{"id":332443,"date":"2025-12-07T09:06:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T09:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/332443\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T09:06:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T09:06:32","slug":"college-football-bowl-projections-where-things-stand-after-conference-title-game-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/332443\/","title":{"rendered":"College football bowl projections: Where things stand after conference title game chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"James<\/p>\n

James Madison’s Sun Belt title coupled with Duke’s win in Charlotte could wreak havox on the ACC’s bowl lineup. Hannah Foslien \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Duke\u2019s overtime win against Virginia forced all ACC-affiliated bowls to conduct a new batch of projections this morning.<\/p>\n

It now appears the ACC champion will not qualify for the College Football Playoff, which means the league\u2019s 11 bowl-eligible teams will spill over into several different bowls. But there are a few things to know about the ACC\u2019s lineup:<\/p>\n

There are three tiers. The first consists of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Gator Bowl and the Holiday Bowl. The second includes the Duke\u2019s Mayo Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl and the Sun Bowl. Then comes the Military Bowl and the bowls owned by ESPN Events (Fenway, Gasparilla and Birmingham).
\nMiami played in the Pop-Tarts Bowl last year, so it cannot play in it this year.
\nThe SEC\u2019s shortfall of non-CFP bowl teams could lead to at least one ACC team filling one of those spots.<\/p>\n

A couple of the projections that seem to work include the Hurricanes facing Tennessee in an exciting Gator Bowl clash. Instead of nudging Missouri to accept a second straight Music City Bowl nod, the SEC could have the Tigers play Clemson in the Duke\u2019s Mayo Bowl. That would open the Music City Bowl to an ACC team. Georgia Tech would be a strong candidate against Illinois.<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve written here a few times, the Big Ten lineup has been set since last weekend. Michigan will compete in the Citrus Bowl; Iowa heads to Tampa for the seventh time under Kirk Ferentz; Nebraska\u2019s fan reputation helps secure the Huskers a spot in the Vegas Bowl.<\/p>\n

Kansas State reportedly will not accept a bowl invitation, but that decision is not finalized. That would create an opening for a 5-7 team to join the CFP field, and qualification is based on the NCAA\u2019s Academic Progress Rate. Among 5-7 teams, Auburn (990) has the highest APR with Rice (988) and UCF (986) next in line.<\/p>\n

Evergreen notes:<\/p>\n

The highest-ranked five conference champions plus the top seven at-large teams qualify for the 12-team College Football Playoff. The four highest-ranked teams earn first-round byes. Those teams will play in the Cotton (Dec. 31), Orange (Jan. 1), Rose (Jan. 1) and Sugar (Dec. 31) bowls. Teams seeded 5-8 host seeds 9-12 on Dec. 19-20. Should the Big Ten and SEC champions earn byes, they will play in the Rose and Sugar bowls, respectively. The next-highest ranked squad heads to the closest remaining bowl site to its campus.<\/p>\n

The former Pac-12 schools still fall under the conference\u2019s old agreements. It\u2019s possible to see current in-conference matchups in the Alamo, Vegas, Holiday or Sun bowls.<\/p>\n

BowlMatchup<\/p>\n

LA
\n Dec. 13, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Pac-12 6 Washington<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MWC 1 Boise State<\/p>\n

Salute to Veterans
\n Dec. 16, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Sun Belt Louisiana<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MAC Central Michigan<\/p>\n

Cure
\n Dec. 17, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Sun Belt Old Dominion<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

G5\/Open South Florida<\/p>\n

68 Ventures
\n Dec. 17, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Sun Belt Southern Miss<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Miami (OH)<\/p>\n

XBox
\n Dec. 18, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

G5 Missouri State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

G5 Arkansas State<\/p>\n

Myrtle Beach
\n Dec. 19, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Sun Belt Georgia Southern<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Delaware<\/p>\n

Gasparilla
\n Dec. 19, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC\/ACC\/AAC NC State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open UConn<\/p>\n

Famous Idaho Potato
\n Dec. 22, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MWC Utah State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Washington State<\/p>\n

Boca Raton
\n Dec. 23, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Coastal Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Florida International<\/p>\n

New Orleans
\n Dec. 23, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Sun Belt Troy<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

CUSA Jacksonville State<\/p>\n

Frisco
\n Dec. 23, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

G5 Texas State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

G5 Fresno State<\/p>\n

Hawai’i
\n Dec. 24, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MWC Hawaii<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

American\/Other California<\/p>\n

GameAbove Sports
\n Dec. 26, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 8 Northwestern<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MAC Ohio<\/p>\n

Rate
\n Dec. 26, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 7 Minnesota<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 6 Iowa State<\/p>\n

First Responder
\n Dec. 26, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Western Kentucky<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open UTSA<\/p>\n

Military
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

American Memphis<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 8 Louisville<\/p>\n

Pinstripe
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 6 Penn State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 5-7 Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Fenway
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 9 Wake Forest<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

American Army<\/p>\n

Arizona
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MWC San Diego State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MAC 2 Western Michigan<\/p>\n

Pop-Tarts
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 3 TCU<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 2-4 Duke<\/p>\n

New Mexico
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

MWC New Mexico<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open Toledo<\/p>\n

Gator
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 2-4 Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC 3-8 Tennessee<\/p>\n

