This year the college postseason will feature 44 bowl games, plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. A whopping 88 teams are bowl eligible, and previously there were “only” 43 games, meaning two teams were going to be left out. The NCAA has hurriedly approved the 44th game so that every bowl eligible team will be able to play somewhere.
Below are our final predictions for all 44 games, plus the national championship game projection. We made a few adjustments following the conference championships on Friday and Saturday.
Teams in bold have accepted a bid to the game.
* — An asterisk indicates a team outside of the tie-in has been selected.
College Football Playoff |
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| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. |
CFP vs. CFP | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama vs. Georgia |
| Friday, December 31 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas |
CFP vs. CFP | 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama vs. Cincinnati |
| Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. |
CFP vs. CFP | 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | Michigan vs. Georgia |
Selection committee bowl games |
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| Thursday, December 30 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
At-large vs. At-large | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh |
| Saturday, January 1 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Playstation Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz. |
At-large vs. At-large | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State |
| Rose Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, Calif. |
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | 5 p.m. | ESPN | Utah vs. Ohio State |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans |
SEC vs. Big 12 | 8:45 p.m. | ESPN | Ole Miss vs. Baylor |
Other bowl games |
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| Date TBA | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Unnamed Bowl at Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
Pool vs. Pool | TBA | TBA | Kent State vs. Wyoming |
| Friday, December 17 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Bahamas Bowl at Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau |
C-USA vs. MAC | Noon | ESPN | Middle Tennessee vs. Toledo |
| Tailgreeter Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium, Orlando |
AAC vs. Sun Belt | 6 p.m. | ESPN2 | Tulsa vs. Ball State* |
| Saturday, December 18 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla. |
Pool vs. Pool | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Appalachian State vs. Boise State |
| Cricket Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta |
MEAC vs. SWAC | Noon | ABC |
South Carolina State vs. Jackson State
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| New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium, Albuquerque |
MWC vs. C-USA | 2:15 p.m. | ESPN | UTEP vs. Marshall |
| Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium, Shreveport, La. |
C-USA vs. At-large | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | UTSA vs. BYU |
| LendingTree Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Ala. |
Sun Belt vs. MAC | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN |
Georgia State vs. Northern Illinois
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| Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. |
MWC vs. Pac-12 | 7:30 p.m. | ABC | Utah State vs. Oregon State |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans |
Sun Belt vs. C-USA | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | Louisiana vs. Western Kentucky |
| Monday, December 20 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl at Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C. |
Pool vs. Pool | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Coastal Carolina vs. Old Dominion
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| Tuesday, December 21 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho |
MAC vs. MWC | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Central Michigan vs. San Diego State
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| Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl at Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas |
Pool vs. Pool | 7 p.m. | ESPN | North Texas vs. Nevada |
| Wednesday, December 22 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas |
AAC vs. C-USA | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Air Force* vs. SMU |
| Thursday, December 23 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. |
SEC vs. Pool | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Florida vs. UCF |
| Friday, December 24 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
|
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl
at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu |
8 p.m. | ESPN | Memphis vs. Hawai’i | |
| Saturday, December 25 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| TaxAct Camellia Bowl at Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Ala. |
C-USA vs. Sun Belt | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | UAB vs. Eastern Michigan* |
| Monday, December 27 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. |
Big Ten vs. MAC | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Missouri* vs. Western Michigan |
| Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Anapolis, Md. |
AAC vs. ACC | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | East Carolina vs. Virginia Tech |
| Tuesday, December 28 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Ala. |
SEC vs. AAC | Noon | ESPN | LSU vs. Louisville* |
| ServPro First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park, Texas |
Big 12 vs. AAC | 3:15 p.m. | ESPN | Army* vs. Liberty* |
| San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl at Petco Park, San Diego |
ACC vs. Pac-12 | 5 p.m. | FOX | N.C. State vs. UCLA |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn. |
Big 12 vs. SEC | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | West Virginia vs. Auburn |
| Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field, Phoenix |
Big Ten vs. Big 12 | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | Maryland vs. Texas Tech |
| Wednesday, December 29 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park, Boston |
ACC vs. AAC | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Boston College vs. Houston |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, New York City |
Big Ten vs. ACC | 2:15 p.m. | ESPN | Penn State vs. North Carolina |
| Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium, Orlando |
ACC vs. Big 12 | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | Clemson vs. Iowa State |
| Valero Alamo Bowl at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas |
Big 12 vs. Pac-12 | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | Oklahoma vs. Oregon |
| Thursday, December 30 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. |
ACC vs. SEC | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN | Virginia vs. Tennessee |
| Transperfect Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium, Nashville |
Big Ten vs. SEC | 3 p.m. | ESPN | Purdue vs. South Carolina |
| SRS Disbribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nev. |
Pac-12 vs. Big Ten | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona State vs. Minnesota |
| Friday, December 31 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla. |
ACC vs. SEC | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Wake Forest vs. Texas A&M |
| Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl at Arizona Stadium, Tuscon, Ariz. |
MWC vs. MAC | 12:30 p.m. | CBS | Fresno State vs. Miami (Ohio) |
| Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas |
ACC vs. Pac-12 | 4:30 p.m. | Barstool |
Miami (Fla.) vs. Washington State
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| Saturday, January 1 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. |
Big Ten vs. SEC | Noon | ESPN2 | Wisconsin vs. Arkansas |
| Vrbo Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium, Orlando |
Big Ten vs. SEC | 1 p.m. | ABC | Iowa vs. Kentucky |
| Tuesday, January 4 | ||||
| Matchup | Tie-In | Time | TV | Prediction |
| TaxAct Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium, Houston |
SEC vs. Big 12 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Mississippi State vs. Kansas State |