projection: Miami (ACC) vs. TCU (Big 12)
Pinstripe Bowl
Date: Dec. 28
Location: New York, New York
Tie-ins: ACC/Big Ten
Pinstripe Bowl Projection: NC State (ACC) vs. Maryland (Big Ten)
Foster Farms Bowl
Date: Dec. 28
Location: Santa Clara, California
Tie-ins: Big Ten/Pac-12
Foster Farms Bowl Projection: Minnesota (Big Ten) vs. UCLA (Pac-12)
Birmingham Bowl
Date: Dec. 29
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Tie-ins: AAC/SEC
Birmingham Bowl Projection: USF (AAC) vs. Washington State* (Pac-12)
Belk Bowl
Date: Dec. 29
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Tie-ins: ACC/SEC
Belk Bowl Projection: Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. Auburn (SEC)
Alamo Bowl
Date: Dec. 29
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Tie-ins: Big 12/Pac-12
Alamo Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State (Big 12) vs. USC (Pac-12)
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Date: Dec. 30
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Tie-ins: Mountain West/Sun Belt
Arizona Bowl Projection: Colorado State (MW) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt)
Sun Bowl
Date: Dec. 30
Location: El Paso, Texas
Tie-ins: ACC/Pac-12
Sun Bowl Projection: North Carolina (ACC) vs. Stanford (Pac-12)
Liberty Bowl
Date: Dec. 30
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Tie-ins: Big 12/SEC
Liberty Bowl Projection: West Virginia (Big 12) vs. Tulane* (AAC)
Music City Bowl
Date: Dec. 31
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Tie-ins: ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC
Music City Bowl Projection: Penn State (Big Ten) vs. Georgia (SEC)
TaxSlayer Bowl
Date: Dec. 31
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Tie-ins: ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC
TaxSlayer Bowl Projection: Florida State (ACC) vs. LSU (SEC)
Citrus Bowl
Date: Dec. 31
Location: Orlando, Florida
Tie-ins: ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC
Citrus Bowl Projection: Wisconsin (Big Ten) vs. Tennessee (SEC)
Outback Bowl
Date: Jan. 2
Location: Tampa, Florida
Tie-ins: Big Ten/SEC
Outback Bowl Projection: Iowa (Big Ten) vs. Florida (SEC)
New Year’s Six Bowl Projections
Orange Bowl
Date: Dec. 30
Location: Miami, Florida
Tie-ins: ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame
Orange Bowl Projection: Louisville (ACC) vs. Nebraska (Big Ten)
Rose Bowl
Date: Jan. 2
Location: Pasadena, California
Tie-ins: Big Ten/Pac-12
Rose Bowl Projection: Michigan (Big Ten) vs. Utah (Pac-12)
Sugar Bowl
Date: Jan. 2
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Tie-ins: Big 12/SEC
Sugar Bowl Projection: Oklahoma (Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (SEC)
Cotton Bowl
Date: Jan. 2
Location: Arlington, Texas
Tie-ins: At-Large/At-Large
Cotton Bowl Projection: Arkansas (SEC) vs. Houston (AAC)
College Football Playoff Projections
Semifinal No. 1 – Fiesta Bowl
Date: Dec. 31
Location: Glendale, Arizona
Tie-ins: CFP No. 2/CFP No. 3
Fiesta Bowl Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson
The Buckeyes were in real trouble on Saturday night in Madison, but J.T. Barrett played a very strong second half to help his team remain unbeaten with a win over Wisconsin and on track for a high ranking from the CFP selection committee.
Dabo Swinney’s squad turned the ball over four times, but the Tigers proved their championship mettle by surviving NC State’s upset bid. All eyes now turn to the team’s matchup with Florida State in Tallahassee after its bye next week.
Semifinal No. 2 – Peach Bowl
Date: Dec. 31
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Tie-ins: CFP No. 1/CFP No. 4
Peach Bowl Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
Nick Saban’s squad dominated Tennessee in all phases of the game. Can the Crimson Tide do the same to Texas A&M in their showdown next week?
The Huskies enjoyed an off week, and Chris Petersen’s squad returns to action next week against Oregon State.
College Football National Championship Game
Date: Jan. 9
Location: Tampa, FL
Tie-ins: Semifinal winners
Championship Game Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Clemson
