College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27
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The 2026-27 bowl schedule features 41 games, including six in the 12-team College Football Playoff following the first-round matchups. With the season less than 60 days away, Athlon Sports is here with complete projections and predictions for all of the bowl matchups and playoff games.
The postseason begins on Dec. 15 with two matchups and continues until Jan. 25 with the national championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The playoffs start on Dec. 18 with one first-round game, followed by three on Saturday, Dec. 19, hosted on-campus sites. The quarterfinals are slated for Dec. 30 and Jan. 1. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 14 and Jan. 15; the Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl host the matchups.
Due to conference realignment, some of the bowl tie-ins will be scrambled again in ’26. Former Pac-12 teams are eligible for bowl appearances in the conference’s old tie-ins. Three postseason contests – the Holiday, Poinsettia and Arizona bowls – have yet to set a date for their matchup.
Just missing the projections: Louisiana, UConn, Duke, Florida State, Kansas, FIU, Buffalo, Texas State and Mississippi State.
How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports’ preseason predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2026-27:
Conference Predictions for 2026
Power 4: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC | Ranking All 138 Teams
Group of 6: American | CUSA | MAC | Mountain West | Pac-12 | Sun Belt
College Football Bowl Projections for 2026-27
Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 15)
Location: Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt/American
Projection: Delaware vs. Georgia Southern
Frisco Football Classic (Dec. 15)
Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Central Michigan
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/MW/Sun Belt
Projection: Troy vs. Liberty
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 18)
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Tulane* vs. Vanderbilt
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 21)
Location: Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Temple vs. Marshall
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 21)
Location: Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Toledo vs. North Dakota State
Puerto Rico Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Tie-In: MAC vs. American/CUSA/Sun Belt
Projection: Miami (Ohio) vs. East Carolina
Cure Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location: Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: South Florida vs. Western Michigan
Independence Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Conference USA
Projection: West Virginia vs. Kennesaw State
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Western Kentucky vs. James Madison
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Group of 6
Projection: Arizona State vs. UNLV
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location: Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In: Group of 6 vs. Group of 6
Projection: Old Dominion vs. Utah State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 24)
Location: University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Group of 6
Projection: New Mexico vs. Washington State
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)
Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. American
Projection: Hawaii vs. UCLA*
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Pitt vs. Minnesota
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: NC State vs. Army
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Iowa
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Jacksonville State vs. Arkansas State
Cactus Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location: Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection: TCU vs. Illinois
Military Bowl (Dec. 28)
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Navy
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location: Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In: American/ACC vs. SEC
Projection: Memphis vs. Georgia Tech
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Louisville vs. Houston
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection: BYU vs. USC
Gator Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: SMU vs. Alabama
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Penn State vs. Florida
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Virginia vs. Utah
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Projection: Arizona vs. Tennessee
Texas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Michigan vs. Ole Miss
First Responder Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In: Group of 6/Big 12
Projection: Fresno State vs. UTSA
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Kansas State vs. Auburn
Arizona Bowl (TBD)
Location: Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Ohio vs. Air Force
Holiday Bowl (TBD)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Clemson vs. Washington
Poinsettia Bowl (TBD)
Location: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. Former Pac-12 Teams
Projection: San Diego State vs. California
College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff First Round
Games to be played on Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team.
No. 5 Indiana vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Texas Tech
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 LSU
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Texas A&M
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection: No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Indiana
Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Miami
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection: No. 3 Texas vs No. 6 Oregon
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma
Semifinals
Orange Bowl (Jan. 14)
Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 15)
Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection:No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas
National Championship
Date: Jan. 25, 2026
Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Projection: Ohio State over Georgia
*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 Top 138 Team Rankings for 2026
Related: College Football 2026 All-America Team
Related: College Football Rankings: Projecting the Top 25 Teams for 2026
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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