If Week 14 taught us anything, it’s that college football remains the most unpredictable, amazing sport on this planet. Multiple teams that have been at the sharp end of the College Football Playoff picture lost, throwing rankings into chaos.
What does it all mean? Our latest college football bowl projections provide a peek into the future outlook for all 134 teams.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff First Round
- No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils
- No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes
- No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers vs. No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers
Pure pandemonium. That’s what the first Week 14 left us with. Losses for Ohio State and the Miami Hurricanes have made a mockery of all previous college football bowl projections. The Hurricanes, long-fancied to lift the ACC crown, won’t make the title game after their loss to the Syracuse Orange and will likely be left on the outside looking in.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Ohio State’s loss will drop them down the order, but how far will they fall? Miami’s defeat is important for the Buckeyes, but their two losses could see them slide behind Indiana while remaining ahead of the three-loss Crimson Tide. How the committee views that gaggle of SEC teams with three losses is going to be fascinating this coming Tuesday.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Boise State Broncos vs. No. 5 Penn State
- Peach Bowl: No. 3 SMU Mustangs vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers
- Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 7 Georgia
The four highest-ranked conference champions, according to our latest College Football Playoff predictions, will be Boise State (Mountain West), SMU (ACC), Oregon (Big Ten), and Texas (SEC), with those four teams securing first-round byes. According to multiple reports, those conferences will automatically place teams into contract-specific and location-related bowls, as listed above.
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Home-field advantage is going to be key in the first round, and that is well evidenced in our college football bowl projections by every home team being a predicted victor. From here, Texas, Oregon, Penn State, and Notre Dame are likely to be favored. The closest quarterfinals would be the Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl, with the Fighting Irish a narrow favorite over SMU.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Semifinal
- Orange Bowl: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
- Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 5 Penn State
The results of our quarterfinal predictions see Texas overcome Georgia (potentially in the final game of a trilogy) to set up a semifinal date with Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish’s ground game and strong defense would be too much for Miami in the Peach Bowl, but could they compete with the Longhorns’ ferocious defense in the semifinal?
Meanwhile, Oregon and Penn State could face off in the Big Ten Championship Game if the Nittany Lions don’t slip up against the Maryland Terrapins in Week 14. Even in that eventuality, there’s a path for the two to meet again in the Cotton Bowl. Two strong ground games and two solid defenses should make for an exciting game that may be separated by Dillon Gabriel’s prowess.
College Football Bowl Projections | National Championship Game
- No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas
Oregon and Texas have been among the top-ranked teams in the country throughout the season, so it’s almost poetic that our college football bowl projections bring them together in the biggest game of them all: the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
The Ducks’ dominant win over the Washington Huskies in Week 14 confirmed their place at the top of the college football tree. Meanwhile, the Longhorns’ win over the Texas A&M Aggies showcased that their defensive superiority is enough to overcome their offensive fragilities. This would be a game for the ages between two powerhouses.
Projections for the Remaining 2024 College Football Bowl Games
Celebration Bowl
South Carolina State vs. Jackson State
Salute To Veterans Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Texas State
Frisco Bowl
Memphis vs. Marshall
Boca Raton Bowl
East Carolina vs. South Alabama
LA Bowl
UNLV vs. Cal
New Orleans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. James Madison
Cure Bowl
Louisiana vs. Oklahoma
Gasparilla Bowl
South Florida vs. Florida
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Ohio vs. Coastal Carolina
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. San Jose State
Hawaii Bowl
UTSA vs. Arkansas State
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Nebraska vs. Buffalo
Rate Bowl
UConn vs. Texas Tech
68 Ventures Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Western Michigan
Armed Forces Bowl
Sam Houston vs. North Texas
Birmingham Bowl
Vanderbilt vs. Duke
Liberty Bowl
TCU vs. LSU
Las Vegas Bowl
USC vs. LSU
Fenway Bowl
North Carolina vs. Tulane
Pinstripe Bowl
NC State vs. Rutgers
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. Jacksonville State
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Clemson vs. BYU
Arizona Bowl
Colorado State vs. Miami (OH)
Military Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Navy
Alamo Bowl
Iowa State vs. Colorado
Independence Bowl
Kansas State vs. Army
Music City Bowl
Iowa vs. Missouri
ReliaQuest Bowl
Louisville vs. Minnesota
Sun Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Washington
Citrus Bowl
Illinois vs. South Carolina
Texas Bowl
Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Gator Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss
First Responder Bowl
Boston College vs. West Virginia
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Syracuse vs. Michigan
Bahamas Bowl
Liberty vs. Toledo
Holiday Bowl
Miami (FL) vs. Washington State
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