2021 College Football News bowl projections, predictions and possible matchups for the College Football Playoff: Week 3
It’s going to be interesting as the season goes on, but let’s just assume that some of the power players – Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma – all figure it out and get better as the season goes on …
To a point.
There is absolutely no argument whatsoever if you think the Buckeyes really won’t turn this around, but they have the big games ahead to have a shot to impress.
This is all fluid and will change wildly every week. Remember, this year more than ever, the bowls want fans in the stands, and ESPN wants the best matchups possible.
One other key note – the Mountain West has horrible bowl matchups, and not enough of them. By far, that conference is the trickiest of the bunch to figure out.
Bowl Projections: Week 3
All Times Eastern
Bahamas Bowl
Friday, December 17
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Bowl Tie-Ins: Conference USA vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Florida Atlantic vs Toledo
Cure Bowl
Friday, December 17
ESPN2, 6:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: San Jose State vs. Troy
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 11:00 am
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: Air Force vs. Charlotte
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 12:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: MEAC vs. SWAC
Bowl Projection: North Carolina Central vs. Alabama A&M
New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Marshall vs. Utah State
– CFN Week 3 Rankings of All 130 Teams
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 3:30 pm
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. BYU
Bowl Projection: UAB vs. BYU
LendingTree Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Kent State vs. Appalachian State
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 7:30 pm
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: San Diego State vs. Washington
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: C-USA vs. Sun Belt
Bowl Projection: Louisiana Tech vs. Coastal Carolina
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Monday, December 20
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Bowl Tie-Ins: Sun Belt vs. AAC or MAC
Bowl Projection: South Alabama vs. Miami University
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 3:30 pm
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Buffalo vs. Boise State
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Tuesday, December 21
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Group of Five vs. Group of Five (or Army)
Bowl Projection: SMU vs. UTSA
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Wednesday, December 22
ESPN, 7:30 pm
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 or C-USA or Pac-12 or Army
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Army
Union Home Mortgage Bowl
Thursday, December 23
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Pac-12 or SEC
Bowl Projection: Miami vs. *Liberty
*No AAC. Pac-12 or SEC projected available
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl
Friday, December 24
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Clarence TC Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Tulane vs. Nevada
Camellia Bowl
Saturday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Sun Belt (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: Central Michigan vs. Louisiana
NEXT: More Bowl Projections: Week 3
Bowl Projections: Week 3
Quick Lane Bowl
Monday, December 27
ESPN, 11:00 am
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. MAC
Bowl Projection: Purdue vs. Western Michigan
Military Bowl presented by Peraton
Monday, December 27
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Bowl Tie-Ins: American vs. ACC
Bowl Projection: Memphis vs. Pitt
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Bowl Tie-Ins: American Athletic vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Houston vs. Rutgers*
*No SEC team projected available
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 3:15 pm
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC or ACC or Big 12 or Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Texas Tech vs. Louisville
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 6:45 pm
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Kansas State vs. Kentucky
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 8:00 pm
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: North Carolina vs. Arizona State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 10:15 pm
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Big 12
Bowl Projection: Nebraska vs. West Virginia
Fenway Bowl
Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 11:00 am
Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Bowl Tie-Ins: AAC vs. ACC (or C-USA)
Bowl Projection: UCF vs. Boston College
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 2:15 pm
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big Ten
Bowl Projection: Virginia vs. Minnesota
Cheez-It Bowl
Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 5:45 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Big 12
Bowl Projection: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Valero Alamo Bowl
Wednesday, December 29
ESPN, 9:15 pm
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Texas vs. UCLA
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 11:30 am
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: NC State vs. LSU
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 3:00 pm
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Indiana vs. Mississippi State
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 10:30 pm
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Michigan State vs. Stanford
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Friday, December 31
ESPN, 11:00 am
TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Friday, December 31
CBS, 12:30 pm
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: ACC vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Wake Forest vs. Utah
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Friday, December 31
Barstool Sports, 2:00 pm
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: MAC vs. Mountain West
Bowl Projection: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Outback Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 12:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 1:00 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs. Ole Miss
Mercari Texas Bowl
Tuesday, January 4
ESPN, Time TBA
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: TCU vs. Missouri
NEXT: New Year’s Six Bowl Projections, Week 3
New Year’s Six Bowl Projections: Week 3
It’s a mix of chalky and somewhat fresh.
The call for the moment is that 1) Ohio State might have a ton of issues, but will get it together in time to win the Big Ten title, 2) Oklahoma will get beaten at least once in a better-than-you-think Big 12, and 3) Clemson is going to get squeezed out.
Oregon is the interesting part of this in a relatively weak-looking Pac-12 going forward, but that’s the shakiest aspect of the College Football Playoff prediction.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Clemson vs. Florida
Playstation Fiesta Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 1:00 pm
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Penn State vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl Game
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Iowa vs. USC
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 8:45 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M
NEXT: 2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections
2021-2022 College Football Playoff Projections
The 2021 season appears to be careening towards an epic Alabama vs. Georgia SEC championship – both of them should find their way into the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State, Clemson, Oregon, and Oklahoma will likely win their respective Power Five conferences. Two of those four will occupy the other two spots – no, the committee won’t give Cincinnati the shot – with a very, very shaky for-now call of Ohio State getting in.
Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, December 30
ESPN, Time TBA
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, December 30
ESPN, Time TBA
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Georgia vs. Oregon
College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T
Monday, January 10
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Alabama vs. Georgia