It seems hard to believe that in college football days past, bowl games would begin courting prospective teams in November (and sometimes earlier). The prospect of being stuck with a lemon with two straight losses to end the season? Much more attractive than getting beat out for a hot team by your rivals for eyeballs and sponsorships.
Thankfully, those days have gone by the wayside—with a handful of exceptions, every team will learn their fate at once on Dec. 8. The story of the 2024 season is far from over.
With that in mind, here's what the bowl picture would look like if we were choosing teams today. A reminder that, as usual, the projections are determined by using the AP Poll and College Football Reference's Simple Rating System as guides. A short string of commentary follows.
Post-Week 9 Bowl Projections For the 2024 College Football Season
GAME
LOCATION
DATE
PROJECTED MATCHUP
Celebration Bowl
Atlanta
Dec. 14
Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central
Camellia Bowl
Montgomery, Ala.
Dec. 14
Rutgers vs. Georgia Southern
Frisco Bowl
Frisco, Texas
Dec. 17
Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Boca Raton Bowl
Boca Raton, Fla.
Dec. 18
Connecticut vs. Texas State
LA Bowl
Inglewood, Calif.
Dec. 18
Washington vs. UNLV
New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans
Dec. 19
James Madison vs. Sam Houston
Cure Bowl
Orlando
Dec. 20
Michigan vs. Marshall
Gasparilla Bowl
Tampa
Dec. 20
Boston College vs. Florida
College Football Playoff First Round—Game 1
Austin
Dec. 20
No. 10 Texas A&M at No. 7 Texas
College Football Playoff First Round—Game 2
Columbus
Dec. 21
No. 11 Iowa State at No. 6 Ohio State
College Football Playoff First Round—Game 3
University Park, Pa.
Dec. 21
No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Penn State
College Football Playoff First Round—Game 4
Knoxville, Tenn.
Dec. 21
No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Tennessee
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Conway, S.C.
Dec. 23
Bowling Green vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Potato Bowl
Boise, Idaho
Dec. 23
Ohio vs. Colorado State
Hawaii Bowl
Honolulu
Dec. 24
Navy vs. Liberty
Detroit Bowl
Detroit
Dec. 26
Wisconsin vs. Toledo
Rate Bowl
Phoenix
Dec. 26
Minnesota vs. Baylor
68 Ventures Bowl
Mobile, Ala.
Dec. 26
Michigan State vs. Arkansas State
Birmingham Bowl
Birmingham
Dec. 27
Oklahoma vs. North Texas
Armed Forces Bowl
Fort Worth
Dec. 27
Maryland vs. Old Dominion
Liberty Bowl
Memphis
Dec. 27
Texas Tech vs. Vanderbilt
Holiday Bowl
San Diego
Dec. 27
SMU vs. Colorado
Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas
Dec. 27
South Carolina vs. Washington State
Fenway Bowl
Boston
Dec. 28
Tulane vs. North Carolina
Pinstripe Bowl
Bronx, N.Y.
Dec. 28
Nebraska vs. Duke
New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque
Dec. 28
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Orlando
Dec. 28
Syracuse vs. Cincinnati
Arizona Bowl
Tucson
Dec. 28
Western Michigan vs. Fresno State
Military Bowl
Annapolis, Md.
Dec. 28
Memphis vs. Georgia Tech
Alamo Bowl
San Antonio
Dec. 28
USC vs. Kansas State
Independence Bowl
Shreveport, La.
Dec. 28
California vs. Army
Music City Bowl
Nashville
Dec. 30
Illinois vs. LSU
ReliaQuest Bowl
Tampa
Dec. 31
Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss
Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas
Dec. 31
Virginia Tech vs. Arizona State
Citrus Bowl
Orlando
Dec. 31
Indiana vs. Alabama
Texas Bowl
Houston
Dec. 31
Arkansas vs. TCU
Fiesta Bowl
Glendale, Ariz.
Dec. 31
No. 12 Boise State or No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 4 BYU
Peach Bowl
Atlanta
Jan. 1
No. 10 Texas A&M or No. 7 Texas vs. No. 2 Georgia
Rose Bowl
Pasadena, Calif.
Jan. 1
No. 9 Notre Dame or No. 8 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Oregon
Sugar Bowl
New Orleans
Jan. 1
No. 11 Iowa State or No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Miami
Gator Bowl
Jacksonville
Jan. 2
Missouri vs. Clemson
First Responder Bowl
Dallas
Jan. 3
Virginia vs. West Virginia
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Charlotte
Jan. 3
Iowa vs. Louisville
Bahamas Bowl
Nassau
Jan. 4
Eastern Michigan vs. Western Kentucky
Orange Bowl
Miami Gardens, Fla.
Jan. 9
Sugar Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner
Cotton Bowl
Arlington, Texas
Jan. 10
Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner
National Championship
Atlanta
Jan. 20
Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner
Notable Potential Bowl Matchups
Combined years in FBS for James Madison and Sam Houston (New Orleans Bowl): five… The headliner is Dec. 20's matchup between Texas A&M and Texas (CFP first round), potentially one of the most hotly anticipated postseason games of all time… The two teams are scheduled to meet on Nov. 30 in College Station, Texas; this playoff edition would be in Austin… Iowa State and Ohio State (CFP first round) have never met in football; neither have Boise State and Penn State (CFP first round)… Notre Dame and Tennessee (CFP first round) have met eight times and every matchup has, counterintuitively, been in November… Tulane and North Carolina (Fenway Bowl) were both in the Southern Conference from 1922 to '32… Syracuse and Cincinnati (Pop-Tarts Bowl) are also ex-conference-mates, having clashed in the Big East from 2005 to '12… Illinois and LSU (Music City Bowl) played in the Sugar Bowl after the 2001 season; the Tigers won a 47–34 shootout… Pittsburgh and Ole Miss (ReliaQuest Bowl) have a much less prestigious 21st-century bowl matchup under their belt; the Rebels won the 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl 38–17… Indiana and Alabama (Citrus Bowl) have also never met in football… Arkansas and TCU (Texas Bowl), ex-Southwest Conference rivals, have played 70 times as major schools… Potential CFP quarterfinals of note: Boise State-BYU (Fiesta Bowl), Notre Dame-Oregon (Rose Bowl; the Fighting Irish have been there just twice) and Tennessee-Oregon (Rose Bowl; the Volunteers haven't been since 1944)… West Virginia and Virginia (First Responder Bowl), once fairly frequent opponents, have played just once this century—in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl.
