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