Final college football bowl projections: Updated picks for CFP, every bowl game in 2025-26 originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.It’s all about the College Football Playoff now. Conference championship weekend is here, meaning bowl season is next on deck. There are 41 bowls involving FBS teams in 2025-26. There are 80 bowl eligible teams, and Missouri State and Delaware should also get to play in the postseason. The College Football Playoff pairings will be determined Sunday December 7, and there is more than enough intrigue heading into the final week of the season.The first round of the new CFP will have one game on Friday, Dec. 19, and three on Saturday, Dec. 20. The quarterfinals will be played at the Cotton Bowl Classic (Dec. 31), Capital One Orange Bowl (Jan. 1), Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (Jan. 1) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1). The semifinals will be played at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 8) and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Jan. 9). The CFP national championship is Jan. 19 in Miami.Here are our bowl projections for championship week: College football bowl predictions 2025There are 35 bowls involving FBS teams outside the College Football Playoff this season. A look at our projections for those matchups:DATEBOWLPROJECTIONDec. 13Bucked Up LA Bowl Hosted by GronkBoise State vs. Washington StateDec. 16IS4S Salute to Veterans BowlUtah State vs. Miami, OhioDec. 17StaffDNA Cure Bowl*Western Kentucky vs. Old DominionDec. 1768 Ventures BowlWestern Michigan vs. TroyDec. 18X-Box Bowl*Missouri State vs. Arkansas StateDec. 19Myrtle Beach BowlCoastal Carolina vs. FIUDec. 19Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla BowlUTSA vs. Kansas StateDec. 22Famous Idaho Potato BowlToledo vs. Fresno StateDec. 23Bush’s Boca Raton BowlTexas State vs. Louisiana TechDec. 23New Orleans BowlJacksonville State vs. James MadisonDec. 23Scooter’s Coffee Frisco BowlSouthern Miss vs. San Diego StateDec. 24Sheraton Hawaii Bowl*Cal vs. HawaiiDec. 26GameAbove Sports BowlOhio vs. NorthwesternDec. 26Rate BowlMinnesota vs. Arizona StateDec. 26Servpro First Responder BowlEast Carolina vs. TCUDec. 27Go Bowling Military BowlNavy vs. Georgia SouthernDec. 27Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe BowlPenn State vs. DukeDec. 27Wasabi Fenway BowlUSF vs. ClemsonDec. 27Pop-Tarts BowlArizona vs. Georgia TechDec. 27Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & JuiceCentral Michigan vs. UNLVDec. 27Isleta New Mexico BowlKennesaw State vs. New MexicoDec. 27Taxslayer Gator BowlVanderbilt vs. MiamiDec. 27Kinder’s Texas BowlNorth Texas vs. Wake ForestDec. 29JLab Birmingham BowlMemphis vs. LouisianaDec. 30Radiance Technologies Independence BowlUConn vs. Iowa StateDec. 30Liberty Mutual Music City BowlIllinois vs. PittDec. 30Valero Alamo BowlUSC vs. BYUDec. 31Reliaquest BowlLSU vs. IowaDec. 31Tony The Tiger Sun BowlCincinnati vs. NC StateDec. 31Cheez-It Citrus BowlMichigan vs. TexasDec. 31SDS Distribution Las Vegas BowlNebraska vs. UtahJan. 2Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlDelaware vs. ArmyJan. 2Autozone Liberty BowlHouston vs. TennesseeJan. 2Duke’s Mayo BowlMissouri vs. LouisvilleJan. 2DirecTV Holiday BowlWashington vs. SMU*Denotes accepted bowl bidCollege Football Playoff first-round predictions A look at the four College Football Playoff first-round matchups for the 2025-26 season. Those first-round games will be played on campus:DATEBOWLPROJECTIONDec. 19First-Round CFP gameNo. 11 Virginia at No. 6 Ole MissDec. 20First-Round CFP gameNo. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Texas A&MDec. 20First-Round CFP gameNo. 12 Tulane at No. 5 OregonDec. 20First-Round CFP gameNo. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 OklahomaOur first round assumes that Alabama drops just one spot after a loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game. Notre Dame wins the head-to-head argument with Miami, and the first round of the CFP starts at Ole Miss – where the Rebels get a home game against ACC champion Virginia to capitalize on the Lane Kiffin drama. MORE:5 things to know about college football playoff bracket seedingCollege Football Playoff quarterfinal predictionsA look at the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups for the 2025-26 season. Those games will be played at the traditional New Year’s Day Six bowl sites: DATEBOWLPROJECTIONDec. 31Cotton Bowl Classic (quarterfinal)No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 6 Ole MissJan. 1Capital One Orange Bowl (quarterfinal)No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 OregonJan. 1Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (quarterfinal)No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Notre DameJan. 1Allstate Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal)No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 10 AlabamaOle Miss keeps the CFP run going against Texas Tech in this scenario, and we get a rematch between Ohio State and Notre Dame in the CFP championship game. The Oregon-Indiana rematch would be a fun Orange Bowl, and Alabama-Georgia III caps the quarterfinal round. College Football Playoff semifinal predictionsA look at the College Football Playoff semifinal matchups for the 2025-26 season. Those games will be played at the traditional New Year’s Day Six bowl sites: DATEBOWLPROJECTIONJan. 8Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (semifinal)No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Texas TechJan. 9Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal)No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 OregonOregon-Ohio State and Texas Tech-Georgia are our pairings for the semifinals, which might be under-estimating Indiana’s ability to get to a semifinal rematch against the Buckeyes. The Big Ten championship game could sway our opinion there. It’s a blockbuster semifinal round. College Football Playoff championship pick A look at the College Football Playoff championship matchup for the 2025-26 season. That game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.DATEBOWLPROJECTIONJan. 19CFP National championshipNo. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 GeorgiaWe have had this pick locked in for a few weeks now. It’s admittedly chalky, but this time the top two seeds get to the championship game. The Buckeyes have never won back-to-back national championships. Georgia would have a chance to win its third national title in five years. Kirby Smart and Ryan Day are the best two coaches in the sport right now. A rematch has been in order since the 42-41 thriller on Dec. 31, 2022.MORE:CFB Picks, predictions for every conference championship game