Texas
\n Dec. 27, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 4 Houston<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC 3-8 LSU<\/p>\n

Birmingham
\n Dec. 29, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC\/SEC\/Open East Carolina<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC\/ACC\/Open Kennesaw State<\/p>\n

Independence
\n Dec. 30, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 7 Kansas State<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

CUSA\/Sun Belt Louisiana Tech<\/p>\n

Music City
\n Dec. 30, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 5 Illinois<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC replacement Georgia Tech<\/p>\n

Alamo
\n Dec. 30, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 2 BYU<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Pac-12 2 USC<\/p>\n

ReliaQuest
\n Dec. 31, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 3 Iowa<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC 3-8 Vanderbilt<\/p>\n

Sun
\n Dec. 31, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 5-7 SMU<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Pac-12 5 Arizona State<\/p>\n

Citrus
\n Dec. 31, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 2 Michigan<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC 2 Texas<\/p>\n

Las Vegas
\n Dec. 31, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Pac-12 3 Utah<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big Ten 4 Nebraska<\/p>\n

Armed Forces
\n Jan. 2, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Open UNLV<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

American North Texas<\/p>\n

Liberty
\n Jan. 2, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Big 12 5 Cincinnati<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

AAC replacement Navy<\/p>\n

Duke’s Mayo
\n Jan. 2, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

SEC replacement Missouri<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 5-7 Clemson<\/p>\n

Holiday
\n Jan. 3, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

ACC 2-4 Virginia<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

Pac-12 4 Arizona<\/p>\n

BowlMatchup<\/p>\n

Playoff
\n Dec. 19, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

7 Texas A&M<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

10 Alabama<\/p>\n

Playoff
\n Dec. 20, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

6 Ole Miss<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

11 Tulane<\/p>\n

Playoff
\n Dec. 20, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

5 Oregon<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

12 James Madison<\/p>\n

Playoff
\n Dec. 20, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

8 Oklahoma<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

9 Notre Dame<\/p>\n

Cotton
\n Dec. 31, 2025<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

3 Ohio State<\/p>\n

Miss\/Tulane winner<\/p>\n

Orange
\n Jan. 1, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

4 Texas Tech<\/p>\n

Oregon\/JMU winner<\/p>\n

Rose
\n Jan. 1, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

1 Indiana<\/p>\n

ND\/OU winner<\/p>\n

Sugar
\n Jan. 1, 2026<\/p>\n

\"Logo<\/p>\n

2 Georgia<\/p>\n

A&M\/Bama winner<\/p>\n

Fiesta
\n Jan. 8, 2026<\/p>\n

QF winner<\/p>\n

QF winner<\/p>\n

Peach
\n Jan. 9, 2026<\/p>\n

QF winner<\/p>\n

QF winner<\/p>\n

Championship
\n Jan. 19, 2026<\/p>\n

SF winner<\/p>\n

SF winner<\/p>\n

\"Connections:\"Connections:<\/p>\n

Dec 7, 2025<\/p>\n

Connections: Sports Edition<\/p>\n

Spot the pattern. Connect the terms<\/p>\n

Find the hidden link between sports terms<\/p>\n

Play today’s puzzle<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Madison’s Sun Belt title coupled with Duke’s win in Charlotte could wreak havox on the ACC’s bowl…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,19471,33631,33611,1217,594,1403,1407,33614,1216,596,33630,1404,1411,68477,74884,71643,1412,96635,1229,122007,1405,33627,712,713,122008,87334,120280,714,711,1406,120281,709,1220,122006,1218,33628,1409,103557,33609,33616,85,33629,121553,33610,710,1225,33615,33612,33613,33626,17080,23747,96644,1410],"class_list":["post-332443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baylor-bears","tag-boston-college-eagles","tag-cincinnati-bearcats","tag-clemson-tigers","tag-college-football","tag-connecticut-huskies","tag-duke-blue-devils","tag-east-carolina-pirates","tag-florida-state-seminoles","tag-football","tag-georgia-tech-yellow-jackets","tag-houston-cougars","tag-illinois-fighting-illini","tag-indiana-hoosiers","tag-iowa-hawkeyes","tag-iowa-state-cyclones","tag-kansas-jayhawks","tag-kansas-state-wildcats","tag-louisville-cardinals","tag-maryland-terrapins","tag-memphis-tigers","tag-miami-hurricanes","tag-michigan-state-spartans","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-middle-tennessee-blue-raider","tag-minnesota-golden-gophers","tag-navy-midshipmen","tag-nebraska-cornhuskers","tag-north-carolina-state-wolfpack","tag-north-carolina-tar-heels","tag-northwestern-wildcats","tag-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-oklahoma-sooners","tag-oklahoma-state-cowboys","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-pittsburgh-panthers","tag-purdue-boilermakers","tag-rutgers-scarlet-knights","tag-smu-mustangs","tag-south-florida-bulls","tag-sports","tag-syracuse-orange","tag-tcu-horned-frogs","tag-temple-owls","tag-texas-longhorns","tag-texas-tech-red-raiders","tag-tulane-green-wave","tag-tulsa-golden-hurricane","tag-ucf-knights","tag-virginia-cavaliers","tag-virginia-tech-hokies","tag-wake-forest-demon-deacons","tag-west-virginia-mountaineers","tag-wisconsin-badgers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}