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College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
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- College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
(© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26 originally appeared on Athlon Sports .
The 2025-26 bowl schedule features 41 games, including six in the 12-team College Football Playoff following the first-round matchups. With the season less than 50 days away, Athlon Sports is here with complete projections and predictions for all of the bowl matchups and playoff games.
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The postseason begins on Dec. 13 with one matchup and continues until Jan. 19 with the national championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The playoffs start on Dec. 19 with one first-round game, followed by three on Saturday, Dec. 20, at on-campus sites. The quarterfinals are slated for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 8 and Jan. 9; the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl host the matchups.
Due to conference realignment, some of the bowl tie-ins will be scrambled again in '25. Former Pac-12 teams are eligible for bowl appearances in the conference's old tie-ins.
Just missing the projections: Southern Miss, Boston College, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Wisconsin, Louisiana Tech, and Washington State.
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How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports' preseason predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2025-26:
Conference Predictions for 2025
Power 4: ACC
| Big 12
| Big Ten
| SEC
| Ranking All 136 Teams
Group of 5: American
| CUSA
| MAC
| Mountain West
| Sun Belt
College Football Bowl Projections for 2025-26
LA Bowl (Dec. 13)
Location:SoFi Bowl in Inglewood, Calif.
Tie-In:Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Projection:UNLV vs. Colorado
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IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 16)
Location:Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection:Jacksonville State* vs. Old Dominion
Cure Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:James Madison vs. Toledo
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 17)
Location:Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
Tie-In: Sun Belt/AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:East Carolina vs. Western Kentucky
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location:Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C.
Tie-In: Sun Belt vs. AAC/CUSA/MAC
Projection:UConn vs. Georgia Southern
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Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19)
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:NC State vs. Missouri
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 22)
Location:Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Ohio vs. Colorado State
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location:Flagler Credit Union Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla.
Tie-In:AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection:Memphis vs. South Alabama
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection:Liberty vs. Louisiana
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Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23)
Location:TBD in Frisco, Texas
Tie-In:AAC/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection:Arkansas State vs. North Texas
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)
Location:Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tie-In:American vs. Mountain West
Projection:UTSA vs. Hawaii
GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location:Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. MAC
Projection:Rutgers vs. Buffalo
Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location:Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection:TCU vs. Minnesota
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First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Location:Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12/AAC/CUSA/ACC
Projection:Houston vs. Air Force
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
Tie-In:ACC vs. American
Projection:North Carolina vs. Navy
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection:Pitt vs. Iowa
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:Fenway Park in Boston, Mass.
Tie-In:ACC vs. American
Projection:Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
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Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Big 12
Projection:Louisville vs. Baylor
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Ariz.
Tie-In:MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection:Northern Illinois vs. San Jose State
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection:Texas State* vs. Fresno State
Gator Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:Georgia Tech vs. Texas A&M
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Texas Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location:NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:Iowa State vs. Oklahoma
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 29)
Location:Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala.
Tie-In:ACC/American vs. SEC
Projection:South Florida vs. Arkansas
Independence Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.
Tie-In:American vs. Pac-12
Projection:Vanderbilt* vs. Oregon State
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location:Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Nebraska vs. Ole Miss
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Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30)
Location:Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection:Texas Tech vs. USC
ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location:Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Indiana vs. South Carolina
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location:Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Duke vs. Utah
Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location:Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection:Michigan vs. Florida
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Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location:Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In:Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection:Illinois 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:BYU vs. Army
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location:Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.
Tie-In:Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection:Kansas vs. Auburn
Duke's Mayo Bowl (Jan. 2)
Location:Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Tie-In:ACC vs. SEC
Projection:SMU vs. Tennessee
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Holiday Bowl (TBD)
Location:Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif.
Tie-In:ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection:Florida State vs. Washington
Bahamas Bowl (TBD)
Location:TBD
Tie-In:Conference USA vs. MAC
Projection: UTEP vs. Miami (Ohio)
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 Clemson vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Kansas StateNo. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Miami
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Oregon
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College Football Playoff Quarterfinals
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)
Location:AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Projection:No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Notre Dame
Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 5 Clemson
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location:Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif.
Projection:No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 7 LSU
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Location:Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
Projection:No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Alabama
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Semifinals
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8)
Location:State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Projection:No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Georgia
Peach Bowl (Jan. 9)
Location:Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
Projection: No. 2 Penn State vs. No. 3 Ohio State
National Championship
Date:Jan. 19, 2026
Location:Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Projection:Texas over Penn State
*Indicates conference not projected to fulfill all of its bowl tie-ins. An at-large team will be selected to fill those spots.
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Related: College Football Top 136 Team Rankings for 2025
Related: Athlon Sports' College Football 2025 All-America Team
Related: Ranking the Toughest College Football Schedules for 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
