College football bowl projections: Sizzling South Carolina to Orlando? What about Texas A&M?

While the 12-team College Football Playoff field will be the focal point of the sport these last three weeks, there will still be 70 other teams that go bowling this winter.

Red-hot South Carolina, even with three losses, would be a no-brainer pick for the Citrus Bowl, which has the first choice of the SEC’s non-Playoff teams. Their fans figure to be far more excited than Tennessee’s if the Vols miss the cut. Texas A&M (if it loses to Texas) and LSU then make sense for the ReliaQuest and Gator Bowls, respectively.

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As one of the Pac-12’s legacy bowls, the Alamo Bowl could theoretically pit two current Big 12 teams if one side is Colorado or Arizona State. We have BYU there for now but could see the Sun Devils supplanting the Cougars if they win this week.

The Holiday Bowl thought it was getting Clemson last season until Florida State’s CFP snub caused an 11th-hour domino effect. We have the Tigers going to San Diego this year to face Washington.

Finally, Florida for the first time this season looks like it will get bowl-eligible, but a 6-6 Gators team would still fall below most SEC bowls. The Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa becomes a natural landing spot, where they would likely face an ACC foe. We chose North Carolina.

A friendly reminder: Most non-CFP bowls do not have to select teams in order of conference standings.

College Football Playoff

Bowl/Playoff Date Team Team Location Time (ET) Network

Playoff

Dec. 20

6. Penn State

11. Ole Miss

State College, Pa.

8 p.m.

ABC/ESPN

Playoff

Dec. 21

7. Georgia

10. Indiana

Athens, Ga.

Noon

TNT

Playoff

Dec. 21

5. Oregon

12 Boise State (G5 champ)

Eugene, Ore.

3:30 p.m.

TNT

Playoff

Dec. 21

8. Texas

9. Notre Dame

Austin, Texas

8 p.m.

ABC/ESPN

Fiesta

Dec. 31

4. Colorado (Big 12 champ)

Oregon-Boise St winer

Glendale, Ariz.

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Peach

Jan. 1

3. Miami (ACC champ)

Penn State-Ole Miss winner

Atlanta

Noon

ESPN

Rose

Jan. 1

1. Ohio State (Big Ten champ)

Texas-Notre Dame winner

Pasadena, Calif.

5 p.m.

ESPN

Sugar

Jan. 1

2. Alabama (SEC champ)

Georgia/Indiana winner

New Orleans

8:45 p.m.

ESPN

Orange

Jan. 9

Quarterfinal winner

Quarterfinal winner

Miami, Fla.

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Cotton

Jan. 10

Quarterfinal winner

Quarterfinal winner

Arlington, Texas

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Championship

Jan. 20

Semifinal winner

Semifinal winner

Atlanta

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Remaining bowls

Bowl Date Team Team Location Time (ET) Network

Bahamas

Jan. 4

NIU (MAC)

Liberty (C-USA)

Nassau, Bahamas

11 a.m.

ESPN2

Duke’s Mayo

Jan. 3

Minnesota (Big Ten 6)

Duke (ACC 5-7)

Charlotte, N.C.

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

First Responder

Jan. 3

Arkansas State (ESPN)

UTSA (ESPN)

University Park, Texas

4 p.m.

ESPN

Gator

Jan. 2

SMU (ACC 2-4)

LSU (SEC 3-8)

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:30 p.m.

ESPN

Texas

Dec. 31

Baylor (Big 12 4)

Arkansas (SEC 3-8)

Houston

3:30 p.m.

ESPN

Citrus

Dec. 31

Illinois (Big Ten 2)

South Carolina (SEC 2)

Orlando, Fla.

3 p.m.

ABC

Sun

Dec. 31

Syracuse (ACC 5-7)

USC (Pac-12 5)

El Paso, Texas

2 p.m.

CBS

ReliaQuest

Dec. 31

Iowa (Big Ten 3)

Texas A&M (SEC 3-8)

Tampa, Fla.

Noon

ESPN

Music City

Dec. 30

Nebraska (Big Ten 4)

Missouri (SEC 3-8)

Nashville, Tenn.

2:30 p.m.

