Mobile version. Acronyms are explained below. All times Eastern and PM, except where obvious. As of 01/11/2016 09:50:47 PM -0800.
Bowls | When | Where | Time | TV | Teams | Predictions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Mexico Bowl | Dec. 19 | Albuquerque, NM | 2:00 | ESPN | MWC | C-USA | New Mexico** | 10 | Arizona** | 34 |
Las Vegas Bowl | Dec. 19 | Las Vegas, NV | 3:30 | ABC | Pac-12 #5 | MWC #1/BYU | Utah* | 22 | Brigham Young** | 14 |
Camellia Bowl | Dec. 19 | Montgomery, AL | 5:30 | ESPN | MAC #2/3/4/5 | Sun Belt #3 | Ohio** | 24 | Appalachian State** | 34 |
Cure Bowl | Dec. 19 | Orlando, FL | 7:00 | CBSS | AAC #7 | Sun Belt #4 | San Jose State* | 17 | Georgia State** | 21 |
New Orleans Bowl | Dec. 19 | New Orleans, LA | 9:00 | ESPN | C-USA | Sun Belt #1 | Louisiana Tech** | 31 | Arkansas State*** | 45 |
Miami Beach Bowl | Dec. 21 | Miami, FL | 2:30 | ESPN | AAC #1/2/3/4/5 | C-USA | South Florida* | 28 | Western Kentucky** | 31 |
Potato Bowl | Dec. 22 | Boise, ID | 3:30 | ESPN | MAC #2/3/4/5 | MWC | Akron** | 10 | Utah State** | 21 |
Boca Raton Bowl | Dec. 22 | Boca Raton, FL | 7:00 | ESPN | MAC #2/3/4/5 | AAC #6 | Toledo** | 22 | Temple** | 17 |
Poinsettia Bowl | Dec. 23 | San Diego, CA | 4:30 | ESPN | MWC/MAC | Army/MAC | Boise State** | 21 | Northern Illinois** | 35 |
GoDaddy Bowl | Dec. 23 | Mobile, AL | 8:00 | ESPN | MAC #1 | Sun Belt #2 | Bowling Green** | 35 | Georgia Southern* | 17 |
Bahamas Bowl | Dec. 24 | Nassau, Bahamas | 12:00 | ESPN | MAC #2/3/4/5 | C-USA | Western Michigan* | 31 | Middle Tennessee State** | 14 |
Hawaii Bowl | Dec. 24 | Honolulu, HI | 8:00 | ESPN | AAC #1/2/3/4/5 | MWC/BYU | Cincinnati* | 21 | San Diego State** | 24 |
St. Petersburg Bowl | Dec. 26 | St. Petersburg, FL | 11:00 | ESPN | AAC #1/2/3/4/5/ACC | C-USA/ACC | Connecticut** | 10 | Marshall** | 28 |
Sun Bowl | Dec. 26 | El Paso, TX | 2:00 | CBS | ACC #2/3/4/5 | Pac-12 #4 | Miami** | 17 | Washington State* | 24 |
Heart of Dallas Bowl | Dec. 26 | Dallas, TX | 2:20 | ESPN | C-USA | Big 12 #6 | Southern Mississippi** | 10 | Washington** | 17 |
Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 26 | New York, NY | 3:30 | ABC | ACC #2/3/4/5 | Big Ten #4/5/6 | Duke* | 17 | Indiana** | 24 |
Independence Bowl | Dec. 26 | Shreveport, LA | 5:45 | ESPN | ACC #7/C-USA | SEC #9/C-USA | Virignia Tech* | 21 | Tulsa* | 10 |
Foster Farms Bowl | Dec. 26 | Santa Clara, CA | 9:15 | ESPN | Big Ten #4/5/6 | Pac-12 #3 | Nebraska** | 20 | California-Los Angeles** | 24 |
Military Bowl | Dec. 28 | Annapolis, MD | 2:30 | ESPN | AAC #1/2/3/4/5/Navy | ACC #6 | Navy** | 35 | Pittsburgh* | 31 |
Quick Lane Bowl | Dec. 28 | Detroit, MI | 5:00 | ESPN2 | ACC #8/MAC | Big Ten #7/MAC | Central Michigan** | 14 | Minnesota** | 17 |
Armed Forces Bowl | Dec. 29 | Fort Worth, TX | 2:00 | ESPN | Big Ten #8 | MWC | California** | 42 | Air Force** | 28 |
Russell Athletic Bowl | Dec. 29 | Orlando, FL | 5:30 | ESPN | ACC #1 | Big 12 #2 | North Carolina** | 51 | Baylor** | 45 |
Arizona Bowl | Dec. 29 | Tuscon, AZ | 7:30 | CI | MWC/Sun Belt | C-USA/Sun Belt | Colorado State** | 24 | Nevada* | 17 |
Texas Bowl | Dec. 29 | Houston, TX | 9:00 | ESPN | Big 12 #3 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Texas Tech** | 24 | Louisiana State** | 35 |
Birmingham Bowl | Dec. 30 | Birmingham, AL | 12:00 | ESPN | SEC #8/ACC | AAC #1/2/3/4/5/ACC | Auburn** | 17 | Memphis** | 31 |
Belk Bowl | Dec. 30 | Charlotte, NC | 3:30 | ESPN | ACC #2/3/4/5 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | North Carolina State* | 10 | Mississippi State** | 28 |
