A Quiet Week Leads To Little Change
For the first time since 1996 the top three teams in the A.P. Top 25 all had the week off. As a result there are no changes in our playoff from last week. However there are a couple of new teams in our New Year’s Six games. Who are they? Let’s find out with our bowl projections following week 10. As always we begin with the playoff.
College Football Playoff
Peach Bowl- December 28th- (1) Alabama versus (4) LSU- As usual both teams had the week off in preparation for their annual clash. Of course the biggest question leading up to Saturday is the status of Tua Tagovailoa’s ankle. On the other side of the ball Joe Burrow can really stake a claim on the Heisman race with a big performance.
Fiesta Bowl- December 28th- (2) Clemson versus (3) Ohio State- The Tigers were the only top team in action beating Wofford 59-14. Following their bye week OSU has two relatively easy games before finishing with Penn State and Michigan.
College Football Championship- January 13th- (1) Alabama versus (2) Clemson- Again it is tempting to put Ohio State here in place of Clemson. However Dabo Swinney’s club knows what it takes to get to and win the title. As a result we are sticking with them.
New Year’s Six/Selection Committee Games
Cotton Bowl- December 28th- Baylor versus Memphis- It took at penalty on a game tying field goal to preserve the Bears’ win over West Virginia. The Tigers crashed the hopes of SMU with a huge victory at home.
Orange Bowl- December 30th- Florida versus Wake Forest- We thought long and hard about moving Minnesota up here. However in the end the Gators remain headed to Miami despite their loss to Georgia.
Rose Bowl- January 1st- Oregon versus Penn State- After a close first half the Ducks pulled away for an easy win over USC. The Nittany Lions had the week off before heading to Minnesota.
Sugar Bowl- January 1st- Georgia versus Oklahoma- The Bulldogs’ win over Florida all but officially punches their ticket to New Orleans. The Sooners come in as the champion of the Big 12.
As we continue with our bowl projections following week 10 it’s time for the New Year’s Eve and the other New Year’s Day games. Once again it looks as if not only will the SEC not have enough teams but the ACC has too many. As many as 12 teams from that conference could end up bowl eligible. Furthermore keep an eye on Missouri as they await their appeal of their bowl ban.
New Year’s Eve and Day Games
Citrus Bowl- January 1st- Auburn versus Minnesota- The Tigers struggled and held on for a 20-14 win over Ole Miss. Should the Golden Gophers win on Saturday they won’t be in this game next week.
Outback Bowl- January 1st- Texas A&M versus Wisconsin- The Aggies look to be the highest ranked remaining team from the SEC so they head to Tampa.
Alamo Bowl- December 31st- Kansas State versus Utah
Arizona Bowl- December 31st- Louisiana versus Utah State
Belk Bowl- December 31st- Kentucky versus Virginia Tech- Until Notre Dame’s last second victory over the Hokies we had the Irish penciled in to play the Wildcats. As a result of their comeback this game remains unchanged.
Liberty Bowl- December 31st- Cincinnati versus TCU- This game also remains unchanged from last week. However the Horned Frogs need to get some wins if they want to play in the post season.
Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl- December 31st- USC versus Virginia- The Cavaliers move up a couple of spots in the ACC pecking order after their win against North Carolina.
Games After January 1st-
Birmingham Bowl- January 2nd- Duke versus Navy- With no SEC team available the Blue Devils take the spot.
Taxslayer Gator Bowl- January 2nd- Iowa versus Tennessee- The Vols are the SEC’s best hope for another bowl eligible team. However they have to win two of their last three which includes road games at Kentucky and Missouri.
Idaho Potato Bowl- January 3rd- Toledo versus Wyoming- This remains unchanged from last week.
Armed Forces Bowl- January 4th- Air Force versus Miami (Ohio)
Mobile Alabama Bowl- January 6th- Ohio versus Georgia State
As we continue with our bowl projections following week 10 it’s time for the slate of games from Christmas through December 30th.
After Christmas Bowl Games
Independence Bowl- December 26th- North Carolina versus Stanford- The Cardinal claim a spot with no SEC team available.
Quick Lane Bowl- December 26th- Boston College versus Illinois– Many thought Lovie Smith should have been fired last year. However the school decided to keep him and he now has them on the verge of a bowl bid.
Cheez-It Bowl- December 27th- Iowa State versus UCLA- Chip Kelly’s Bruins have been one of the remarkable turnarounds in football. They are rewarded with a trip to Phoenix.
Holiday Bowl- December 27th- Michigan versus Washington- The Huskies need to put together some wins in order to stay in this game.
Military Bowl- December 27th- Miami versus SMU- Following their loss to Memphis the Mustangs fall here.
Pinstripe Bowl- December 27th- Pittsburgh versus Michigan State
Texas Bowl- December 27th- Mississippi State versus Oklahoma State
Camping World Bowl- December 28th- Notre Dame versus Texas
First Responders Bowl- December 28th- North Carolina State versus UAB- With no Big 12 team available the Wolfpack take the bid.
Music City Bowl- December 30th- Louisville versus Missouri- The Cardinals make the short trip down Interstate 65 to Nashville. The Tigers are still waiting on their bowl fate from the NCAA.
Redbox Bowl- December 30th- Arizona State versus Indiana– There’s been no better story than the Hoosiers in 2019.
As always let’s wrap up our bowl projections with the early season games including the incredibly busy December 21st.
Early Season Bowl Games
Bahamas Bowl- December 20th- Buffalo versus Southern Mississippi
Frisco Bowl- December 20th- North Texas versus Temple
Boca Raton Bowl- December 20th- Florida Atlantic versus Tulane
Cameilla Bowl- December 21st- Central Michigan versus Georgia Southern
Celebration Bowl- December 21st- Alcorn State versus North Carolina A&T
Cure Bowl- December 21st- Arkansas State versus Liberty
Las Vegas Bowl- December 21st- Boise State versus Oregon State
New Mexico Bowl- December 21st- San Diego State versus Western Kentucky
New Orleans Bowl- December 21st- Appalachian State versus Marshall- Even with the loss to Georgia Southern we still have the Mountaineers playing in New Orleans.
Gasparilla Bowl- December 23rd- Central Florida versus Louisiana Tech
Hawaii Bowl- December 24th- BYU versus Hawaii
Should Tennessee or Missouri not become bowl eligible we have California and Washington State waiting in the wings.
That wraps up our bowl projections following week 10 here at Last Word On College Football. On paper next weekend looks to be one of the best in recent memory with two match ups of unbeatens. We’ll sort everything out and update the bowl picks this time next week.
