Bowl Projections: Alabama vs. Clemson in a CFP semifinal?

Could Alabama and Clemson meet in the College Football Playoff for a third-straight year? (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Could Alabama and Clemson meet in the College Football Playoff for a third-straight year? (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Welcome to Dr. Saturday’s first set of bowl projections for the 2017 season.

Much like the College Football Playoff rankings, these projections are going to change a lot throughout the month of November before the bowls are finalized on Dec. 3.

To make these projections, we went through the remaining schedules of every FBS team. We didn’t go chalk — we have Stanford beating Notre Dame in the final week of the season and reserve the right to rescind that pick whenever we want.

Every team listed in the projections below is at .500 or better. These guesses do not take Florida State’s possible game with Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 2 into account. If that game happens and the Seminoles somehow get bowl eligible, then things will look even more different.

It’s also important to note that conference tie-ins aren’t guaranteed, especially for many of the lower bowls. As we saw last year, ESPN moved teams around from the typical destinations to create better matchups. And in this set of projections we have the Pac-12 and Conference USA with more teams than bowl slots. That’s why you’ll see Colorado in the Independence Bowl and some other teams that may be in odd spots.

Let’s get to them.

New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 16
Louisiana Tech vs. Arkansas State

Cure Bowl, Dec. 16
Florida International vs. Georgia State

Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 16
Oregon vs. Boise State

New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 16
Western Kentucky vs. Colorado State

Camellia Bowl, Dec. 16
Akron vs. Troy

Boca Raton Bowl, Dec. 19
South Florida vs. Marshall

Frisco Bowl, Dec. 20
SMU vs. Southern Miss

St. Petersburg Bowl, Dec. 21
Marshall vs. Central Michigan

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. Texas-San Antonio

Dollar General Bowl, Dec. 23
Northern Illinois vs. Appalachian State

Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 24
Navy vs. San Diego State

Quick Lane Bowl, Dec. 26
Western Michigan vs. Middle Tennesse State

Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dec. 26
North Texas vs. Arizona State

Cactus Bowl, Dec. 26
Texas Tech vs. Utah

Independence Bowl, Dec. 27
Georgia Tech vs. Colorado

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 (We can dream, right?)

Military Bowl, Dec. 28
Boston College vs. Memphis

Camping World Bowl, Dec. 28
Miami vs. Oklahoma State

Holiday Bowl, Dec. 28
Northwestern vs. Washington

Alamo Bowl, Dec. 28
Iowa State vs. Stanford

Belk Bowl, Dec. 29
NC State vs. Auburn

Sun Bowl, Dec. 29
Louisville vs. Arizona

Music City Bowl, Dec. 29
Kentucky vs. Wake Forest

Cotton Bowl, Dec. 29
Oklahoma vs. Penn State

Arizona Bowl, Dec. 29
Fresno State vs. Idaho

TaxSlayer Bowl, Dec. 30
Iowa vs. South Carolina

Liberty Bowl, Dec. 30
West Virginia vs. Vanderbilt

Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 30
USC vs. Wisconsin

Orange Bowl, Dec. 30
Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame

Outback Bowl, Jan. 1
Michigan State vs. LSU

Peach Bowl, Jan. 1
TCU vs. Central Florida

Citrus Bowl, Jan. 1
Michigan vs. Mississippi State

Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 [College Football Playoff Semifinal]
Ohio State vs. Georgia

Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1 [College Football Playoff Semifinal]
Alabama vs Clemson

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!