Mobile version. Acronyms are explained below. All times Eastern and PM, except where obvious. As of 12/09/2024 12:26:55 PM -0800.
Bowls | When | Where | Time | TV | Teams | Predictions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Veterans Bowl | Dec. 14 | Montgomery, AL | 9:00 | ESPN | MAC/CUSA | Sun Belt #1-5/CUSA | Western Michigan* | South Alabama* |
Frisco Bowl | Dec. 17 | Frisco, TX | 9:00 | ESPN | AAC/MWC/MAC/CUSA | AAC/MWC/MAC/CUSA | Memphis* | West Virginia* |
Boca Raton Bowl | Dec. 18 | Boca Raton, FL | 5:30 | ESPN | AAC/MWC/CUSA | AAC/MAC/CUSA | Western Kentucky** | James Madison* |
LA Bowl | Dec. 18 | Inglewood, CA | 9:00 | ESPN | Pac-12 #5 | MWC #1 | California** | Nevada-Las Vegas** |
New Orleans Bowl | Dec. 19 | New Orleans, LA | 7:00 | ESPN2 | Sun Belt #1-5 | CUSA #1/2/3 | Georgia Southern* | Sam Houston State** |
Cure Bowl | Dec. 20 | Orlando, FL | Noon | ESPN | AAC/MAC/Sun Belt #1-5/CUSA | AAC/MAC/Sun Belt #1-5/CUSA | Ohio* | Jacksonville State** |
Gasparilla Bowl | Dec. 20 | Tampa, FL | 3:30 | ESPN2 | SEC #8/9/ACC/AAC/CUSA | SEC #8/9/AAC/CUSA | Tulane* | Florida** |
CFP First Round | Dec. 20 | South Bend, IN | 8:00 | ABC | CFP | CFP | Notre Dame* (#7) | Indiana* (#10) |
CFP First Round | Dec. 21 | State College, PA | Noon | TNT | CFP | CFP | Pennsylvania State* (#6) | Southern Methodist* (#11) |
CFP First Round | Dec. 21 | Austin, TX | 4:00 | TNT | CFP | CFP | Texas** (#5) | Clemson** (#12) |
CFP First Round | Dec. 21 | Columbus, OH | 8:00 | ABC | CFP | CFP | Ohio State* (#8) | Tennessee** (#9) |
Myrtle Beach Bowl | Dec. 23 | Conway, SC | 11:00 | ESPN | AAC/MWC/Sun Belt #1-5/CUSA | AAC/MAC/Sun Belt #1-5/CUSA | Texas-San Antonio* | Coastal Carolina** |
Potato Bowl | Dec. 23 | Boise, ID | 2:30 | ESPN | MWC/Sun Belt | MAC #1/2/3/4 | Fresno State* | Northern Illinois* |
Hawaii Bowl | Dec. 24 | Honolulu, HI | 8:00 | ESPN | MWC | CUSA | San Jose State* | South Florida* |
Sports Bowl | Dec. 26 | Detroit, MI | 2:00 | ESPN | Big Ten/AAC | MAC #1/2/3/4 | Pittsburgh* | Toledo** |
Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Dec. 26 | Phoenix, AZ | 5:30 | ESPN | Big Ten/MWC #2 | Big 12 #5/MWC #2 | Rutgers** | Kansas State* |
68 Ventures Bowl | Dec. 26 | Mobile, AL | 9:00 | ESPN | MAC | Sun Belt #1-5 | Arkasnas State* | Bowling Green* |
Armed Forces Bowl | Dec. 27 | Fort Worth, TX | Noon | ESPN | Big 12 #6/MWC/CUSA | AAC #1/2/3/4/CUSA | Navy** | Oklahoma* |
Birmingham Bowl | Dec. 27 | Birmingham, AL | 3:30 | ESPN | AAC/ACC/CUSA | SEC #8/9/AAC/CUSA | Georgia Tech** | Vanderbilt* |
Liberty Bowl | Dec. 27 | Memphis, TN | 7:00 | ESPN | Big 12 #4 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Texas Tech* | Arkansas* |
Holiday Bowl | Dec. 27 | San Diego, CA | 8:00 | FOX | ACC | Pac-12 #3 | Syracuse* | Washington State* |
Las Vegas Bowl | Dec. 27 | Las Vegas, NV | 10:30 | ESPN | Pac-12 #2 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Southern California* | Texas A&M* |
Fenway Bowl | Dec. 28 | Boston, MA | 11:00 | ESPN | ACC/CUSA | AAC #1/2/3/4 | North Carolina* | Connecticut** |
Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 28 | New York, NY | Noon | ABC | ACC | Big Ten | Boston College* | Nebraska** |
