College Football Bowl Projections Entering Week 5
Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl? NC State in the Peach Bowl? Clemson in the Gator Bowl? Oregon State in the Alamo Bowl?
To paraphrase the great broadcaster Jack Buck, "I don't believe what I just typed."
With six Top 25 ranked teams losing this past weekend, my bowl projections this week are — well, how do I put this? — wacked. Up is down, down is up.
One week after independent BYU clinches the Pac-12 South division, Arkansas "unofficially" wins the Texas state championship.
Of the 130 FBS schools, there are only 26 unbeaten teams remaining, and we haven't gotten out of September yet.
Here are this week's bowl projections. And, as always, each projection includes the projected point spread for each game based on Action Network senior writer Collin Wilson’s updated college football betting power ratings.
2021 College Football Bowl Projections
College Football Playoff National Championship
Monday, Jan. 10 ⋅ Indianapolis, IN
Projection: Alabama vs. Georgia
Action Spread: Alabama -2.5
College Football Playoff Semifinals
Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, Dec. 31 ⋅ Miami Gardens, FL
Projection: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Oregon
Action Spread: Georgia -13
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Friday, Dec. 31 ⋅ Arlington, TX
Projection: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Penn State
Action Spread: Alabama -10.5
New Year's Six Bowls
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 1 ⋅ New Orleans, LA
Projection: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas
Action Spread: Oklahoma -6
Rose Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 1 ⋅ Pasadena, CA
Projection: UCLA vs. Iowa
Action Spread: Iowa -1
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 1 ⋅ Glendale, AZ
Projection: BYU vs. Cincinnati*
Action Spread: Cincinnati -10.5
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 30 ⋅ Atlanta, GA
Projection: Florida vs. NC State
Action Spread: Florida -7.5
Other Bowls
Texas Bowl
Tuesday, Jan. 4 ⋅ Houston, TX
Projection: Iowa State vs. Kentucky
Action Spread: Iowa State -8
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 1 ⋅ Orlando, FL
Projection: Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
Action Spread: Ohio State -5.5
Outback Bowl
Saturday, Jan. 1 ⋅ Tampa, FL
Projection: Michigan vs. Texas A&M
Action Spread: Texas A&M -2.5
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Friday, Dec. 31 ⋅ Tucson, AZ
Projection: Western Michigan vs. San Diego State
Action Spread: Western Michigan -1
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Friday, Dec. 31 ⋅ Jacksonville, FL
Projection: Clemson vs. Auburn
Action Spread: Auburn -1
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Friday, Dec. 31 ⋅ El Paso, TX
Projection: Boston College vs. USC
Action Spread: USC -6.5
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 30 ⋅ Nashville, TN
Projection: Michigan State vs. Missouri
Action Spread: Michigan State -5.5
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 30 ⋅ Charlotte, NC
Projection: North Carolina vs. LSU
Action Spread: North Carolina -0.5
Las Vegas Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 30 ⋅ Las Vegas, NV
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State
Action Spread: Wisconsin -3
Valero Alamo Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 29 ⋅ San Antonio, TX
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon State
Action Spread: Oklahoma State -1.5
Cheez-It Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 29 ⋅ Orlando, FL
Projection: Notre Dame vs. Texas
Action Spread: Texas -2.5
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 29 ⋅ Bronx, NY
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Rutgers
Action Spread: Virginia Tech -9.5
Fenway Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 29 ⋅ Boston, MA
Projection: Pitt vs. UCF
Action Spread: UCF -2.5
SDCCU Holiday Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 28 ⋅ San Diego, CA
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Washington
Action Spread: Wake Forest -2
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 28 ⋅ Phoenix, AZ
Projection: Indiana vs. West Virginia
Action Spread: West Virginia -1.5
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 28 ⋅ Memphis, TN
Projection: Baylor vs. Mississippi State
Action Spread: Baylor -1
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 28 ⋅ Dallas, TX
Projection: Kansas State vs. Utah
Action Spread: Utah -4.5
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 28 ⋅ Birmingham, AL
Projection: Wyoming vs. Miami
Action Spread: Miami -7.5
Military Bowl
Monday, Dec. 27 ⋅ Annapolis, MD
Projection: Louisville vs. Memphis
Action Spread: Louisville -5.5
Quick Lane Bowl
Monday, Dec. 27 ⋅ Detroit, MI
Projection: Maryland vs. Toledo
Action Spread: Maryland -2.5
Camellia Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 25 ⋅ Montgomery, AL
Projection: Central Michigan vs. Marshall
Action Spread: Marshall -12
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl
Friday, Dec. 24 ⋅ Honolulu, HI
Projection: Boise State vs. SMU
Action Spread: Boise State -1
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 23 ⋅ Tampa, FL
Projection: Minnesota vs. Western Kentucky
Action Spread: Minnesota -1.5
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 22 ⋅ Fort Worth, TX
Projection: TCU vs. Army
Action Spread: TCU -7.5
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 21 ⋅ Frisco, TX
Projection: Virginia vs. Houston
Action Spread: Virginia -6
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Tuesday, Dec. 21 ⋅ Boise, ID
Projection: Buffalo vs. Utah State
Action Spread: Buffalo -0.5
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Monday, Dec. 20 ⋅ Myrtle Beach, SC
Projection: Appalachian State vs. Kent State
Action Spread: Appalachian State -18
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ New Orleans, LA
Projection: UAB vs. Louisiana
Action Spread: Louisiana -3
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ Inglewood, CA
Projection: Stanford vs. Fresno State
Action Spread: Fresno State -3.5
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ Shreveport, LA
Projection: UTSA vs. South Alabama
Action Spread: UTSA -8
LendingTree Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ Mobile, AL
Projection: UL-Monroe vs. Florida Atlantic
Action Spread: Florida Atlantic -11.5
New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ Albuquerque, NM
Projection: Air Force vs. UTEP
Action Spread: Air Force -13.5
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Saturday, Dec. 18 ⋅ Boca Raton, FL
Projection: Coastal Carolina vs. Charlotte
Action Spread: Coastal Carolina -20
Cure Bowl
Friday, Dec. 17 ⋅ Orlando, FL
Projection: East Carolina vs. Liberty
Action Spread: Liberty -9
Bahamas Bowl
Friday, Dec. 17 ⋅ Nassau, Bahamas
Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Ball State
Action Spread: Ball State -4
* The highest-rated champion from the Group of Five conferences (American, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt) will be selected to play in the Fiesta Bowl.
