College Football Bowl Projections for 2024-25

The 2024-25 bowl schedule features 41 games, including the last six of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Athlon Sports is here with complete preseason projections and predictions for all of the bowl matchups and playoff games after Week 12. 

The postseason begins on Dec. 14 with one matchup and continues until Jan. 20 with the national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The playoffs start on Dec. 20 with one first-round game, followed by three on Saturday, Dec. 21, at on-campus sites. The quarterfinals are slated for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10; the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl host the matchups.

Due to conference realignment, some of the bowl tie-ins will be scrambled in '24. Former Pac-12 teams are eligible for bowl appearances in the conference's old tie-ins for the next two years, but any other teams moving leagues - namely Texas, Oklahoma, and SMU - are eligible for affiliated bowls in their current conference. 

Teams just missing the projections were NC State, Virginia, Kansas, Houston, UCF, Arizona, Utah, Wisconsin, UCLA, Eastern Michigan, Oregon State, Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Coastal Carolina, and UL Monroe.

How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports' preseason predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2024-25 after Week 12:

Projections will be updated every week throughout the regular season. *Indicates an at-large team will be selected due to an affiliated conference projected to not have enough eligible teams to fill bowl slots. 

College Football Bowl Projections for 2024-25

IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl (Dec. 14)

Tie-In: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection: UConn vs. South Alabama

Frisco Bowl (Dec. 17)

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt/Mountain West
Projection: Bowling Green vs. Texas State

Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Miami (Ohio) vs. James Madison

Los Angeles Bowl (Dec. 18)

Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. Mountain West
Projection: UNLV vs. California

New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 19)

Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Liberty vs. Louisiana

Cure Bowl (Dec. 20)

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: South Florida vs. Georgia Southern

Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 20)

Tie-In: SEC vs. ACC/American
Projection: North Carolina vs. Memphis

Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 23)

Tie-In: American/CUSA/MAC/Sun Belt
Projection: Marshall vs. East Carolina

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 23)

Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Colorado State vs. Western Michigan

Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)

Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection: Fresno State vs. Western Kentucky

GameAbove Sports Bowl (Dec. 26)

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. MAC
Projection: Michigan State vs. Toledo

Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Projection: TCU vs. Rutgers

68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 26)

Tie-In: MAC vs. Sun Belt
Projection: Buffalo vs. Arkansas State

Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 27)

Tie-In: SEC vs. ACC/American
Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas

Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 27)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection: Texas Tech vs. UTSA

Liberty Bowl (Dec. 27)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: Kansas State vs. Vanderbilt

Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27)

Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Washington vs. Pitt

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 27)

Tie-In: Pac-12 vs. SEC
Projection: Arizona State vs. Missouri

Fenway Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Georgia Tech vs. Army

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Michigan vs. Duke

New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Mountain West
Projection: Sam Houston vs. New Mexico

Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big 12
Projection: Iowa State vs. Clemson

Arizona Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain West
Projection: Northern Illinois vs. San Jose State

Military Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: ACC vs. American
Projection: Boston College vs. Navy

Alamo Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Projection: Washington State vs. BYU

Independence Bowl (Dec. 28)

Tie-In: AAC vs. Pac-12
Projection: West Virginia vs. Tulane

Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Florida vs. Nebraska

Reliaquest Bowl (Dec. 31)

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: South Carolina vs. Iowa

Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)

Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12
Projection: Syracuse vs. USC

Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)

Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Illinois vs. Texas A&M

Texas Bowl (Dec. 31)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SEC
Projection: LSU vs. Baylor

Gator Bowl (Jan. 2)

Tie-In: ACC vs. SEC
Projection: SMU vs. Tennessee

First Responder Bowl (Jan. 3)

Tie-In: Big 12 vs. AAC/CUSA
Projection: Cincinnati vs. North Texas

Duke's Mayo Bowl (Jan. 3)

Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: Louisville vs. Minnesota

Bahamas Bowl (Jan. 4)

Tie-In: Conference USA vs. MAC
Projection: Jacksonville State vs. Ohio

College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff First Round

Games to be played on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. Contests will be played at home site of higher-ranked team. 

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Indiana
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Georgia
No. 8 Alabama vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31)
Projection: No. 4 Colorado vs. No. 5 Ohio State

Peach Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Penn State

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Projection: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Georgia

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Orange Bowl (Jan. 9)
Projection: No. 2 Texas vs. No. 6 Penn State

Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10)
Projection: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 5 Ohio State

National Championship

Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Ga. 

Projection: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Texas

Steven Lassan is the senior college football writer and editor for AthlonSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.