College Football Bowl Projections 2018: Chaos averted in Week 11
December 29
Belk Bowl: NC State vs. Auburn
Noon ET, ESPN – Charlotte, North Carolina
December 31
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman: Temple vs. Duke
Noon ET, ESPN – Annapolis, Maryland
Hyundai Sun Bowl: Boston College vs. Oregon
2 pm ET, CBS – El Paso, Texas
Redbox Bowl: Stanford vs. Iowa
3 pm ET, Fox – Santa Clara, California
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: South Carolina vs. Oklahoma State
3:45 pm ET, ESPN – Memphis, Tennessee
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: Northwestern vs. Utah
7 pm ET, FS1 – San Diego, California
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Missouri
7:30 pm ET, ESPN – Jacksonville, Florida
January 1
Outback Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Michigan State
Noon ET, ESPN2 – Tampa, Florida
Citrus Bowl: Penn State vs. Kentucky
1 pm ET, ABC – Orlando, Florida
The Skinny
NC State has dropped three of their last four to drop out of New Year’s Six consideration. Losses at Clemson and Syracuse weren’t particularly dispiriting, but a Thursday night home loss to Wake Forest certainly dampened the enthusiasm in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will be heavy favorites in their final three games of the regular season, but even winning out isn’t likely to get them back in the New Year’s Six conversation.
Northwestern went 0-3 out of conference with home losses to Akron and Duke, and yet the Wildcats are your Big Ten West champions, and will play either Michigan or Ohio State for a spot in the Rose Bowl. Northwestern has been one of college football’s strangest teams; they don’t do anything particularly well, but they somehow find a way to win game after game.
Kentucky drops out of this week’s New Year’s Six after a disheartening loss to Tennessee. A week after losing to Georgia to fall out of the SEC race, the Wildcats came out disinterested, and got hammered 24-7 by the Volunteers. Neyland Stadium has been a house-of-horrors for Kentucky, as they have not won a game in Knoxville since 1984. A win over Tennessee, with games left against MTSU and Louisville, might have clinched a New Year’s Six berth for Mark Stoops‘ Wildcats. Instead, they’ve likely been eliminated from contention.
Their projected opponent, Penn State, is the first team out of the New Year’s Six this week and are just an upset away from finding themselves back in. It hasn’t been the year the Nittany Lion faithful hoped for, but their win over Wisconsin puts them right back into the New Year’s Six race. Outside of Trace McSorley, this is a young Penn State team that was tasked with replacing a generational talent at RB. Beating Rutgers and Maryland to finish the season at 9-3, likely earning a pretty prestigious bowl appearance, should be looked upon as a successful season in Happy Valley.