2025 Bowl Projections after Week 11: Texas Tech Rising, ACC Chaos Shakes Up Playoff Field
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College football’s Week 11 schedule produced several results that significantly altered the projected playoff field and bowl projections following Saturday’s action. Ohio State and Indiana remain the top two seeds after road wins in conference play, with Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia rounding out the top five. Texas Tech’s Big 12 title and playoff hopes took a massive step forward with a blowout victory over BYU, while the race to win the ACC is wide open after losses by Virginia and Louisville. Notre Dame moved one step closer to the playoff after an easy win over Navy.
Week 11 results also impacted bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff. Vanderbilt moves up in the SEC bowl pecking order after beating Auburn, while BYU drops out of the projected field to the Pop-Tarts Bowl. With the SEC expected to fall short of having enough bowl-eligible squads to fill its allotted bowl slots, some shuffling among teams and conferences is likely.
Just missing the bowl projections after Week 11: Clemson, North Carolina, Appalachian State, Utah State, Georgia Southern, South Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, West Virginia, Maryland, UCF, Kentucky, Auburn, Louisiana, Rice, Florida Atlantic, Texas State, Wyoming, and FIU.
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 11:
College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26 (After Week 11)
LA Bowl (Dec. 13)
Location: SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection: San Diego 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. Coastal Carolina
Cure Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: James Madison vs. Ohio
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: Sun Belt/AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: Arkansas State vs. Western Michigan
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location: Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection: Marshall vs. Liberty
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Memphis vs. Florida State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location: Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Buffalo vs. UNLV
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In: AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: North Texas vs. Old Dominion
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: TBD in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: UConn vs. Kansas
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: Rutgers vs. Toledo
Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection: Iowa State vs. Northwestern
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12/AAC/CUSA/ACC
Projection: UTSA vs. Boise State
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Duke vs. Navy
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: NC State vs. Illinois
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Temple
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Louisville vs. BYU
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Miami (Ohio) 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: TCU vs. Mississippi State
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In: ACC/American vs. SEC
Projection: East Carolina vs. Troy
Independence Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Big 12
Projection: Kennesaw State vs. Kansas State
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Minnesota 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: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: SMU vs. Arizona
Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Michigan vs. Vanderbilt
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Iowa vs. Arizona State
Armed Forces Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection: Baylor vs. Army
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Cincinnati vs. Tulane*
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Virginia vs. Missouri
Holiday Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Pitt vs. Utah
Bahamas Bowl (TBD)
Location: TBD
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. MAC
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Central Michigan
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 Georgia vs. No. 12 South Florida
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech
No. 7 Texas Tech vs. No. 10 Texas
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 7 Texas Tech
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 Georgia
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection: No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Semifinals
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)
Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Alabama
Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection:No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 3 Texas A&M
National Championship
Date: Jan. 19, 2026
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: Ohio State over Texas A&M
*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.
Related: Top 25 Predictions: What the AP Poll Will Look Like After Week 11
Related: College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
Related: College Football Coaching Carousel Rankings: Rating the Open Jobs in the 2025-26 Cycle
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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