College Football Bowl Game Projections Heading Into Week 10

We are entering the last month of the 2023 college football regular season, and what does that mean? It means the playoff rankings are here, and the conference title races are heating up. But, most importantly, it means that bowl season is on the horizon. Yes, that includes the College Football Playoff Semifinal bowl games plus the four additional bowl games that all combine to make up the New Year's Six. But it also includes one additional game for college football fans whose teams just did not have enough this year but get one more game to cheer on their school — or scream at their TV.

While some of you are not fans of the overly exaggerated number of bowl games that have entirely too long of names due to sponsorships, it does mean that we get football on a random Tuesday or Wednesday night to hold us over during the playoff race in the NFL and to the lead-up of the College Football Playoff.

So, with all that being said, here are our current projections for the 2023-24 bowl season.

The New Year's Six

Cotton Bowl (Dec. 29) - Washington Huskies vs. Oklahoma Sooners

If both of these two teams meet in a bowl game, it is most likely because one thing — the same thing — happened to both the Huskies and Sooners: They both lost in their conference title game to a team they beat in the regular season. Regardless of that, this would be an excellent bowl game with two Heisman candidate quarterbacks airing it out in what should be a high-scoring matchup. While both teams would much rather be playing for a national title, a New Year's Six Bowl Game would still be huge for each program.

Orange Bowl (Dec. 3o) - Louisville Cardinals vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Whether the Nittany Lions lose to Michigan or beat them, odds are they will end up in a New Year's Six Bowl Game, and that could land them in the Orange Bowl against the potential Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up, the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams have a defense that ranks inside the top 20 in total yards, points allowed, rush defense and turnovers, but they also have offenses that come up short in the clutch when it matters. This would be a defensive showdown between two teams just on the cusp of making the playoffs.

Peach Bowl (Dec. 3o) - Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Michigan Wolverines

One of these teams, if not both, could be sitting on the outside of the playoff looking in as the fifth and/or sixth ranking, but they could also find themselves in the playoff if they win out and win their respective conferences. However, if they both lose, this is the most likely landing point and matchup. giving us two stingy defenses with heavy running attacks going head-to-head in Atlanta, Georgia. But at this point, the question is: Will Michigan be playing in any bowl game when all is said and done?

Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1) - Oregon Ducks vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Ducks are the best team in the Pac-12, and all roads are leading to them winning the Pac-12 with a revenge victory over Washington in the conference title game. They would be taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who deserve a spot in the New Year's Six given their current resumé. Each team has a talented quarterback, a great offensive line, and a defense that can make big plays and put up points of its own. This would be one of the top games of the season if these two have a showdown during the postseason.

Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) (Jan. 1) - Georgia Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns could have the perfect resumé for a one-loss team to make the playoffs: a win over a ranked non-conference opponent and a conference title win with revenge over the one team that beat them. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, will most likely be undefeated come playoff time as they prepare for their postseason run at a third straight title. The Longhorns are set to join the Southeastern Conference next year, have already beaten one SEC powerhouse this season and are ready to beat another. But Georgia is the back-to-back champion for a reason and is starting to play its best football this season.

Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) (Jan. 1) - Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Florida State Seminoles

The Buckeyes are No. 1 in the first playoff rankings of 2023 and should hold on to that spot when it comes to playoff time. Meanwhile, the Seminoles have lived up to the preseason hype and look better and better as the weeks go on. The Big Ten champ and the ACC champ meeting in the grandaddy of them all will provide everything you want in a College Football Playoff game. Two programs that have stellar defenses and NFL-level talent at their skill positions — particularly at wide receiver — will give us a top-tier showdown to see who goes to the national championship game in Houston.

