Bowl projections: 24 teams enter Week 13 a win away from bowl eligibility
More than 20 teams face a win-and-in scenario for bowl eligibility during the final week of the regular season.
Entering Week 13, 68 bowl-eligible teams had at least six wins and were guaranteed a spot in a postseason game. That number doesn’t include both James Madison and Jacksonville State. The two teams transitioning from the FCS level to the top level of college football each have more than six wins but aren’t fully bowl-eligible.
Not counting James Madison and Jacksonville State, there are 15 bowl spots up for grabs, with 24 teams sitting at five wins after Eastern Michigan's win at Buffalo. And it’s extremely unlikely that all 24 of those teams will get a victory.
Six of the five-win teams are double-digit underdogs and just 12 of them are favorites. That group of favorites includes a Nebraska team that’s a 1.5-point favorite at home against Iowa and 2.5-point favorites in both Old Dominion and Syracuse.
If all the favorites win in Week 13 and Navy beats Army on Dec. 9, there will be 80 bowl-eligible teams. Add in JMU and JSU — they’re first up if there aren’t enough six-win teams for all 82 bowl spots — and the bowl field will be filled without any five-win teams.
Will that happen as neatly as we’ve laid out? Heck no. But we can dream. Here are our latest bowl projections with nearly every five-win favorite winning.
New Year's Six Bowls
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 29)
Texas vs. Florida State
Peach Bowl (Dec. 30)
Penn State vs. Alabama
Orange Bowl (Dec. 30)
Louisville vs. Missouri
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1)
Tulane vs. Oregon
Rose Bowl [CFP semifinal] (Jan. 1)
Michigan vs. Washington
Sugar Bowl [CFP semifinal] (Jan. 1)
Georgia vs. Ohio State
Other Bowls
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 16)
Coastal Carolina vs. Western Kentucky
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16)
New Mexico State vs. Troy
Cure Bowl (Dec. 16)
Colorado State vs. Bowling Green
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16)
Air Force vs. Liberty
LA Bowl (Dec. 16)
Fresno State vs. Arizona
Independence Bowl (Dec. 16)
Iowa State vs. San Jose State
Famous Toastery Bowl (Dec. 18)
Jacksonville State vs. Georgia Southern
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 19)
Navy vs. Illinois
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 21)
Eastern Michigan vs. Georgia State
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 22)
South Florida vs. South Alabama
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 23)
Rice vs. Louisiana
Camellia Bowl (Dec. 23)
Toledo vs. James Madison
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)
Texas Tech vs. Syracuse
Potato Bowl (Dec. 23)
Northern Illinois vs. Boise State
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 23)
Ohio vs. Appalachian State
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 23)
Minnesota vs. Utah
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 23)
SMU vs. Wyoming
Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 26)
Northwestern vs. Marshall
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Utah State vs. Texas State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
West Virginia vs. Rutgers
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
NC State vs. UTSA
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 27)
Duke vs. Kentucky
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27)
Clemson vs. UCLA
Texas Bowl (Dec. 27)
Kansas vs. Texas A&M
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 28)
Boston College vs. Memphis
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28)
Virginia Tech vs. Maryland
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 28)
North Carolina vs. Oklahoma State
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 28)
Oklahoma vs. Oregon State
Gator Bowl (Dec. 29)
Miami vs. Tennessee
Sun Bowl (Dec. 29)
Georgia Tech vs. USC
Liberty Bowl (Dec. 29)
Kansas State vs. Auburn
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Wisconsin vs. UCF
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 30)
Miami (Ohio) vs. UNLV
ReliaQuest Bowl (Jan. 1)
Notre Dame vs. LSU
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1)
Iowa vs. Ole Miss
