Bowl projections: Mizzou eyeing NY6 bid; what about K-State and KU?
NOTE: All rankings in this article are referencing the CFP rankings that were released on Nov. 14. Unlike the AP which releases rankings every Sunday, the CFP reveals theirs every Tuesday night. However, the final rankings prior to Bowl selection will be released on Sunday, Dec. 3.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No. 9 Missouri’s game-winning kick against Florida has them in a great position to make their first ever New Year’s Six bowl.
The College Football Playoff put it into existence at the start of the 2014-2015 season.
The last time the Tigers made a bowl of this caliber was the year prior to the CFP’s berth when they took down Oklahoma State 41-31 in the Cotton Bowl.
Missouri Tigers
All Mizzou has to do is beat a struggling Arkansas team on Saturday for the final regular season game, and they should be locked into one of the four bowls just outside CFP contention.
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This season, those bowl games that the Tigers could be in line for include the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl.
Right now the biggest sports media projections have them falling in either the Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or the Cotton Bowl. The Peach Bowl has been clamored about the most since ESPN and CBS Sports both see them heading to Atlanta for that game.
Their projected opponents for the three bowls mentioned include Tulane, Washington and Penn State.
Maybe the most interesting projection comes from USA Today. That publication predicts Mizzou to face Texas in the Cotton Bowl.
The full projections from ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, USA Today and Fansided can all be seen at the bottom of this story.
Kansas Jayhawks
No. 21 Kansas State and No. 25 Kansas on the other hand are well on the outside of NY6 bowl contention.
The 7-4 Jayhawks got bounced out of their Big 12 championship odds after their loss in the Sunflower Showdown.
Next up KU travels to Cincinnati before they enter the postseason and begin bowl prep.
K-State defeats Kansas for 15th straight Sunflower Showdown win
Kansas’ bowl projections have them landing in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Phoenix, Arizona), the Texas Bowl in Houston or Memphis’ Liberty Bowl.
Their opponents are being predicted as Northwestern, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Maryland, Wisconsin or Auburn.
Kansas State Wildcats
The 8-3 Wildcats are in a three-way tie for second place with No. 14 Oklahoma and No. 23 Oklahoma State, all with 6-2 conference records.
The two Big 12 losses K-State has are to the Cowboys and No. 7 Texas.
The confusing Big 12 rules have tried and failed a couple of times to clarify exactly what happens in the event all three win their final regular season games, and 7-1 Texas loses its contest resulting in a four-way tie.
What we do know, however, in a four-way tie situation the Wildcats will not be considered for an opportunity at the conference crown.
If the Longhorns take care of business at home on Friday versus Texas Tech, K-State has to beat Iowa State this weekend, along with losses from Oklahoma (against TCU) and Oklahoma State (against BYU).
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That would push the Wildcats into the Big 12 Championship game for the second straight season. So their chances are slim.
Out of the three second-place teams, the Cowboys are in the driver’s seat for Arlington as they have head-to-head wins over both Kansas State and their in-state rival.
With all that said, bowl projections don’t worry about what’s to come next. This week K-State’s most popular predictions have them ending up in either the Texas Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl (Orlando, Florida) or Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
Those scenarios have the Wildcats’ opponent being Texas A&M, North Carolina, Auburn or Oregon State.
ESPN
Missouri
Bowl: Peach Bowl
Opponent: Tulane
Kansas State
Bowl: Texas Bowl
Opponent: Texas A&M
Kansas
Bowl: Guaranteed Rate Bowl – or – Liberty Bowl
Opponent: Northwestern – or – South Carolina
FOX SPORTS
Missouri
Bowl: Fiesta Bowl
Opponent: Washington
Kansas State
Bowl: Pop-Tarts Bowl
Opponent: North Carolina
Kansas
Bowl: Texas Bowl
Opponent: Texas A&M
CBS SPORTS
Missouri
Bowl: Peach Bowl
Opponent: Penn State
Kansas State
Bowl: Texas Bowl
Opponent: Auburn
Kansas
Bowl: Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Opponent: Maryland
USA TODAY
Missouri
Bowl: Cotton Bowl
Opponent: Texas
Kansas State
Bowl: Texas Bowl
Opponent: Texas A&M
Kansas
Bowl: Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Opponent: Wisconsin
FANSIDED
Missouri
Bowl: Cotton Bowl
Opponent: Tulane
Kansas State
Bowl: Alamo Bowl
Opponent: Oregon State
Kansas
Bowl: Texas Bowl
Opponent: Auburn
