It’s never too early to have some fun with college football bowl projections. Here are some early guesses on where bowl bound programs could land.
Making bowl projections could be seen as dreaming right now as the COVID-19 pandemic has the athletic directors around the nation questioning whether or not there will even be a 2020 college football season.
As of now, however, we’re scheduled to see a normal season with FBS programs hungry to win at least six games to earn a bowl bid and showcase their programs in various cities around the United States and the Bahamas.
To keep a sense of normalcy, we made way-too-early bowl projections with the would-be spring season in the books.
Here’s a look at where some programs could find themselves playing their postseason ball if the season goes on as planned.
Group of Five bowls
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl (Houston vs. Western Michigan)
- Dec. 19 — Orlando, Fla.
Houston should be back in a bowl in 2020 while Western Michigan figures to be on their way back. This would be an intriguing matchup to kick off the bowl season as both programs have had double-digit win seasons in recent years.
Bahamas Bowl (Marshall vs. Kent State)
- TBA — Nassau, Bahamas
Marshall nearly always finds their way to six wins while Kent State appears to be trending in the right direction. This would be a fun matchup in paradise of two schools separated by just 250 miles.
Camellia Bowl (Eastern Michigan vs. Georgia State)
- TBA — Montgomery, Ala.
Eastern Michigan missed out on a bowl in 2019 but should find their way back. Here they’d match up with a Georgia State program that defeated Tennessee in Knoxville last season.
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl (Temple vs. FIU)
- TBA — Boca Raton, Fla.
FIU is starting to trend in the right direction. Thus a matchup with one of the Group of Five’s top programs in Temple would be a great test.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (C. Michigan vs. San Jose State)
- TBA — Bosie, Idaho
Jim McElwain had an excellent first season at Central Michigan while San Jose defeated an SEC program in Arkansas and seems to be trending toward bowl eligibility.
LendingTree Bowl (Toledo vs. Georgia Southern)
- TBA — Mobile, Ala.
Toledo is a perennial bowl contender out of the MAC. It’d be a solid test for them to take on Georgia State in Mobile, where most fans would likely be cheering on the Panthers.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Army vs. Miami (OH))
- TBA — Fort Worth, Texas
Army continues to make major strides as a program while Miami (OH) is coming off a MAC title. This would be a fun matchup to see which program is further along.
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Tulane vs. Arkansas State)
- TBA — Conway, S.C.
The Myrtle Beach Bowl is the newest addition of the group of five bowl games. An inaugural matchup featuring Tulane and Arkansas State would be intriguing.
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl (Ohio vs. Utah State)
- TBA — Tucson, Ariz.
Ohio and Utah State have both been in bowl games year in and year out of late thus a matchup between the two would be fun to watch.
New Mexico Bowl (Nevada vs. Southern Miss)
- TBA — Albuquerque, N.M.
Southern Miss is among the top Group of Five programs. A trip to Albuquerque to take on Nevada would be something new and intriguing for the Golden Eagles.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (FAU vs. Troy)
- TBA — New Orleans, La.
Willie Taggart is in yet another new role and at FAU, he should finally find success. A New Orleans Bowl bid against Troy would be a great measuring stick to see how Taggart’s first year back in Conference USA will go.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl (UCF vs. San Diego State)
- TBA — Frisco, Texas
If UCF and San Diego State don’t represent the group of five in the New Year’s Six, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a matchup between one another to determine which Group of Five program is stronger.
SoFi Hawai’i Bowl (Wyoming vs. SMU)
- TBA — Honolulu, Hawaii
Wyoming goes from the freezing cold mountains to palm trees and ocean water in Hawaii. There, a battle with SMU would make for a matchup of great defense and high-powered offense.
Power Five bowls
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (Kansas State vs. Ole Miss)
- TBA — Houston, Texas
Ole Miss was already trending in the right direction and with an improved Lane Kiffin taking over, the program should find themselves back in a bowl game. There, a matchup with Kansas State would be fun to watch as there’d be plenty of points scored.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Iowa State vs. Tennessee)
- TBA — Memphis, Tenn.
