Bowl Projections, College Football Playoff Predictions: Week 13

2021 College Football News bowl projections, predictions and possible matchups for the College Football Playoff: Week 13


CFN 1-130 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible Teams | Week 13 scoreboard
College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction
Championship Week opening lines

Bowl Projections: Week 13

That flipped fast.

Just when it seemed like there would be a whole lot of bowl openings, Tulsa shocked SMU to get eligible, LSU and Florida won to give the SEC 13 out of its 14 teams to six wins, and now there are too many teams for the slots.

This all goes down next Sunday, and we’ll update on the fly if there are any changes or big announcements.

All times Eastern

Bahamas Bowl

Friday, December 17
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Bowl Tie-Ins: Conference USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Middle Tennessee vs Toledo
Last Year: Canceled

Cure Bowl

Friday, December 17
ESPN2, 6:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Memphis vs UAB
Last Year: Liberty 37, Coastal Carolina 34

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 11:00 am
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Ball State vs Appalachian State
Last Year: BYU 49, UCF 23

Cricket Celebration Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 12:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: MEAC vs. SWAC
Bowl Projection: South Carolina State vs Jackson State
Last Year: Canceled

New Mexico Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: UTEP vs Nevada
Last Year: Hawaii 28, Houston 14

CFN Rankings of All 130 Teams

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 3:30 pm
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. BYU
Bowl Projection: UTSA vs BYU
Last Year: Canceled

LendingTree Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Western Michigan vs Liberty*
*No Sun Belt team projected available
Last Year: Georgia State 39, WKU 21

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ABC, 7:30 pm
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: San Diego State vs Oregon State
Last Year: Canceled

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: WKU vs Louisiana
Last Year: Georgia Southern 38, Louisiana Tech 3

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Monday, December 20
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Bowl Tie-Ins: Sun Belt vs. AAC or MAC or Group of 5
Bowl Projection: Coastal Carolina vs Old Dominion
Last Year: Appalachian State 56, North Texas 28

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Central Michigan vs Boise State
Last Year: Nevada 38, Tulane 27

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl

Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: North Texas vs Utah State
Last Year: Canceled

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Wednesday, December 22
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 or C-USA or Pac-12 or Army
Bowl Projection: SMU vs Air Force
Last Year: Mississippi State 28, Tulsa 26

Union Home Mortgage Bowl

Thursday, December 23
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Pac-12 or SEC
Bowl Projection: UCF vs Florida
Last Year: Canceled

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

Friday, December 24
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Clarence TC Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Tulsa vs Wyoming
Last Year: Canceled

Camellia Bowl

Saturday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Miami University vs Georgia State
Last Year: Memphis 25, Florida Atlantic 10

NEXT: More Bowl Projections: Week 13

Bowl Projections: Week 13

Quick Lane Bowl

Monday, December 27
ESPN, 11:00 am
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Missouri* vs Kent State
Last Year: Canceled
*No Big Ten team projected available

Military Bowl presented by Peraton

Monday, December 27
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Bowl Tie-Ins: American vs. ACC
Bowl Projection: East Carolina vs Virginia Tech
Last Year: Canceled

TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Louisville vs LSU
Last Year: Canceled

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 3:15 pm
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12 or Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Marshall vs Army
Last Year: Louisiana 31, UTSA 24

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 6:45 pm
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Kansas State vs South Carolina
Last Year: West Virginia 24, Army 21

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 8:00 pm
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: NC State vs UCLA
Last Year: Canceled

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 10:15 pm
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12 (or Mountain West)
Bowl Projection: Maryland vs Texas Tech
Last Year: Canceled

Wasabi Fenway Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 11:00 am
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC vs. ACC (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Houston vs Boston College

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big Ten
Bowl Projection: North Carolina vs Penn State
Last Year: Canceled

Cheez-It Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big 12
Bowl Projection: Clemson vs Iowa State
Last Year: Oklahoma State 37, Miami 34

