Big 12 Bowl Projections: Sooners take on Rising Power in Pacific Northwest in latest Bowl Projections
The Oklahoma Sooners head into the regular season finale still with a shot to make the Big 12 title game. They have to beat TCU on Friday and hope for some good things to go their way, but there’s still a chance.
A win over the Horned Frogs would give Brent Venables his first 10-win season as a head coach and Oklahoma the bounce-back season they needed heading into the SEC in 2024.
With bowl season right around the corner, the Big 12 has eight teams that have earned bowl eligibility. BYU, UCF, and TCU can all earn bowl bids if they can pick up a win this Saturday.
BYU plays Oklahoma State. A Cougars win and a Sooners win puts Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.
Here’s a look at the latest Big 12 bowl projections from USA TODAY Sports.
Independence Bowl: Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
All-Time Series: No Previous Matchups
Going into the regular season finale, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have a chance to cause all kinds of chaos in the Big 12 and College Football Playoff race with a win over Texas on Friday.
Camelilia Bowl: UCF Knights vs. Georgia State
All-Time Series: No Previous Matchups
The UCF Knights have had a strong first season in the Big 12. Though it’s been up and down, they’ve positioned themselves better than any of the newcomers to the conference.
First Responder Bowl: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
All-Time Series: Fighting Illini lead 3-1
After losing projected starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers to gambling allegations in the offseason, the Cyclones weren’t expected to do a whole lot. Well, the defense has been really good, and Rocco Becht has done a great job learning on the fly. It’s a credit to the coaching job Matt Campbell’s done this year.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas Jayhawks vs. Wisconsin Badgers
All-Time Series: Badgers lead 4-2
Lance Leipold continues to impress with the job he’s done at Kansas. Down Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean, the Jayhawks still had a shot against Kansas State in the fourth quarter. Now, has Leipold done so well that he gets snatched up by a better job?
Texas Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats vs. Texas A&M Aggies
All-Time Series: Series Tied 8-8
Though a trip to the Texas Bowl falls short of Kansas State’s goals after winning the Big 12 last year, facing the Aggies and earning a win would put a nice bow on the Wildcats season.
Pop Tarts Bowl: Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Clemson Tigers
All-Time Series: No Previous Matchups
Mike Gundy and Dabo Swinney would make for fun media availabilities in the build up to the Pop Tarts Bowl. Both head coaches don’t hold back on their feelings about NIL and the transfer portal, so you know they’ll have some thoughts right in the middle of the first portal period.
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oregon State Beavers
All-Time Series: Series tied 1-1
Oklahoma and Oregon State have only played twice. The Beavers earned the first win in the series back in 1970, and the Sooners came back in 1981 to even the series with a 42-3 win. Interestingly, the two coaches from the 1981 contest, Barry Switzer and Joe Avezzano, would serve on the same Dallas Cowboys staff that won the Super Bowl in 1995.
Liberty Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Auburn Tigers
All-Time Series: Series Tied 1-1
West Virginia continued to prove the Big 12 media wrong with a huge win over Cincinnati. The Mountaineers’ bounce-back season likely helped Neal Brown keep his job a bit longer in Morgantown. With Oklahoma and Texas heading to the SEC next year, they’ll have a shot to keep climbing in a wide-open Big 12.
Cotton Bowl: Texas Longhorns vs. Missouri Tigers
All-Time Series: Texas leads 18-6
A renewal of former Big 12 foes before the Texas Longhorns move to the SEC and they begin to play regularly again. Both teams have had resurgent seasons, but will Brady Cook and Quinn Ewers play in this game?
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 College Football Playoff race took a dramatic turn this weekend when Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis was lost for the season with a broken leg. Can the Seminoles keep the ship afloat without their star? They have a big-time nonconference matchup with Florida this week before a top-10 battle with Louisville in the ACC title game in two weeks.
Oregon has been a popular pick to be the fourth team in the playoff for the last couple of weeks. That No. 4 spot will likely come down to the winner of the Pac-12 title.
The winner of this week’s matchup between Michigan and Ohio State will be in assuming they stay undefeated and win the Big Ten.
Georgia is likely a shoo-in, regardless of what happens in the SEC title game. But a Bulldogs win creates a clearer picture for the playoff committee.
CFP National Championship: Georgia Bulldogs vs. Michigan Wolverines
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