2026 Preseason Bowl Projections: Predicting Every College Football Postseason Matchup
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There’s still room for a fun bowl season in a world gone mad for the College Football Playoff.
Of course, the CFP gets all the attention now, but from mid-December through the start of 2027, bowl games dominate the holiday season – and we’re all in.
Based on expectations for how the conference races will go, projected records, and what the bowls and ESPN will want to do to create the best possible matchups, here’s our first look at the 2026-2027 bowl season. (The College Football Playoff predictions will come next.)
Once the season gets going, we’ll update this every week as the bowl game picture changes.
2026 College Football Bowl Projections
Cricket Celebration Bowl
South Carolina State vs Alabama State
They’re the two best teams in their respective conferences going into the season – South Carolina State is a stronger call than Alabama State.
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Last Season: South Carolina State 50, Prairie View A&M 38 4OT
Bowl Affiliations: MEAC, SWAC
Last Season: Jackson State 28, South Carolina State 7
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs Louisiana Tech
This would’ve been a Conference USA matchup had Louisiana Tech not bolted for the Sun Belt. If nothing else, it would be a cheeky way to kick off the bowl season.
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Last Season: Jacksonville State 17, Troy 13
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Last Season: South Alabama 30, Western Michigan 23
Frisco Football Classic
FIU vs Arkansas State
All due crazy respect and a basket of mini-muffins if you remember the first Frisco Football Classic. It was in 2021, there were too many bowl eligible teams, and ESPN threw this together to get another bowl into the mix. Miami University beat North Texas 27-14
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Ford Center at the Star, Frisco, TX
Last Season: No Game
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl
Florida Atlantic vs Virginia Tech
With the ACC likely to be generally snubbed by the College Football Playoff – taking just its champion – there will be way too many teams from the conference for slots. Going to Boca Raton in mid-December against the high-powered Owls wouldn’t be a bad end to James Franklin’s rebuild season with the Hokies.
Friday, December 18, 2026
Game Time: 11:00 am, ESPN
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Last Season: Louisville 27, Toledo 22
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Virginia vs South Carolina
Remember, ESPN will want the best possible matchups, and forcing an ACC vs SEC showdown like this early in the bowl cycle would get things rolling.
Friday, December 18, 2026
Game Time: 3:30, ESPN
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Last Season: NC State 31, Memphis 7
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, CUSA (ACC, SEC)
Myrtle Beach Bowl
East Carolina vs Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina played in this two years ago – and got walloped by UTSA 44-15 – but it’s still a bowl game with a beach. East Carolina fans would have a little 200-mile drive to watch their team.
Monday, December 21, 2026
Game Time: 11:00 am, ESPN
Location: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Last Season: Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6, (Not Pac-12 or Mountain West)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Toledo vs North Dakota State
What’s a little 1,200-mile drive through Montana to get to a bowl game? Bison fans might not like the idea of going to a cold-weather destination, but the battle with Hawaii in Mountain West play is in Honolulu.
Monday, December 21, 2026
Game Time: 2:30, ESPN
Location: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Last Season: Washington State 34, Utah State 21
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Mountain West
Puerto Rico Bowl
Ohio vs Washington State
Who doesn’t want to go to this bowl? Bayamón in late December will be a nice prize for two cold-weather teams.
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 1:30, ESPN
Location: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Last Season: First Year
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Group of 6 or Pac-12
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Louisiana vs Memphis
A Florida team could end up being shoehorned in here, but Louisiana and Memphis would create a high-end Group of Six matchup between two teams that will finish around fourth-ish in their respective conferences.
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 5:00, ESPN
Location: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: Old Dominion 24, USF 10
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Tulane vs UCF
Let’s start by making the call that Louisiana Tech won’t be here for a third season in a row. Tulane should take a step back overall, but playing UCF in a bowl game in Louisiana wouldn’t be a bad way to end the campaign.
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 8:30, ESPN
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Last Season: Louisiana Tech 23, Coastal Carolina 14
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, Big 12, CUSA, Former Pac-12
New Orleans Bowl
Liberty vs Old Dominion
James Madison or Old Dominion will likely slide in here from the Sun Belt. Liberty might get a slightly bigger stage if it wins the Conference USA title, but no matter what, this is always a decent game.