New Mexico Bowl | Dec. 28 | Albuquerque, NM | 2:15 | ESPN | AAC/MAC/CUSA | MWC/MAC/CUSA | Texas Christian* | Louisiana* |
Pop-Tarts Bowl | Dec. 28 | Orlando, FL | 3:30 | ABC | ACC #1 | Big 12 #2 | Miami** | Iowa State** |
Arizona Bowl | Dec. 28 | Tuscon, AZ | 4:30 | CW | MWC #3 | MAC #1/2/3/4 | Colorado State** | Miami* |
Military Bowl | Dec. 28 | Annapolis, MD | 5:45 | ESPN | ACC | AAC #1/2/3/4 | North Carolina State* | East Carolina* |
Alamo Bowl | Dec. 28 | San Antonio, TX | 7:30 | ABC | Big 12 #1 | Pac-12 #1 | Brigham Young** | Colorado** |
Independence Bowl | Dec. 28 | Shreveport, LA | 9:15 | ESPN | AAC #1/2/3/4/Sun Belt | Pac-12 #6/Sun Belt | Army** | Marshall** |
Music City Bowl | Dec. 30 | Nashville, TN | 2:30 | ESPN | Big Ten | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Iowa** | Missouri* |
ReliaQuest Bowl | Dec. 31 | Tampa, FL | Noon | ESPN | Big Ten | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Michigan* | Alabama** |
Sun Bowl | Dec. 31 | El Paso, TX | 2:00 | CBS | ACC | Pac-12 #4 | Louisville* | Washington** |
Citrus Bowl | Dec. 31 | Orlando, FL | 3:00 | ABC | Big Ten #1 | SEC #1 | Illinois** | South Carolina* |
Texas Bowl | Dec. 31 | Houston, TX | 3:30 | ESPN | Big 12 #3 | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Baylor** | Louisiana State** |
Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | Glendale, AZ | 7:30 | ESPN | CFP (Big 12/MWC) | CFP (First Round Winner) | Boise State** (#3) | PSU/SMU |
Peach Bowl | Jan. 1 | Atlanta, GA | 1:00 | ESPN | CFP | CFP (First Round Winner) | Arizona State** (#4) | Texas/Clemson |
Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | Pasadena, CA | 5:00 | ESPN | CFP (Big Ten) | CFP (First Round Winner) | Oregon** (#1) | OSU/Tenn |
Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | New Orleans, LA | 8:45 | ESPN | CFP (SEC) | CFP (First Round Winner) | Georgia** (#2) | ND/Indiana |
Gator Bowl | Jan. 2 | Jacksonville, FL | 7:30 | ESPN | ACC | SEC #2/3/4/5/6/7 | Duke* | Mississippi** |
First Responder Bowl | Jan. 3 | Dallas, TX | 4:00 | ESPN | Big 12 #6/AAC/MWC/CUSA | AAC/MWC/CUSA | North Texas* | Texas State* |
Mayo Bowl | Jan. 3 | Charlotte, NC | 7:30 | ESPN | ACC | Big Ten | Virginia Tech* | Minnesota** |
Bahamas Bowl | Jan. 4 | Nassau, Bahamas | 11:00 | ESPN | MAC #1/2/3/4 | CUSA #1/2/3 | Buffalo* | Liberty* |
Orange Bowl | Jan. 9 | Miami Gardens, FL | 7:30 | ESPN | CFP (Quater-final Winner) | CFP (Quater-final Winner) | Georgia/ND/Indiana | Boise/PSU/SMU |
Cotton Bowl | Jan. 10 | Arlington, TX | 7:30 | ESPN | CFP (Quater-final Winner) | CFP (Quater-final Winner) | Oregon/OSU/Tenn | ASU/Texas/Clemson |
CFP Championship Game | Jan. 20 | Atlanta, GA | 7:30 | ESPN | Orange Bowl Winner | Cotton Bowl Winner |
Teams 6-6 or better that need at-large bids:
Overall:
Scores:
?=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
1: Team meets one of the exception criteria, see the blurb about
bylaw 18.7.2 below.
Note the numbers next to the playoff reflect each team's
seed and not its ranking. See below for more details on seeding.