The Vols are on their way back to the top of the SEC, but they likely are still a year away. Thus a trip to the Liberty Bowl inside Volunteer State lines would be like a home game, but an opponent with an elite offense like Iowa State would still make for a great challenge.
Belk Bowl (Pittsburgh vs. Missouri)
- TBA — Charlotte, N.C.
Pittsburgh has more than enough talent to win six games in the ACC, while Missouri under first-year head coach Eli Drinkwitz should be back in a bowl after a one-year ban. Last year’s Belk Bowl ended up being one of the best games of the postseason, a matchup between the Panthers and Tigers would likely provide for another great matchup.
Camping World Bowl (Florida State vs. TCU)
- TBA — Orlando, Fla.
A trip to the Camping World Bowl would be a step forward for a Florida State program that missed a bowl bid in 2018 and snuck into one last season. Here they’d get a quality challenge from a Big 12 opponent such as TCU.
Cheez-It Bowl (Texas Tech vs. Purdue)
- TBA — Phoenix, Ariz.
The direction of Texas Tech’s program seems to be trending towards bowl eligibility. In the Cheez-It Bowl, they would get a chance to take on a Big Ten opponent. Purdue seems like a logical choice as they quietly have one of the best group of playmakers in the conference.
Fenway Bowl (Michigan State* vs. Memphis)
- TBA — Boston Mass.
The first-ever Fenway Bowl may have trouble finding an ACC program to fill the slot. Thus, we give the bid to the Big Ten’s Michigan State against American Athletic foe Memphis who won the conference a year ago but will likely take a step back in 2020.
LA Bowl (Stanford vs. Air Foce)
- TBA — Inglewood, Calif.
The brand new SoFi Stadium will play host to the first-ever LA Bowl, where it only makes sense to project a California team such as Stanford to represent the Pac-12. Here the Cardinal could matchup with a foe such as Air Force in what would make for a nail biter.
Military Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Navy)
- TBA — Annapolis, Md.
No program in the nation has a longer bowl streak than Virginia Tech (27). They should make it 28 next season where a bid to the Military Bowl would give them an opportunity to take on Navy.
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl (California vs. Auburn)
- TBA — Las Vegas, Nev.
The Las Vegas Bowl will now offer a bid to an SEC program. Auburn could be a logical fit given the holes they need to fill on defense. While they’d likely prefer a bigger bowl game, Cal would still provide a great challenge and highly-competitive game.
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Illinois vs. Louisville)
- TBA — Bronx, N.Y.
The Pinstripe Bowl has provided some outstanding games since its debut in 2010. A matchup of a stingy Illinois defense and high-flying Louisville offense could make for another all-time classic.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (La. Tech vs. Syracuse)
- TBA — Shreveport, La.
Louisiana Tech would get somewhat of a home game here against a Syracuse team looking to rebound after a horrid 2019 campaign.
Redbox Bowl (Utah vs. Nebraska)
- TBA — Santa Clara, Calif.
Utah is losing much of their division-winning roster from a year ago but should still find their way to six wins, while Nebraska needs at least a six-win season for Scott Frost to avoid the hot seat. This matchup makes all-too much sense for a Redbox Bowl showdown in Santa Clara.
SDCCU Holiday Bowl (North Carolina vs. Washington)
- TBA — San Diego, Calif.
North Carolina is a program on the rise under Mack Brown and a trip to the Holliday Bowl would prove that. Washington will be under new leadership in 2020 but should still find its way near the top of the Pac-12, earning them a spot in this highly-respected game.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Virginia vs. Baylor)
- TBA — Dallas, Texas
Baylor won 11 games in 2019, but it will be hard to replicate that with the talent they lost and head coach Matt Rhule in the NFL. Thus, a trip to the First Responder Bowl to take on another improving program in Virginia would still be welcomed.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Duke vs. South Carolina)
- TBA — Jacksonville, Fla.
Duke missed out on a bowl-bid by just one game last season but should find their way to six in 2020. Here they’d draw an SEC foe in South Carolina where Will Muschamp must find wins in order to save his job.
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl (Miami vs. Mississippi State)
- TBA — Birmingham, Ala.
