2024-25 Bowl Game Projections

[jbcarol]

College Football Bowl Projections: Brett McMurphy's Early Predictions for 2024



Citrus  Ole Miss v. Nebraska

ReliaQuest  Oklahoma v. Iowa

Music City  A&M v. Michigan St.

Liberty  Kentucky v. Oklahoma St.

Gator  LSU v. Miami

Texas Bowl  Auburn v. Iowa St.

Las Vegas  Tennessee v. Arizona

Omitted: Vandy, State, USC, Florida, and Arkansas

[jbcarol]

Ducks Wire: B1G bowl game projections

Of course, things are going to look a lot different in 2024 when it comes to the postseason because of the expansion of the College Football Playoff. While the first-round games will take place at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program, the quarterfinals and semifinal games will be played at traditional bowl sites. In 2024-25, those games will look as follows:

2024 quarterfinals: Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl
2024 semifinals: Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl

Non-Bowl-Eligible Teams
According to our preseason projections, half of the Big Ten Conference will likely be ineligible for a bowl game in 2024, not making it to the 6-win threshold. Here is who I project those teams will be:

Michigan State
UCLA
Maryland
Northwestern
Rutgers
Minnesota
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue

Music City Bowl

Venue | Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Prediction | Iowa vs. Tennessee

ReliaQuest Bowl

Venue | Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. SEC
Prediction | Penn State vs. LSU

Cheez It Citrus Bowl

Venue | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Bowl Tie-Ins | Big Ten vs. Big 12
Prediction | Michigan vs. Oklahoma

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Sugar Bowl)

Venue | Ceasars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Prediction | Oregon vs. Arizona

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal (Rose Bowl)

Venue | The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Prediction | Ohio State vs. Utah

College Football Playoff Semifinal (Orange Bowl)

Venue | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
Prediction | Oregon vs. Georgia

College Football Playoff Semifinal (Cotton Bowl)

Venue | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Prediction | Ohio State vs. Texas

[jbcarol]

College Football Playoff Predictions, Bowl Projections:

COLLEGEFOOTBALLNEWS

No, there's no Alabama or Michigan - for now. There could be, and probably should be, but for now the big guess is that both of them will be great, but will still end up with three losses each. That's a big deal because ...

If you don't win a conference championship, anything less than 10-2 need not apply.

The top four conference champions will get a first round bye - Notre Dame can't be in the top four (at least for right now) -

Do we think Florida State will be ranked third and Utah fourth in the final CFP rankings? No, but for now we're calling that they'll win the ACC and Big 12, respectively.

After the top five champions - five conference champions will be automatically in - the seven highest-ranked remaining teams are in.

There is no reseeding. However, after the first round - played on the home fields of the higher seeds - the CFP will fill the designated bowls with the best matchups.

Friday, December 20, 2024
9 USC at 8 LSU

Saturday, December 21, 2024
11 Clemson at 6 Texas
12 Boise State (Mountain West Champion) at 5 Oregon
10 Penn State at 7 Notre Dame

College Football Playoff Predictions: Quarterfinals
And now the bowls games get involved. The venues will almost certainly be based on the geography - and the desires -

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
4 Utah (Big 12 Champion) vs 5 Oregon

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
3 Florida State (ACC Champion) vs 6 Texas

Rose Bowl
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
1 Ohio State (Big Ten Champion) vs 8 LSU

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
2 Georgia (SEC Champion) vs 7 Notre Dame

College Football Playoff Predictions: Semis

Each expanded College Football Playoff semifinal gets a night to itself. Again, geography matters, and again, it stinks that there's no reseed

Capital One Orange Bowl
Thursday, January 9, 2025
2 Georgia vs 5 Oregon

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, January 10, 2025
1 Ohio State vs 6 Texas

College Football Playoff Predictions: National Championship
Monday, January 20, 2025
1 Ohio State vs 2 Georgia

Predicting Every Game, Early Version
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC

[jbcarol]

Early College Football Playoff, major bowl projections for 2024

It's a new day

Brad Crawford

If there's anything predictable about an ever-changing landscape in college football it's that alterations are on the horizon due to a deteriorating postseason outside of the New Year's Six thanks to the growing number of opt-outs and transfer portal departures affecting competition.