Old predictions
Past years: 2023 |
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 |
2009 | 2008 |
2007 | 2006 |
2005 | 2004 |
2003 | 2002 | 2001
| 2000 | 1999 |
Index
Conference | Teams | Eligible | Teams With Bids |
---|---|---|---|
ACC | 17 | 13 | 13 |
Big Ten | 18 | 12 | 12 |
Big 12 | 16 | 9 | 9 |
Pac-12 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
SEC | 16 | 13 | 13 |
AAC | 14 | 8 | 8 |
CUSA | 10 | 4 | 4 |
MAC | 12 | 7 | 7 |
MWC | 12 | 5 | 5 |
Sun Belt | 14 | 8 | 8 |
Indepedents | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Totals | 134 | 82 | 82 |
Above table reflects all teams that are currently bowl eligible as of when this page was last updated. There are 35 non-playoff bowls, so 70 are needed to fill those bowls. Including the playoff, 82 eligible teams are needed. This season, only Kennesaw State is not eligible.
As of the 2024 season, the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams. The Comittee will continue to rank the teams. The field will consist of the five highest ranked conference champions and then the next seven highest ranked teams. The four highest ranked conference champions are given byes to the quarterfinals. In the first round, the higher seed will host the lower seed either at home or at a designated alternate location.
The six playoff bowls (Peach, Cotton, Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Orange) will now rotate being quaterfinal and semifinal sites. For the 2024 season, the Orange and Cotton Bowls will host semifinals, rotating to the Fiesta and Peach in 2025. When the Sugar and Rose are quarterfinals, the SEC and Big Ten champions will appear in those games if they are in the top four.
Future championship game sites:
2024: Atlanta, GA
2025: Miami Gardens, FL
"ACC #1" means "the first ACC team after the CFP selection process", not "the ACC champion".
Overall eligibility: In the 2022-2023 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. 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. Note that these criteria apply in order, and a particular bowl game may
use a team from this "pool" once every four years.
1. The "counting 1 FCS win" rule only applies if the FCS team in question uses
80% 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 6-7.
3. Teams that are in their final year of reclassifying to FBS and have a 6-6 record or better.
(James Madison this year.)
4. From here, teams in order of their multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR).
A new cycle began in 2020, which was of course immediately
disrupted. Many of these changes are described
here, and others are pieced together from various other sources.
The
2020-2025 ACC bowl agreements were announced in 2020 and pretty much abandon
any sort of ranking criteria completely. It's worth noting that
in
practice there seem to be three tiers of games, not two, with the Gator,
Holiday, and Pop-Tarts Bowls making up the first tier. It also appears that
Notre Dame may not be able to jump ACC teams with better or equal records.
The Big Ten selection process has its
own page.
The Big 12
selection order.
Extra non-former-Pac-12 Big 12 teams can also appear in ESPN Events bowl games.
For present and former Pac-12 teams, any team not appearing in the playoff will
still appear in a bowl that was aligned with the Pac-12.
The SEC bowl
selection order.
Note that of the "pool of six", the Liberty is the first off if
there's not enough teams.
The American
bowl
lineup. The American has four guarunteed slots for 2024 (Armed Forces,
Independence, Military,
and Fenway), plus 4 spots in the Birmingham, Cure, Gasparilla, Boca
Raton, Frisco, First Responder, New Mexico, or Myrtle Beach Bowls. "AAC #1/2/3/4"
is used on the table above to indicate that those bowls will
take AAC teams, but not neccessarily over any of other bowls. This season, the
AAC also has backup agreements with the Liberty and Sports Bowls.
The Mountain West selection process
is
here.
Their notes mention that for any ESPN Events bowls they're not otherwise
contracted with, it will "likely be held in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex".
This implies the Armed Forces, First Responder, and Frisco Bowls.
I haven't been able to find an official source for the MAC. For now, I am using
this.
The Sun Belt bowl notes are
here. They are guarunteed five spots, and can back up any ESPN Events bowl
or the Independence Bowl.
The Conference USA
bowl agreements are
here.
ESPN owns and operates the following bowls: Armed Forces Bowl, Bahamas Bowl, Birmingham Bowl, Boca Raton Bowl, Camellia Bowl, Cure Bowl, Fenway Bowl, First Responder Bowl, Frisco Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, Myrtle Beach Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Potato Bowl, and the Texas Bowl. Occasionally swaps occur for random reasons usually involving these games.
Schedule sources: Matt Sarz, conference media guides (see above), and individual bowl websites.