Miami and Mississippi State in the Birmingham Bowl? It might happen as the Hurricanes program continues its downward slide while Mike Leach is entering his first season in Starkville and may need some time to turn things fully around.
TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Indiana vs. Texas A&M)
- TBA — Nashville, Tenn.
Indiana is a program on the rise and nearly took down Tennessee in the Gator Bowl last season. They’d get another SEC challenger this time around in Texas A&M.
Valero Alamo Bowl (Arizona State vs. West Virginia)
- TBA — San Antonio, Texas
Herm Edwards is building something special in Tempe and the Alamo Bowl would be yet another step forward for the program. On the other hand, this is a West Virginia team poised to break out in year two under Neal Brown.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl (Wake Forest vs. Oregon State)
- Dec. 31 — El Paso, Texas
Not many realize Oregon State finished second in the second in the Pac-12 North with a 4-5 conference record a year ago. They should be able to break their bowl drought next season and head to El Paso to take on an ACC foe such as Wake Forest.
Outback Bowl (Wisconsin vs. Kentucky)
- Jan. 1 — Tampa Fla.
The Kentucky Wildcats continue to be the most underrated program in the SEC as they’ve gone 18-8 the last two seasons. An Outback Bowl bid would help show the nation they’re for reel and could provide a fun matchup with their basketball rival Wisconsin.
Vrbo Citrus Bowl (Minnesota vs. Georgia)
- Jan. 1 — Orlando, Fla.
The most prestigious non-New Year’s Six games is the Citrus Bowl. Last season it was Alabama representing the SEC and in 2020 and it may be another typical powerhouse in Georgia as they have lost nearly their entire starting lineup on offense from the past three seasons. Here they’d get a chance to take on PJ Fleck and a Minnesota program on the rise.
New Year’s Six bowls
Cotton Bowl (Boise State vs. Texas)
- Dec. 30 — Arlington, Texas
Boise State is bound to find their way back to the New Year’s Six representing the Group of Five. Here they could find a matchup with a Texas program that will be veteran heavy in 2020.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Oklahoma vs. Oregon)
- Jan. 1 — Atlanta, Ga.
Oklahoma will have yet another new quarterback in 2020 and this time, it doesn’t appear to be a Heisman finalist. That would make for a fun matchup with Oregon, who may win the Pac-12 but likely will not have the resume for the postseason.
Allstate Sugar Bowl (USC vs. LSU)
- Jan. 1 — New Orleans La.
With 14 players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s almost impossible to expect defending champion LSU to make it back to the College Football Playoff. They should be a New Year’s Six teams however and the USC Trojans could be waiting for them in nearby New Orleans.
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (Penn State vs. Oklahoma State)
- Jan. 2 — Glendale, Ariz.
Penn State is bound for another trip to a New Year’s Six game while Oklahoma State’s group of playmakers could earn this a trip as well. This would be a shoutout and perhaps the most fun game to watch of these projected matchups.
Capital One Orange Bowl (Notre Dame vs. Michigan)
- Jan. 2 — Miami Gardens, Fla.
Notre Dame and Michigan matched up in the 2019 regular season, but a bowl game matchup in Miami would still be must-watch TV.
College Football Playoff
Allstate Sugar Bowl (No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Florida)
- Jan. 1 — New Orleans, La.
Clemson brings back Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne and the nation’s most talented roster in 2020, which should lead to yet another undefeated regular season. With the Big 12 and Pac-12 down, it seems the SEC could be in for another two-bid season, which would allow a Florida Gators program that looks to be the favorites to win the SEC East sneak in.
Rose Bowl (No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State)
- Jan. 1 — Pasadena, Calif.
Alabama will likely be back in the postseason next season after missing out for the first time since the playoff era began in 2014 last year. Ohio State figures to again win the Big Ten without too much resistance which could lead to a rematch of the 2014 semifinal that saw the Buckeyes stun the top-ranked Tide.
National Championship Game (No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 2 Alabama)
- Jan. 11 — Miami Gardens, Fla.
Clemson vs. Alabama round four. Who wouldn’t want to see that?