Big 12 Bowl Projections: Sooners face Pac-12 power in latest projections from USA TODAY Sports
The final two weeks of the regular season are upon us. It’s crunch time for the conference title and College Football Playoff contenders. While the playoff is out of reach for the Sooners, they still have an outside shot at a Big 12 title game berth.
They’ll need to take care of business against BYU and TCU over the next nine days. But if the Sooners finish strongly and get a little help, one final trip to Arlington is certainly in the cards.
But at the moment, they’re on the outside looking in, and that affects where they’re heading in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bowl projections.
Let’s take a look at where the Big 12’s projected postseason landing spots.
Independence Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Syracuse Orange
All-Time Series: No Previous Matchups
Though this season hasn’t gone the way Texas Tech fans would have hoped, reaching a bowl for the second consecutive season under Joey McGuire would provide more encouragement. There’s still a lot of work to be done in Lubbock, but an intriguing matchup with Syracuse provides the Red Raiders an opportunity to finish the 2023 season strong.
First Responder Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
All-Time Series: Fighting Illini lead 3-1
Matt Campbell has done a remarkable job this season helping the Iowa State Cyclones exceed expectations. Iowa State has a huge opportunity under the lights this Saturday night when they take on the Texas Longhorns.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas Jayhawks vs. Wisconsin Badgers
All-Time Series: Badgers lead 4-2
The Kansas Jayhawks have been one of the better stories in college football. A lot of that success is due to the arrival of Lance Leipold. He’ll be an intriguing name for a number of jobs and has already been connected to Michigan State, meaning he’d see a lot of Wisconsin in the future.
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Texas A&M Aggies
All-Time Series: Aggies lead 18-10
Texas A&M moving on from Jimbo Fisher sent shock waves through the college football world. It’s arguably the biggest job opening of the coaching cycle. On the flip side, Mike Gundy will never leave Stillwater.
Pop Tarts Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
All-Time Series: No Previous Matchups
Chris Klieman has become a hot name in the coaching carousel for 2023. He’ll be tied to every job from the SEC to the Big Ten. Will he even be around for the bowl season?
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Utah Utes
All-Time Series: Oklahoma leads 1-0
Oklahoma and Utah would provide an intriguing matchup of two tough, physical teams. While Oklahoma may have the better offense on paper, Utah has shown it can score with the best the Pac-12 has to offer.
Liberty Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Auburn Tigers
All-Time Series: Series Tied 1-1
West Virginia’s season took a hit this past week in its loss to Oklahoma, but Neal Brown has that team fighting for him. Earning bowl eligibility after being picked 14th in the Big 12 preseason poll is a positive takeaway from the season.
Cotton Bowl: Texas Longhorns vs. Ole Miss Rebels
All-Time Series: Texas leads 6-1
If Quinn Ewers decides to stay another year, as is being reported, the Cotton Bowl just became a whole lot more interesting.
College Football Playoff
Rose Bowl: Michigan Wolverines vs. Florida State Seminoles – Florida State leads the all-time series 2-1.
Sugar Bowl: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Oregon Ducks – Georgia leads the all-time series 2-0
The Pac-12, SEC and Big Ten will have quarterfinal matchups of sorts before the playoff field gets determined. Michigan vs. Ohio State, Georgia vs. Alabama (presumably in the SEC title game) and Washington vs. Oregon (presumably in the Pac-12 title game) could decide at least three of the spots in the playoff.
Florida State vs. Louisville (if it makes the ACC title game) could decide the fourth spot.
The final few weeks of the season are going to provide fantastic drama.
CFP National Championship: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines
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