Music City Bowl | Dec. 30 | Nashville, TN | 7:00 | ESPN | ACC #2/3/4/5/Big Ten #4/5/6? | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Louisville* | 24 | Texas A&M** | 21 |
Holiday Bowl | Dec. 30 | San Diego, CA | 10:30 | ESPN | Big Ten #1/2/3 | Pac-12 #2 | Wisconsin** | 10 | Southern California** | 21 |
Peach Bowl | Dec. 31 | Atlanta, GA | 12:00 | ESPN | CFP (At-large/GOF) | CFP (At-large/GOF) | Houston* | 24 | Florida State** | 34 |
Orange Bowl | Dec. 31 | Miami Gardens, FL | 4:00 | ESPN | CFP Semi-final | CFP Semi-final | Clemson (#1)** | 34 | Oklahoma (#4)* | 31 |
Cotton Bowl | Dec. 31 | Arlington, TX | 8:00 | ESPN | CFP Semi-final | CFP Semi-final | Alabama (#2)** | 21 | Michigan State (#3)* | 7 |
Outback Bowl | Jan. 1 | Tampa, FL | 12:00 | ESPN2 | Big Ten #1/2/3 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Northwestern** | 10 | Tennnessee** | 24 |
Citrus Bowl | Jan. 1 | Orlando, FL | 1:00 | ABC | SEC #1 | Big Ten #1/2/3 | Florida** | 3 | Michigan** | 17 |
Fiesta Bowl | Jan. 1 | Glendale, AZ | 1:00 | ESPN | CFP (At-large/GOF) | CFP (At-large/GOF) | Ohio State* | 21 | Notre Dame** | 17 |
Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | Pasadena, CA | 5:00 | ESPN | CFP (Big Ten) | CFP (Pac-12) | Iowa* | 10 | Stanford** | 14 |
Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | New Orleans, LA | 8:30 | ESPN | CFP (Big 12) | CFP (SEC) | Oklahoma State** | 31 | Mississippi** | 21 |
Taxslayer Bowl | Jan. 2 | Jacksonville, FL | 12:00 | ESPN | ACC #2/3/4/5/Big Ten #4/5/6? | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Pennslyvania State** | 14 | Georgia** | 21 |
Liberty Bowl | Jan. 2 | Memphis, TN | 3:20 | ESPN | Big 12 #4 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Kansas State** | 10 | Arkansas** | 28 |
Alamo Bowl | Jan. 2 | San Antonio, TX | 6:45 | ESPN | Big 12 #1 | Pac-12 #1 | Texas Christian** | 45 | Oregon** | 52 |
Cactus Bowl | Jan. 2 | Phoenix, AZ | 10:15 | ESPN | Big 12 #5/MWC | Pac-12 #6/MWC | West Virginia** | 17 | Arizona State** | 34 |
CFP Championship Game | Jan. 11 | Glendale, AZ | 8:30 | ESPN | Orange Bowl Winner | Cotton Bowl Winner | Clemson (#1) | 31 | Alabama (#2) | 24 |
Teams 6-6 or better that need at-large bids:
Overall: 24-17 (58.54%)
Scores: 4-78 (4.88%)
?=at-large because some conference couldn't fill its bids
* = Accepted invitation
** = Predicted correctly
A team in bold indicates that I predicted the winner correctly
A team in italics means that team won the game, but was not who I picked
A bold score means that I actually managed to pick the score
correctly
Old predictions
Past years: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
2009 | 2008 |
2007 | 2006 |
2005 | 2004 |
2003 | 2002 | 2001
| 2000 | 1999 |
Index
Conference | Teams | Eligible | Teams With Bids |
---|---|---|---|
ACC | 14 | 9 | 9 |
Big Ten | 14 | 8 | 10 |
Big 12 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
Pac-12 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
SEC | 14 | 10 | 10 |
AAC | 12 | 8 | 8 |
C-USA | 12* | 5 | 5 |
MAC | 13 | 7 | 7 |
MWC | 12 | 7 | 8 |
Sun Belt | 11 | 4 | 4 |
Indepedents | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Totals | 127 | 77 | 80/80 |
Above table reflects all teams that are currently bowl
eligible as of when this page was last updated.
*: Conference USA member Charlotte is transitional for the
2015 season and will not be eligible for a bowl, regardless of record.
