2021 College Football News bowl projections, predictions and possible matchups for the College Football Playoff: Week 9

Bowl Projections: Week 9

All Times Eastern

Bahamas Bowl

Friday, December 17
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Bowl Tie-Ins: Conference USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Charlotte vs Kent State
Last Year: Canceled

Cure Bowl

Friday, December 17
ESPN2, 6:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: UCF vs Florida Atlantic
Last Year: Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 11:00 am
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Appalachian State vs WKU
Last Year: BYU 49, UCF 23

Cricket Celebration Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 12:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: MEAC vs. SWAC
Bowl Projection: Norfolk State vs Jackson State
Last Year: Canceled

New Mexico Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: UTEP vs Utah State
Last Year: Hawaii 28, Houston 14

– CFN Week 9 Rankings of All 130 Teams

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 3:30 pm
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. BYU
Bowl Projection: UTSA vs BYU
Last Year: Canceled

LendingTree Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Western Michigan vs ULM
Last Year: Georgia State 39, WKU 21

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 7:30 pm
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Fresno State vs USC
Last Year: Canceled

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Marshall vs Louisiana
Last Year: Georgia Southern 38, Louisiana Tech 3

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Monday, December 20
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Bowl Tie-Ins: Sun Belt vs. AAC or MAC or Group of 5
Bowl Projection: Coastal Carolina vs Ball State
Last Year: Appalachian State 56, North Texas 28

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Toledo vs Boise State
Last Year: Nevada 38, Tulane 27

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Air Force vs Middle Tennessee
Last Year: Canceled

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Wednesday, December 22
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 or C-USA or Pac-12 or Army
Bowl Projection: Washington vs Army
Last Year: Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26

Union Home Mortgage Bowl

Thursday, December 23
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Pac-12 or SEC
Bowl Projection: Virginia Tech vs LSU
Last Year: Canceled

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

Friday, December 24
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Clarence TC Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: SMU vs Hawaii
Last Year: Canceled

Camellia Bowl

Saturday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Miami University vs Troy
Last Year: Memphis 25, Florida Atlantic 10

NEXT: More Bowl Projections: Week 9

Bowl Projections: Week 9

Quick Lane Bowl

Monday, December 27
ESPN, 11:00 am
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Liberty* vs Central Michigan
*No Big Ten team projected available
Last Year: Canceled

Military Bowl presented by Peraton

Monday, December 27
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Bowl Tie-Ins: American vs. ACC
Bowl Projection: Memphis vs Louisville
Last Year: Canceled

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: UAB* vs Miami*
*No AAC or SEC team projected available
Last Year: Canceled

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 3:15 pm
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12 or Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Nevada vs Washington State
Last Year: Louisiana 31, UTSA 24

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 6:45 pm
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Kansas State vs Mississippi State
Last Year: West Virginia 24, Army 21

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 8:00 pm
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: NC State vs UCLA
Last Year: Canceled

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 10:15 pm
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12
Bowl Projection: Rutgers vs West Virginia
Last Year: Canceled

Fenway Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 11:00 am
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC vs. ACC (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Houston vs Boston College

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big Ten
Bowl Projection: Syracuse vs Purdue
Last Year: Canceled

Cheez-It Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big 12
Bowl Projection: Wake Forest vs Texas
Last Year: Oklahoma State 37, Miami 34

Valero Alamo Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Baylor vs Utah
Last Year: Texas 55, Colorado 23

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 11:30 am
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: North Carolina vs Florida
Last Year: Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 3:00 pm
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Iowa vs Tennessee
Last Year: Canceled

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 10:30 pm
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Minnesota vs Arizona State
Last Year: Canceled

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Friday, December 31
ESPN, 11:00 am
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Clemson vs Kentucky
Last Year: Kentucky 23, NC State 21

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Friday, December 31
CBS, 12:30 pm
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Virginia vs Oregon State
Last Year: Canceled

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Friday, December 31
Barstool Sports, 2:00 pm
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Northern Illinois vs San Diego State
Last Year: Ball State 34, San Jose State 13

Outback Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 12:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Penn State vs Ole Miss
Last Year: Ole Miss 26, Indiana 20

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 1:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs Auburn
Last Year: Northwestern 35, Auburn 19

Mercari Texas Bowl

Tuesday, January 4
ESPN, Time TBA
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Iowa State vs Arkansas
Last Year: Canceled

NEXT: New Year’s Six Bowl Projections, Week 9

New Year’s Six Bowl Projections: Week 9

– The College Football Playoff committee wants to create the best matchups possible. Geography will matter a wee bit.

– All Power Five conferences get a team into either the New Year’s Six or the College Football Playoff. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC all get a top team into one of the big games, and the top-ranked Group of Five champion is in, too.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Notre Dame
Last Year: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21

This is the dream for the bowl types.

There’s a chance Notre Dame could get sent out to the Fiesta, but the idea of putting these two teams on the same field would get everyone fired up.

The call is that Notre Dame wins out, but isn’t able to do enough to get into the College Football Playoff. Michigan beats everyone but Ohio State for a strong 10-2 run.

Playstation Fiesta Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 1:00 pm
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Pitt vs Texas A&M
Last Year: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17

The ACC representative in the New Year’s Six will be interesting. Wake Forest is about to run into a buzzsaw with at North Carolina, NC State, at Clemson, at Boston College to close. NC State is in the mix for the Atlantic, and yup … Clemson is lurking with a whole lot of help. Pitt vs Virginia will likely decide the Coastal, and that’s in Pittsburgh.

Flip a coin between an SEC team and Notre Dame being in this to face the ACC Champion. It should come down to who wins the Auburn – Texas A&M game to take that extra New Year’s Six spot.

Rose Bowl Game

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Michigan State vs Oregon
Last Year: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14

Oregon will lose to Utah once – in Salt Lake City on November 20th – but it’s not going to happen twice as it wins the rematch in the Pac-12 Championship. The Ohio State – Michigan State loser will likely end up here.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 8:45 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State vs Alabama
Last Year: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28

The entire New Year’s Six puzzle blows up if 1) Alabama runs the table with a win over Georgia in the SEC Championship, or 2) it’s a close loss to the Dawgs and the CFP two SEC teams in over, say, Cincinnati. This could also get interesting if there isn’t a one-loss or unbeaten Big 12 Champion.

NEXT: 2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections

2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections

Capital One Orange Bowl

Friday, December 31
ESPN, Time TBA
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Georgia vs Cincinnati
Last Year: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27

Assuming Georgia gets by – most likely – Alabama in the SEC Championship, the No. 1 seed will almost certainly be in Miami. The call is that the committee goes with a 13-0 Cincinnati over 11-2 Alabama for the No. 4 spot.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Friday, December 31
ESPN, Time TBA
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma vs Ohio State
Last Year: Oklahoma 55, Florida 20

Expect Oklahoma to lose once along the way – like at Oklahoma State to close out the regular season – but make up for it to get into the College Football Playoff. Here’s why the seeding doesn’t work or matter in this system.

Ohio State will likely win out, take the Big Ten championship, and get the No. 2 overall seed, but going to AT&T Stadium will be in Oklahoma’s backyard.

College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T

Monday, January 10
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma vs Georgia
Last Year: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24

– CFN Week 9 Rankings of All 130 Teams