ABC

Independence

Dec. 28

Army (AAC)

Cincinnati* (Pac-12 7)

Shreveport, La.

9:15 p.m.

ESPN

Alamo

Dec. 28

BYU (Big 12 2)

Washington State (Pac-12 2)

San Antonio, Texas

9:15 p.m.

ABC

Military

Dec. 28

Navy (AAC)

Georgia Tech (ACC 8-10)

Annapolis, Md.

5:45 p.m.

ESPN

Arizona

Dec. 30

Colorado State (MWC)

Miami of Ohio (MAC)

Tucson, Ariz.

4:30 p.m.

CW

Pop-Tarts

Dec. 28

Iowa State (Big 12 3)

Pittsburgh (ACC 2-4)

Orlando, Fla.

3:30 p.m.

ABC

New Mexico

Dec. 28

New Mexico (MWC)

Texas State (ESPN)

Albuquerque, N.M.

2:15 p.m.

ESPN

Pinstripe

Dec. 28

Michigan (Big Ten 5)

Louisville (ACC 5-7)

Bronx, N.Y.

Noon

ABC

Fenway

Dec. 28

Virginia Tech (ACC 8-10)

Memphis (AAC)

Boston

11 a.m.

ESPN

Vegas

Dec. 27

Arizona State (Pac-12 3)

Tennessee (SEC 3-8)

Las Vegas, Nev.

10:30 p.m.

ESPN

Holiday

Dec. 27

Clemson (ACC 2-4)

Washington (Pac-12 4)

San Diego, Calif.

8 p.m.

FOX

Liberty

Dec. 27

Kansas State (Big 12 5)

Vanderbilt (SEC 3-8)

Memphis, Tenn.

7 p.m.

ESPN

Birmingham

Dec. 27

West Virginia* (ESPN)

Tulane (ESPN)

Birmingham, Ala.

12/3:30 p.m.

ESPN

Armed Forces

Dec. 27

TCU (Big 12 7)

Rutgers (ESPN)

Fort Worth, Texas

12/3:30 p.m.

ESPN

68 Ventures

Dec. 26

Georgia Southern (Sun Belt)

Western Kentucky (C-USA)

Mobile, Ala.

9 p.m.

ESPN

Rate

Dec. 26

Michigan State (Big Ten 7)

Texas Tech (Big 12 6)

Phoenix, Ariz.

5:45 p.m.

ESPN

GameAbove

Dec. 26

Wisconsin (Big Ten 8)

Ohio (MAC)

Detroit

2 p.m.

ESPN

Hawaii

Dec. 24

James Madison* (MWC)

Jacksonville State (C-USA)

Honolulu, Hawaii

8 p.m.

ESPN

Idaho Potato

Dec. 23

San Jose State (MWC)

Buffalo (MAC)

Boise, Idaho

2:30 p.m.

ESPN

Myrtle Beach

Dec. 23

Coastal Carolina (ESPN)

East Carolina (ESPN)

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

11 a.m.

ESPN

Gasparilla

Dec. 20

North Carolina (ACC 8-10)

Florida (ESPN)

Tampa, Fla.

3:30 p.m.

ESPN

Cure

Dec. 20

USF (ESPN)

Marshall (ESPN)

Orlando, Fla.

Noon

ESPN

New Orleans

Dec. 19

Louisiana (Sun Belt)

Sam Houston (C-USA)

New Orleans

7 p.m.

ESPN2

LA Bowl

Dec. 18

California (Pac-12 6)

UNLV (MWC 1)

Inglewood, Calif.

9 p.m.

ABC

Boca Raton

Dec. 18

UConn (ESPN)

Bowling Green (ESPN)

Boca Raton, Fla.

5:30 p.m.

ESPN

Frisco

Dec. 17

Toledo (ESPN)

North Texas (ESPN)

Frisco, Texas

9 p.m.

ESPN

Camellia

Dec. 14

South Alabama (ESPN)

Western Michigan (ESPN)

Montgomery, Ala.

9 p.m.

ESPN

Notes: (ESPN) indicates an ESPN Events bowl. Teams can be moved between them. An * indicates a replacement team because a league was not able to fill all of its slots.

(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic, Photos: Don Juan Moore / Getty)

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