The Rest of the Bowls

DATE	BOWL	PROJECTION		TRADITIONAL MATCHUP	LOCATION
Dec. 16	Arizona	Wyoming	Miami (OH)	MWC vs. MAC	Tucson, Ariz.
Dec. 16	Music City	Maryland	Missouri	Big Ten vs. SEC	Nashville, Tenn.
Dec. 16	Liberty	West Virginia	Auburn	Big 12 vs. SEC	Memphis, Tenn.
Dec. 16	Sun	Miami (FL)	Utah	ACC vs. Pac-12	El Paso, Texas
Dec. 16	Gator	UCLA	Tennessee	Big Ten vs. SEC	Jacksonville, Fla.
Dec. 16	Alamo	Kansas	Colorado	Big 12 vs. Pac-12	San Antonio, Texas
Dec. 18	Pop-Tarts	Virginia Tech	Oklahoma State	ACC vs. Big 12	Orlando, Fla.
Dec. 19	Pinstripe	NC State	Rutgers	ACC vs. Big Ten	New York, N.Y.
Dec. 21	Fenway	Boston College	South Florida	ACC vs. AAC	Boston, Mass.
Dec. 22	Texas	Kansas State	Texas A&M	Big 12 vs. SEC	Houston, Texas
Dec. 23	Holiday	Duke	Oregon State	ACC vs. Pac-12	San Diego, Calif.
Dec. 23	Duke's Mayo	Clemson	Florida	ACC vs. SEC	Charlotte, N.C.
Dec. 23	Military	Syracuse	Navy	ACC vs. AAC	Annapolis, Md.
Dec. 23	Guaranteed Rate	Iowa State	Nebraska	Big 12 vs. Big Ten	Phoenix, Ariz.
Dec. 23	First Responder	Tulane	Fresno State	AAC vs. Pool	Dallas, Texas
Dec. 23	Quick Lane	Minnesota	Eastern Michigan	Big Ten vs. MAC	Detroit, Mich.
Dec. 23	Hawaii	Boise State	FAU	MWC vs. AAC	Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec. 26	Las Vegas	Iowa	USC	Big Ten vs. Pac-12	Las Vegas, Nev.
Dec. 26	68 Ventures	UTSA	Georgia Southern	Pool vs. Sun Belt	Mobile, Ala.
Dec. 26	Idaho Potato	Central Michigan	San Jose State	MAC vs. MWC	Boise, Idaho
Dec. 27	Armed Forces	BYU	Rice	Big 12 vs. Pool	Fort Worth, Texas
Dec. 27	Camellia	Memphis	Old Dominion	Pool vs. Pool	Montgomery, Ala.
Dec. 27	Birmingham	Marshall	Kentucky	Pool vs. ACC/SEC	Birmingham, Ala.
Dec. 27	Gasparilla	Mississippi State	Georgia Tech	ACC/SEC vs. Pool	Tampa, Fla.
Dec. 28	Boca Raton	Coastal Carolina	Northern Illinois	Pool vs. Pool	Boca Raton, Fla.
Dec. 28	Frisco	SMU	Texas State	Pool vs. Pool	Frisco, Texas
Dec. 28	Bahamas	Jacksonville State	Bowling Green	C-USA vs. MAC	Charlotte, N.C.
Dec. 28	Independence	TCU	Washington St.	Big 12 vs. Pac-12	Shreveport, La.
Dec. 29	Los Angeles	Air Force	Arizona	MWC vs. Pac-12	Los Angeles, Calif.
Dec. 29	New Mexico	New Mexico State	UNLV	C-USA vs. MWC	Albuquerque, N.M.
Dec. 29	Cure	Georgia State	Ohio	Pool vs. Pool	Orlando, Fla.
Dec. 30	New Orleans	Liberty	James Madison	C-USA vs. Sun Belt	New Orleans, La.
Dec. 30	Myrtle Beach	Troy	Western Kentucky	Pool vs. Pool	Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Jan. 1	Citrus	Wisconsin	Ole Miss	Big Ten vs. SEC	Orlando, Fla.
Jan. 1	ReliaQuest	North Carolina	LSU	Big Ten/ACC vs. SEC	Tampa, Fla.

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