Week 14 College Football Bowl Game Projections
The Border War between Missouri and Kansas has been dormant since 2011, but there was an opportunity for the iconic rivalry to resume in the Liberty Bowl this month.
There was just one problem: Missouri didn’t want to play Kansas, so the matchup will not happen, industry sources told Action Network.
The Jayhawks, who are making their first bowl appearance since 2008, were not opposed to playing the Tigers in a bowl, sources said.
Schools provide their bowl preferences and the conferences, bowls and schools usually come to an agreement whenever possible. It’s not unusual for schools to request not playing certain opponents in the postseason, sources said.
The Liberty Bowl is one of three that matches SEC vs. Big 12 opponents. The other two are the Sugar and Texas bowls. Missouri and Kansas are both 6-6.
"A 6-6 team dictating who they don't want to play in a bowl?" an industry source said. "What a world. What a world."
Dating back to 1907, the Kansas-Missouri rivalry was the second-longest in FBS when it ended after the 2011 season when the Tigers left the Big 12 for the SEC. In 2020, the schools announced they would resume the series, scheduling four games starting in 2025.
A Kansas-Missouri matchup would have been one of the most highly anticipated of the postseason, but fans of each school now will have to wait until 2025.
The official bowl pairings will be announced on Sunday. I'm projecting Kansas will play Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl and Missouri will play East Carolina in the Gasparilla Bowl.
In other bowl news, the NCAA Oversight Committee approved New Mexico State’s bowl waiver on Thursday, and in turn, Auburn was officially eliminated from bowl contention.
The oversight committee also denied a waiver to Army, which was hoping to count two wins vs. FSC opponents toward bowl eligibility. Earlier in the season, the committee denied a similar waiver request by Marshall and Appalachian State. Marshall did reach bowl eligibility, but Appalachian State fell a win shy.
Meanwhile, Buffalo survived an upset bid by Akron on Friday afternoon to become the 82nd — and final — bowl team. That leaves UNLV (5-7) on the outside looking in.
Entering this weekend’s conference championship games, these will be my final projections until after Saturday’s games. Enjoy the weekend.
CFP National Championship Prediction
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Georgia
-4.5![]()
Michigan
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College Football Playoff Semifinals Projections
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Georgia
-5![]()
Ohio State
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Michigan
-5.5![]()
TCU
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New Year's Six Bowl Games
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Utah
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Penn State
-2.5![]()
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USC
-6![]()
Tulane
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Kansas State
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Alabama
-6.5![]()
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Clemson
-1![]()
Tennessee
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Projections for All Other Bowls
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LSU
-6.5![]()
Purdue
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South Carolina
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Notre Dame
-3.5![]()
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Kentucky
PK![]()
Illinois
PK![]()
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Ohio
-2![]()
Wyoming
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Mississippi State
-4![]()
NC State
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Pitt
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UCLA
-2.5![]()
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Duke
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Iowa
-4.5![]()
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Texas
-5.5![]()
Washington
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Florida State
-1![]()
Oklahoma
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Syracuse
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Minnesota
-6.5![]()
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Ole Miss
PK![]()
Texas Tech
PK![]()
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North Carolina
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Oregon
-7![]()
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Arkansas
-7![]()
Kansas
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Wake Forest
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UCF
-1![]()
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Wisconsin
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Baylor
-1.5![]()
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Georgia Southern
-4.5![]()
Buffalo
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Memphis
-5.5![]()
Coastal Carolina
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Oklahoma State
-5![]()
Fresno State
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Maryland
-22![]()
Bowling Green
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San Diego State
-4.5![]()
Middle Tennessee
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Missouri
-1![]()
East Carolina
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Houston
-4![]()
Louisiana
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Air Force
-8.5![]()
North Texas
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Western Kentucky
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South Alabama
-3.5![]()
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Liberty
-2.5![]()
San Jose State
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Eastern Michigan
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Utah State
-1![]()
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Marshall
-4![]()
Toledo
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New Mexico State
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UConn
-8![]()
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Florida
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Oregon State
-1![]()
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Southern Miss
-7.5![]()
Rice
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Washington State
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Boise State
-2![]()
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BYU
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SMU
-2.5![]()
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Cincinnati
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Louisville
-2![]()
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UTSA
PK![]()
Troy
PK![]()
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UAB
-12![]()
Miami (OH)
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* 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 Cotton Bowl if it does not qualify for College Football Playoff.
**Highlighted teams are confirmed to have earned a spot in their respective bowls.
