Bowl Projections: The Big 12 is in position for the playoff ... right now
With teams at Nos. 5 and 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Big 12 looks poised to strike if one of the teams in the top four of the current rankings loses.
Or the Big 12 could self-sabotage itself.
How so? Saturday’s game between TCU and Oklahoma could very well be a prequel to the Big 12 title game in three weeks. The winner of Saturday’s game likely wins the regular-season conference title. But if the team that loses the game — and the regular season title — wins the Big 12 Championship Game, every team in the conference will have two losses.
And the Big 12 will miss the Playoff.
The conference title game was instituted as a possible last-second boost to the regular-season champion’s title hopes. While we understand that sentiment from the league office, it’s hard not to wonder just how spectacularly it could backfire in the Big 12’s face.
Here are this week’s bowl projections. With seven games between teams in the top 21 of the playoff rankings, these are going to look a lot different next week.
New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 16
Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State
Cure Bowl, Dec. 16
Middle Tennessee State vs. Georgia State
Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 16
Oregon vs. Boise State
New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 16
Texas San-Antonio vs. Colorado State
Camellia Bowl, Dec. 16
UAB vs. Troy
Boca Raton Bowl, Dec. 19
South Florida vs. Marshall
Frisco Bowl, Dec. 20
SMU vs. Akron
St. Petersburg Bowl, Dec. 21
Florida International vs. Northern Illinois
Bahamas Bowl, Dec. 22
Florida Atlantic vs. Toledo
Potato Bowl, Dec. 22
Ohio vs. Wyoming
Birmingham Bowl, Dec. 23
Missouri vs. Houston
Armed Forces Bowl, Dec. 23
Army vs. Western Kentucky
Dollar General Bowl, Dec. 23
Southern Miss vs. Appalachian State
Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 24
Navy vs. San Diego State
Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26
Western Michigan vs. Temple
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dec. 26
North Texas vs. Central Michigan
Cactus Bowl, Dec. 26
Kansas State vs. Utah
Independence Bowl, Dec. 27
Wake Forest vs. Arizona State
Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 27
Syracuse vs. Nebraska
Foster Farms Bowl, Dec. 27
Purdue vs. Washington State
Texas Bowl, Dec. 27
Texas vs.Texas A&M
Holiday Bowl, Dec. 28
Iowa vs. USC
Military Bowl, Dec. 28
Boston College vs. Memphis
Camping World Bowl, Dec. 28
Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28
Iowa State vs. Stanford
Belk Bowl, Dec. 29
NC State vs. Mississippi State
Sun Bowl, Dec. 29
Georgia Tech vs. Arizona
Music City Bowl, Dec. 29
Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Cotton Bowl, Dec. 29
TCU vs. Penn State
Arizona Bowl, Dec. 30
Fresno State vs. Idaho
TaxSlayer Bowl, Dec. 30
Louisville vs. South Carolina
Liberty Bowl, Dec. 30
West Virginia vs. Vanderbilt
Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 30
Washington vs. Wisconsin
Orange Bowl, Dec. 30
Miami vs. Ohio State
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1
Michigan State vs. LSU
Peach Bowl, Jan. 1
Oklahoma vs. Central Florida
Citrus Bowl, Jan. 1
Michigan vs. Auburn
Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 [College Football Playoff Semifinal]
Notre Dame vs. Georgia
Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1 [College Football Playoff Semifinal]
Alabama vs. Clemson
