2017 Bowl Projections: What Life Outside the Playoff Looks Like for Alabama
After Saturday’s 26–14 loss to Auburn, Alabama is in the rare position of watching and waiting on championship weekend in hopes of sneaking back into the College Football playoff field. The Tide’s simplest path back into the top four seems to be through losses by Wisconsin and Oklahoma in the Big Ten and Big 12 title games—and they likely need their bitter rivals to beat Georgia a second time for the SEC crown. That’s a lot of moving parts for a team used to clearing its New Year’s calendar.
Below, the latest look at the projected (but far from official—only Army has locked in its postseason plans) matchups for all 39 bowl games leading up to the College Football Playoff national championship in Atlanta on Jan. 8. Because they take into account predicted results for the final week of the season, these projections won’t change when the new playoff rankings come out on Tuesday.
2017 Bowl Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 16
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans (1 p.m., ESPN)
Sun Belt vs. C-USA
Prediction: Troy vs. Southern Mississippi
AutoNation Cure Bowl, Orlando, Fla. (2:30 p.m., CBSSN)
AAC vs. Sun Belt
Prediction: Middle Tennessee vs. Georgia State
Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas (3:30 p.m., ABC)
MWC vs. Pac-12
Prediction: Boise State vs. Arizona
Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque (4:30 p.m., ESPN)
C-USA vs. MWC
Prediction: UTSA vs. Utah State
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, Montgomery, Ala. (8 p.m., ESPN)
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Prediction: Akron vs. Arkansas State
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, Fla. (7 p.m., ESPN)
AAC vs. C-USA
Prediction: SMU vs. Florida International
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Frisco Bowl, Frisco, Texas (8 p.m., ESPN)
AAC vs. C-USA/MAC/MWC/BYU
Prediction: Houston vs. Marshall
Thursday, Dec. 21
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, St. Petersburg, Fla. (8 p.m., ESPN)
C-USA vs. AAC
Prediction: UAB vs. Temple
Friday, Dec. 22
Bahamas Bowl, Nassau, Bahamas (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
C-USA vs. MAC
Prediction: Florida Atlantic vs. Northern Illinois
Matchup: UAB vs. Ohio
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise (4 p.m., ESPN)
MAC vs. MWC
Prediction: Ohio vs. Colorado State
Saturday, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, Ala. (12 p.m., ESPN)
AAC vs. SEC
Prediction: Memphis vs. Duke
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, Texas (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Army vs. C-USA
Prediction: Army vs. Western Kentucky
Dollar General Bowl, Mobile, Ala. (7 p.m., ESPN)
MAC vs. Sun Belt
Prediction: Toledo vs. Appalachian State
Sunday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu, (8:30 p.m., ESPN)
AAC vs. MWC
Prediction: Navy vs. San Diego State
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dallas (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Prediction: Texas Tech vs. North Texas
Quick Lane Bowl, Detroit (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. Big Ten
Prediction: Virginia vs. Central Michigan
Cactus Bowl, Phoenix (9 p.m., ESPN)
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Prediction: Kansas State vs. Arizona State
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Walk-On's Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La. (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. SEC
Prediction: Boston College vs. UCLA
New Era Pinstripe Bowl, New York (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. Big Ten
Prediction: Virginia Tech vs. Purdue
Foster Farms Bowl, Santa Clara, Calif. (8 p.m., FOX)
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Prediction: Fresno State vs. Washington State
Texas Bowl, Houston (9 p.m., ESPN)
Big 12 vs. SEC
Prediction: Texas vs. Utah
Thursday, Dec. 28
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman, Annapolis, Md. (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. AAC
Prediction: Wake Forest vs. South Florida
Camping World Bowl, Orlando, Fla. (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. Big 12
Prediction: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Valero Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Pac-12 vs. Big 12
Prediction: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl, San Diego (9 p.m., FS1)
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Prediction: Northwestern vs. Washington
Friday, Dec. 29
Belk Bowl, Charlotte, N.C. (1 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. SEC
Prediction: Florida State vs. Kentucky
Hyundai Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas (2 p.m., CBS)
ACC vs. Pac-12
Prediction: Louisville vs. Oregon
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, Nashville, Tenn. (4:30 p.m., ESPN)
SEC vs. Big Ten or ACC
Prediction: Texas A&M vs. Iowa
Arizona Bowl, Tucson, Ariz. (5:30 p.m., CBSSN)
Sun Belt vs. MWC
Prediction: New Mexico State vs. Wyoming
Saturday, Dec. 30
TaxSlayer Bowl, Jacksonville, Fla. (12 p.m., ESPN)
SEC vs. Big Ten or ACC
Prediction: LSU vs. NC State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tenn. (12:30 p.m., ABC)
Big 12 vs. SEC
Prediction: West Virginia vs. Missouri
Monday, Jan. 1, 2018
Outback Bowl, Tampa, Fla. (12 p.m., ESPN2)
Big Ten vs. SEC
Prediction: Michigan vs. South Carolina
Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla. (1 p.m., ABC)
SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten
Prediction: Mississippi State vs. Michigan State
New Year's Six Bowls
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Arlington, Texas (Dec. 29, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)
At-large vs. At-large
Prediction: Penn State vs. TCU
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Ariz. (Dec. 30, 4 p.m., ESPN)
At-large vs. At-large
Prediction: USC vs. Georgia
Capital One Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, Fla. (Dec. 30, 8 p.m., ESPN)
ACC vs. Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame
Prediction: Miami vs. Alabama
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Atlanta (Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m., ESPN)
At-large vs. At-Large
Prediction: UCF vs. Ohio State
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual, Pasadena, Calif. (Jan. 1, 5 p.m., ESPN)
CFP semifinalist vs. CFP semifinalist
Prediction: Oklahoma vs. Auburn
Allstate Sugar Bowl, New Orleans (Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m., ESPN)
CFP semifinalist vs. CFP semifinalist
Prediction: Clemson vs. Wisconsin
College Football Playoff National Championship, Atlanta (Jan. 8, 8 p.m., ESPN)
CFP semifinal winner vs. CFP semifinal winner