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF GAMES (ON-CAMPUS)
Projected matchup: No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Texas

Projected matchup: No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Michigan

Projected matchup: No. 11 USF (AAC champion) at No. 6 Oregon

Projected matchup: No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Notre Dame

PLAYOFF QUARTERFINALS

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31)

Projected matchup: No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Texas

Peach Bowl (Jan. 1, 2025)

Projected matchup: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 10 LSU

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)

Projected matchup: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Michigan

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)

Projected matchup: No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 Oregon

PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS

Orange Bowl (Jan. 9)

Projected matchup: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Florida State

Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10)

Projected matchup: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas


Alamo Bowl (Big 12 vs. TBA)

Projected matchup: Oklahoma State vs. Auburn

Music City Bowl (Big Ten vs. SEC)

Projected matchup: Tennessee vs. Washington

Citrus Bowl (Big Ten vs. SEC)

Projected matchup: Alabama vs. Penn State

ReliaQuest Bowl (Big Ten vs. SEC)

Projected matchup: USC vs. Missouri

[jbcarol]

Future College Football Playoff bowls and locations for 2025 and 2026
Here is where the new-look CFP will be played in 2025 and 2026
By Max Molski •

 

2024 College Football Playoff schedule
First round: Dec. 20-21

First round games will take place at the home field of the higher-seeded team or at another site designated by the higher-seeded team.

Quarterfinals: Dec. 31-Jan. 1

The Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls will serve as College Football Playoff Quarterfinals for the 2024 season.

Fiesta Bowl: Dec. 31, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Peach Bowl: Jan. 1, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
Rose Bowl: Jan. 1, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Sugar Bowl: Jan. 1, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
Semifinals: Jan. 9-10

The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will be the CFP Semifinals for the 2024 season.

Orange Bowl: Jan. 9, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Cotton Bowl: Jan. 10, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
College Football Playoff National Championship: Jan. 20

The CFP National Championship will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.

2025 College Football Playoff schedule
First round: Dec. 19-20

Again, higher-seeded teams will have home-field advantage in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff.

Quarterfinals: Dec. 31-Jan. 1

The Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls will serve as the CFP Quarterfinals.

Cotton Bowl: Dec. 31, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Orange Bowl: Jan. 1, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Rose Bowl: Jan. 1, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Sugar Bowl: Jan. 1, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.
Semifinals: Jan. 8-9

The Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl will be the CFP Semifinals for the 2025 season.

Fiesta Bowl: Jan. 8, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Peach Bowl: Jan. 9, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
College Football Playoff National Championship: Jan. 19

The CFP National Championship will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.

[jbcarol]

Georgia, Alabama opened as favorites to win 2025 CFP title; Michigan was fourth-best

Georgia opened as the favorite to win next year's national title, followed by the Crimson Tide, on BetMGM.

The Bulldogs are +500 (5-to-1) to win the 2025 national title. Alabama is +600 to win it all. Ohio State (+700) and freshly crowned champion Michigan (+800) are next.

Seeing any of these teams at the top of the odds isn't a surprise. Georgia looked like the best team in the country for much of this year.

Update

Georgia is the betting favorite at +350.
Alabama moved from +550 to +800 after Nick Saban announced his retirement.
Michigan was adjusted to +1100 after Jim Harbaugh left the Wolverines.

College Football National Championship Odds 2024: The Favorites

SEC Teams

Georgia   +350
Texas   +750
Alabama   +800
Ole Miss   +1100
LSU   +1600
Oklahoma   +3500
Missouri   +3500
A&M   +4000
Tennessee   +5000

Life After Saban: What To Expect Next...

[jbcarol]

College Football Bowl Ties, Affiliations For Each Conference 2024-2025

- The normal high-end bowl ties aren't totally gone, but they're close. In theory, the Rose Bowl would like a Big Ten team with the Pac-12 gone, but that's not an official bowl affiliation now. The same goes for the ACC and the Orange, and the Big 12 with the Sugar.