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Last Season: Western Kentucky 27, Southern Miss 16
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, Sun Belt
Last Season: Sam Houston 31, Georgia Southern 26
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Army vs West Virginia
This spot might be left open for the loser of the Army vs Navy game. No matter what, if that happens and it’s a matchup against West Virginia, expect a combined 500 yards of rushing offense.
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Last Season: Texas State 41, Rice 10
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, CUSA, (or Big 12)
Frisco Bowl
Fresno State vs Miami University
Let’s just make a crazy prediction now that it’s a matchup of Group of Six conference championship game losers. Ideally, there would be a Texas team involved in this – UTSA might be the call – but these two programs would put on a solid show.
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Last Season: Ohio 17, UNLV 10
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
Boise State vs Troy
There’s supposed to be a Mountain West team here, but there won’t be enough available. The same goes for Pac-12 teams that are actually in the Pac-12 – the former Pac-12 programs will gobble up almost all of the slots.
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Game Time: 2:30, ESPN
Location: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Last Season: North Texas 49, San Diego State 47
Bowl Affiliations: Mountain West, CUSA or Sun Belt
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Air Force vs Kennesaw State
There’s no way possible to ask any matchup to come up with anything as strong as the last two Hawaii Bowls – a five-overtime USF win over San Jose State in 2004, and last year’s late Hawaii win – but these two running games would make it interesting.
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Game Time: 7:00, ESPN
Location: Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
Last Season: Hawaii 35, Cal 31
Bowl Affiliations: Mountain West, CUSA (or AAC)
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Wake Forest vs Minnesota
A showdown between the last two Duke’s Mayo Bowl winners, this would be a fantastic matchup. The Gophers are fantastic under PJ Fleck in bowl games, and the Demon Deacons have won three straight bowls.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Last Season: Penn State 22, Clemson 10
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big Ten
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
USF vs Pitt
At least five ACC teams would fit this slot. Pitt doesn’t play boring bowls, and watching the team from Tampa play in Boston in late December would certainly be a story.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Last Season: Army 41, UConn 16
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, ACC
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Florida State vs Nebraska
The fun of the traditional dumping of mayonnaise on the winning head coach has been better than the game over the last few seasons, but for people of a certain age, the idea of Nebraska vs Florida State in a bowl game just sounds like fun.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 3:30, ABC
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Last Season: Wake Forest 43, Mississippi State 29
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big Ten (or SEC)
68 Ventures Bowl
Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern
Put these two offenses in a late December game, throw defense out the window, get your popcorn, and enjoy one of the highest-scoring firefights of the bowl season.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
Last Season: Delaware 20, Louisiana 13
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Cactus Bowl
Wisconsin vs Arizona State
One of those bowls that ends up finishing in the wee hours of the morning for parts of the country, it has been well worth it over the last two seasons. The Badgers and Sun Devils would pack the place.
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 7:30, ABC
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Last Season: Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17 OT
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, Big 12
Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl
Navy vs Georgia Tech
If Navy doesn’t get a College Football Playoff spot as the top Group of Six champion, this would be among the best games of the bowl season. Navy doesn’t have opt-outs, and the Yellow Jackets would care.
Monday, December 28, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Last Season: East Carolina 23, Pitt 17
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, ACC
JLab Birmingham Bowl
UTSA vs Auburn
Sort of a catch-all for teams that need a spot, Auburn makes too much sense with so many SEC teams needing a bowl spot, and UTSA is projected to be one of the best teams in the American.
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Last Season: Georgia Southern 29, App State 10
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, SEC
Pop-Tarts Bowl
NC State vs Kansas State
It’s become one of the signature games of the bowl season, and that includes the great games on the field. Both programs would bring the intensity.
