2025 Bowl Projections after Week 15: Indiana Rising, Conference Championships Shake up Playoff Field
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College football’s Week 15 schedule produced several results that significantly altered the projected playoff field and bowl projections following Friday and Saturday’s action. Indiana’s win over Ohio State moves coach Curt Cignetti’s team to the No. 1 overall seed, with Georgia and Texas Tech rounding out the top four following victories in conference title matchups. The biggest debates for the 12-team field remains how the final at-large selections will play out between Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami, along with Duke or James Madison for the last guaranteed spot among conference champions.
Week 15 results also impacted bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. The SEC fell short of having enough projected teams for the postseason, which means either the Texas or Duke’s Mayo Bowl will have to select an at-large team to fill a spot. Additionally, Duke’s win over Virginia clouds the ACC‘s bowl picture, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Miami’s at-large hopes. If the Hurricanes or Blue Devils make the field, it will have a massive domino effect on every ACC team and their destination for the postseason. Exactly 82 teams are eligible for the postseason. No eligible programs will miss out on a bowl, with Missouri State and Delaware taking the final two spots in a transition year to the FBS. With 82 teams set for the postseason with at least six wins, no programs with a losing record or APR scores will be needed to fill bowl slots.
With some conferences expected to fall short of having enough bowl-eligible squads to fill its allotted bowl slots, some shuffling among teams and conferences is likely.
How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports’ preseason predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2025-26 after Week 15:
Teams in bold have accepted bid to bowl
College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26 (After Week 15)
LA Bowl (Dec. 13)
Location: SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection: Boise State vs. Washington
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 16)
Location: Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Jacksonville State* vs. Troy
Cure Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: Old Dominion vs. South Florida
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: Sun Belt/AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: Louisiana vs. Delaware
XBox Bowl (Dec. 18)
Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: Conference USA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection:MissouriState vs. ArkansasState
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location: Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: Coastal Carolina vs. Kennesaw State
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Memphis vs. NC State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location: Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Toledo vs. Utah State
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In: AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Western Michigan vs. San Diego State
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt/MW
Projection: FIU vs. Miami (Ohio)
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)
Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In: American vs. Mountain West
Projection: California vs. Hawaii
GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. MAC
Projection: Northwestern vs. Ohio
Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection: Iowa State vs. Minnesota
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12/AAC/CUSA/ACC
Projection: UTSA vs. UNLV
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Duke vs. East Carolina
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Penn State vs. Pitt
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Louisville vs. Army
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Virginia vs. BYU
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Central Michigan vs. Fresno State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection: Washington State* vs. New Mexico
Gator Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Miami vs. Tennessee
Texas Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Missouri vs. TCU
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In: ACC/American vs. SEC
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Georgia Southern*
Independence Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Big 12
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Kansas State
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Illinois vs. LSU
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection: Houston vs. USC
ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Clemson vs. Arizona State
Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Michigan vs. Texas
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Nebraska vs. Utah
Armed Forces Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection: Texas State* vs. North Texas
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Cincinnati vs. Navy*
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Georgia Tech vs. UConn*
Holiday Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: SMU vs. Arizona
College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff First Round
Games to be played on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Alabama
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Semifinals
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)
Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection:No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Georgia
National Championship
Date: Jan. 19, 2026
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: Indiana vs. Ohio State
*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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