Valero Alamo Bowl

Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma vs Utah
Last Year: Texas 55, Colorado 23

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 11:30 am
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Virginia vs Tennessee
Last Year: Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 3:00 pm
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Purdue vs Auburn
Last Year: Canceled

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 10:30 pm
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs Arizona State
Last Year: Canceled

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Friday, December 31
ESPN, 11:00 am
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Wake Forest vs Mississippi State
Last Year: Kentucky 23, NC State 21

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Friday, December 31
CBS, 12:30 pm
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Miami vs Washington State
Last Year: Canceled

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Friday, December 31
Barstool Sports, 2:00 pm
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Northern Illinois vs Fresno State
Last Year: Ball State 34, San Jose State 13

Outback Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 12:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Minnesota vs Arkansas
Last Year: Ole Miss 26, Indiana 20

Vrbo Citrus Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ABC, 1:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Iowa vs Kentucky
Last Year: Northwestern 35, Auburn 19

Mercari Texas Bowl

Tuesday, January 4
ESPN, Time TBA
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: West Virginia vs Texas A&M
Last Year: Canceled

NEXT: New Year’s Six Bowl Projections, Week 13

New Year’s Six Bowl Projections: Week 12

The College Football Playoff committee wants to create the best matchups possible. Geography will matter, but it’s all about creating the best matchups possible.

All Power Five conferences get a team into either the New Year’s Six or the College Football Playoff. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC all get a top team into one of the big games, and the top-ranked Group of Five champion is in, too.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Ole Miss vs Pitt
Last Year: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21

This hasn’t changed over the last few weeks. Ole Miss took care of business against Mississippi State to be the third-best SEC team, and the winner of the ACC Championship will likely fit in here. No matter if it’s Pitt or Wake Forest, demand a whole lot of fireworks.

Playstation Fiesta Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 1:00 pm
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Michigan State vs Notre Dame
Last Year: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17

Like the Peach Bowl projection, this also hasn’t changed for a while. Michigan State is here unless something crazy happens – like Iowa beats Michigan for the Big Ten championship – and Notre Dame gets a disappointing consolation prize after finishing fifth in a four team College Football Playoff rankings race.

Rose Bowl Game

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs Oregon
Last Year: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14

Here’s the one big change in the bunch, and it stinks. Going to the Rose Bowl is never disappointing, but Ohio State and Oregon in a rematch of the early season showdown is. Ohio State vs Utah – if the Utes win the Pac-12 championship – would be entertaining.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 8:45 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Baylor vs Alabama
Last Year: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28

Alabama has played the second half of the season like it’s destined to go through the motions in a high-end-not-CFP bowl, and Baylor just doesn’t provide the national interest pop that Oklahoma or even Oklahoma State would. Even so, this might turn out to be among the most competitive of the NewYear’s Six bowls if it keeps playing like it has over the last few weeks.

NEXT: 2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections

2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections

Capital One Orange Bowl

Friday, December 31
ESPN, Time TBA
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Georgia vs Cincinnati
Last Year: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27

It’s been the call here for several weeks now. Cincinnati gets through and gets in after Alabama is knocked out by Georgia in the SEC Championship. The light and breezy one-game schedule, though, earns a 4 slot instead of the 3.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Friday, December 31
ESPN, Time TBA
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State vs Michigan
Last Year: Oklahoma 55, Florida 20

Like the Orange Bowl, the call still stands from over the last several weeks – but now there’s a twist. Big 12 champion vs Big Ten champion – but it’s Michigan now, not Ohio State. This could get really volatile really fast if the Cowboys and/or Wolverines lose in their respective conference title games.

College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T

Monday, January 10
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Georgia
Last Year: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24

CFN 1-130 Rankings | AP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible Teams | Week 13 scoreboard
College Football Playoff Top 25 Prediction
Championship Week opening lines