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ABC
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: BYU 25, Georgia Tech 21
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big 12
Valero Alamo Bowl
Utah vs Washington
We project Utah as one of the first teams out of the College Football Playoff, and Washington as one of the top Big Ten/former Pac-12 teams available, with USC playing in this last year. (And yes, two former Pac-12 teams can play in this as long as one is currently affiliated with the Big 12.)
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Last Season: TCU 30, USC 27 OT
Bowl Affiliations: Former Pac-12, Big 12
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Clemson vs Ole Miss
There’s a world where this matchup happens in the College Football Playoff. But the two big-name programs are more likely to end up in one of the better bowl matchups of the season.
Wednesday, December 30, 2026
Game Time: 11:30 am, ESPN
Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
Last Season: Virginia 13, Missouri 7
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, SEC
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Iowa vs Florida
A blast of a bowl over the last few seasons, at the very least Iowa and Florida would bring the fight in yet another close Big Ten vs SEC battle in Nashville.
Wednesday, December 30, 2026
Game Time: 3:00, ESPN
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Last Season: Illinois 30, Tennessee 28
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
ReliaQuest Bowl
Michigan vs Alabama
These two did this at the end of the 2024 season – the Wolverines beat the Tide 19-13 – and while this bowl would be a disappointing landing spot for both programs, it’s still Michigan and Alabama on New Year’s Eve.
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ESPN
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Last Season: Iowa 34, Vanderbilt 27
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
SMU vs Arizona
Arizona makes too much sense in one of the underappreciated bowl slots in the cycle. SMU staying in Texas would help make this a much-watch battle.
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, CBS
Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Last Season: Duke 42, Arizona State 39
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Pac-12
Las Vegas Bowl
Illinois vs Cal
Illinois or Iowa would work here. The opponent gets tricky. There’s a shot Boise State – if it wins the Pac-12 title – would be the call, but the ACC will have so many bowl eligible teams that Cal makes more sense as a former Pac-12 program.
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 3:45, ESPN
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Last Season: Utah 44, Nebraska 22
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, Pac-12
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
TCU vs Tennessee
TCU in Houston would be a no-brainer, and with so many SEC teams available, getting Tennessee in a primetime New Year’s Eve game would be a coup.
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 7:30, ESPN
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Last Season: Houston 38, LSU 35
Bowl Affiliations: Big 12, SEC
Citrus Bowl
Penn State vs Texas A&M
One of the most prestigious bowls outside of the College Football Playoff, the big names and big conferences would make this worth getting up early for.
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: Texas 41, Michigan 27
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
North Texas vs Duke
North Texas playing in Dallas would help the bowl, and Duke – who should take a step back, but will still be in for a nice season – has to go somewhere with all the ACC teams looking for bowl homes.
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 3:30, ESPN
Location: Gerald R Ford Stadium, University Park, TX
Last Season: UTSA 57, FIU 20
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6 (or ACC)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Houston vs Missouri
This bowl always gets lost late in the post-season, but the Cougars and Tigers are two good teams that – if they still have enough starters around – would bring a solid narrative.
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 7:30, ESPN
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN
Last Season: Navy 35, Cincinnati 13
Bowl Affiliations: Big 12, SEC, (or AAC)
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl
Louisville vs USC
Much of this depends on where the game ends up in the cycle. Both the Cardinals and Trojans will be top 25 teams that just miss out on the College Football Playoff discussion.
Date TBD
Game Time: TBD
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA
Last Season: SMU 24, Arizona 19
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Pac-12
Last Season: Syracuse 52, Washington State 35
Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego State vs New Mexico
In both football and basketball, the Aztecs and Lobos became a nice mini-rivalry in the Mountain West. It would be a fun showdown in Snapdragon.
Date TBD
Game Time: TBD
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA Last Season: No Game
Bowl Affiliations: Pac-12, Mountain West
Last Season: No Game
Arizona Bowl
Western Michigan vs Colorado State
This matchup deserves a bigger stage, but there isn’t any room for it early in the bowl cycle. The Broncos should win the MAC, and the Rams should be in for a great first season under Jim Mora.
Date TBD
Game Time: TBD
Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Last Season: Fresno State 18, Miami University 3
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Mountain West
(College Football Playoff predictions to come next)
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