SEC Bowl Ties, Affiliations

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl vs Big Ten
The Citrus Bowl gets its pick of the top SEC team available after the CFP is settled.

The SEC will assign teams to the respective bowls in this pool.

- AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs Big 12
- Las Vegas Bowl vs TBD (this was Pac-12)
- ReliaQuest Bowl vs Big Ten or ACC
- TaxAct Texas Bowl vs Big 12
- TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs ACC
- TransPerfect Music City Bowl vs Big Ten

The SEC has affiliations to fill if needed.

- Birmingham Bowl vs American Athletic
- Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl vs A@C

[jbcarol]

Odds to Win National Championship
Georgia   +400
Alabama   +600
Ohio State   +800
Texas   +850
Michigan   +1000

[jbcarol]

College Football Bowl Projections: Brett McMurphy's Early Predictions for 2024


Updated:
Mar 18, 2024, 01:57 PM EDT

Why release my never-too-early 2024 bowl projections

This is simply continuing a tradition like no other —  — here at Action Network in providing the best bowl projections on the planet, no matter what month it is.

CFP 1st Round Faurot Field  Mizzou -1.5 v. Penn State

CFP 1st Round Austin  Texas -19 v. Boise St.

CFP 1st Round South Bend  Bama -2.5 v. Notre Dame

CFP Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl  Texas -9 v. Utah

You can't spell Sugar without "U-G-A" Bowl  Georgia -9 v. Mizzou

CFP Semifinals

Orange Bowl  Georgia -4.5 v. Texas

National Championship  Atlanta  Georgia -1.5 v. Ohio State 

Citrus  Ole Miss -14 v. Nebraska

ReliaQuest  Oklahoma -14 v. Iowa

Music City  A&M -15.5 v. Michigan St.

Liberty  Kentucky -2.5 v. Oklahoma St.

Gator  LSU -10.5 v. Miami

Texas Bowl  Auburn +0.5 v. Iowa St.

Las Vegas  Tennessee PK v. Arizona

Omitted: Vandy, State, USC, Florida, and Arkansas

[jbcarol]

College football bowl projections: Updated spring picks for 2024 season

Early predictions are in for every bowl matchup

Brad Crawford
Apr 15th



Liberty Bowl

Projected matchup: Auburn vs. Oklahoma State

Duke's Mayo Bowl

Projected matchup: Duke vs. Wisconsin

Las Vegas Bowl

Projected matchup: Kentucky vs. Texas Tech

Texas Bowl

Projected matchup: Kansas State vs. A&M

Citrus Bowl

Projected matchup: Alabama vs. Penn State

ReliaQuest Bowl

Projected matchup: Nebraska vs. Tennessee

Gator Bowl

Projected matchup: NC State vs. Missouri

Music City Bowl

Projected matchup: Iowa vs. Oklahoma

FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF GAMES

Projected matchup: No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Texas

Projected matchup: No. 10 LSU at No. 7 Ole Miss

FIESTA BOWL

Projected matchup: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Utah

PEACH BOWL

Projected matchup: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Ole Miss

ORANGE BOWL (SEMIFINAL)

Projected matchup: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 5 Texas

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Projected matchup: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Georgia 


Omitted: Vandy, USC, State, Florida, Arkansas

[jbcarol]

Bowl Season director Nick Carparelli:

In-house NIL collectives, 'binding agreements' could help stop opt-outs

by: Nick Schultz
•

Over the last few years, opt-outs have become part of the bowl game landscape for teams that miss out on the College Football Playoff. Players currently have the option to sit out the game and focus on their NFL Draft preparation, although some teams stay fully in tact for the postseason appearance.

Wednesday, Bowl Season director Nick Carparelli weighed in on the conversation in an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Carparelli joined the growing number of people calling for NIL and collectives to move "in-house" and move toward an employment model. With his suggestion, athletes and the universities would come to a "binding agreement" that require them to play in both the regular season and postseason –