The introduction of the College Football Playoff in the 2014-2015 season changed a bunch of stuff. Below is a quick guide to the process and links to sources of information.
The College Football Playoff is a new system that includes a
rotating set of six bowl games (the Chick-fil-A, Cotton, Rose, Fiesta, Sugar,
and Orange) plus a championship game. Each year, two of the games will host
semi-final games, which will be seeded according to a committee. The winners of
those games will meet in the championship game. The rotation of the games is as
such for the semi-finals:
2014-2015: Rose and Sugar Bowls
2015-2016: Orange and Cotton Bowls
2016-2017: Fiesta and Chick-fil-a Bowls
This will continue through the 2025-2026 season.
When those games aren't hosting national semi-finals, they will be the home for
conference champions and other teams not selected for the semi-finals. The
default matchups are:
Rose: Big Ten #1 vs. Pac-12 #1
Sugar: SEC #1 vs. Big 12 #1
Orange: ACC #1 vs. SEC #2/Big Ten #2/Notre Dame
Cotton, Fiesta, and Chick-fil-a: At-large selections or the "top
team" from the Group of Five (which consists of the non-autobid conferences (the
American, C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt). These bowls can also host
the Big Ten or SEC champions if they are not in the playoff when the Rose or
Sugar bowls are part of the playoff.
Other rules:
1. Notre Dame can only appear twice as an at-large
2. If the ACC faces a rematch in the Orange Bowl, then the Orange can select the
highest ranked available opponent (according to the committee) and the spurned
team is placed elsewhere in the framework.
3. If a conference's champion is
selected for the play-off, then the next highest ranked team from that
conference assumes the berth, except in the Big 12, where the conference
runner-up gets it.
"ACC #1" means "the first ACC team after the CFP selection process", not "the ACC champion".
Overall eligibility: The 2015-2016 NCAA Division I Manual (warning, PDF) bylaw 18.7.2 governs Division I FBS football eligibility. The NCAA defines a "deserving team" as a team with an equal number of wins and losses, i.e, a record of 6-6 and better against FBS opponents. For the purposes of this record, a team is also allowed to count one FCS win as well. Note that it is no longer a requirement that all above .500 teams are selected before 6-6 teams. For 2013, the NCAA added what one might call the "UCLA and Georgia Tech" rule which basically boils down to: a) winning your conference title game makes you a "deserving team" and b) losing your title game does not affect your "deserving team" status.
In addition to deserving teams, bylaw 18.7.2 also spells out
what will happen if there are not enough bowl eligible teams for the 40 bowl
games. Note that these criteria apply in order, and a particular bowl game may
use a team from this "pool" once every four years (effective 8/2012).
1. The "counting 1 FCS win" rule only applies if the FCS team in question uses
90% of available scholarships out of 63 (so 56.7 scholarships, as FCS allows
partial scholarships), so the first criteria is that any FCS school counts for
the 1-win.
2. Teams that finished 6-6 with two FCS wins. No school plays two FCS teams this
year.
3. Teams that finished 6-7 (this used to be the "UCLA rule" but conference
championships can no longer make a team ineligible for a bowl).
5. Teams that are reclassifying to FBS and have a 6-6 record. This year this
includes Charlotte.
6. Teams in the top 5 of the APR and with a 5-7 record. This year, those teams
are Wisconsin, Northwestern, Duke, Michigan, and Stanford.
These provisions are in effect for the 2012 through 2015 seasons.
The ACC bowl selection criteria are buried in the
massive media guide (warning: huge PDF) on page
18. The ACC no longer has a "one-win rule" and instead is using a more SEC-style
"general list of criteria to emphasize regionality and quality matchups". Notre
Dame is eligible for all the ACC's bowls, but must be within one win of the best
available ACC team at the time.
The Big Ten selection process has its
own page. The Capital One Bowl will pick an ACC team if the ACC faces a Big
Ten team in the Orange Bowl (see below). See also the
Big Ten bowl tracking page.
The Big 12
selection order.
The Pac-12 bowl
selection
order, on page 133.
The SEC bowl
selection order
on page 3. Note that of the "pool of six", there Liberty is the first off if
there's not enough teams.
The American
bowl
lineup. Teams will be placed "based on best fit for the Conference and its
membership".
The Mountain West media guide has their
bowl games
on page 29. There is no particular order, though the Las Vegas bowl claims they
have the first pick (and this has usually been the case in the past).
The MAC
media
guide lists its bowl tie-ins on page 9.
This article from last year also talks about them a bit. The MAC is also a
secondary for any ESPN owned and operated bowl games.
The Sun Belt's weekly press releases list their tie-ins in
selection order.
The C-USA
bowl selection process. There is no selection order.
BYU will head to
either Las Vegas or Honolulu, with the unlucky bowl getting the Cougars in
2019.
Other notes:
Schedule sources: CollegeFootballPoll, Matt Sarz, conference media guides (see above), and individual bowl websites.