Bowl Projections 2014: Full Schedule, Odds and Predictions

Normal bowl games still exist, folks.

The inaugural College Football Playoff is all the rage at the moment, as it should be. Fans are still a week away from the revelation as to which teams will play in the CFP semifinals at the Sugar and Rose Bowls, though.

A handful of teams are still in the running for those four slots and have quite the interesting odds given the circumstances.

But what about the other games?

Below is a full list of info surrounding all of the bowls this season. A few predictions to keep an eye on as things develop reside after the jump.

2014-15 Bowl Game Schedule

Bowl	Matchup	Site	Date	Time (ET)	TV
New Orleans Bowl	Sun Belt vs. MW	New Orleans	Dec. 20	11 a.m.	ESPN
New Mexico Bowl	MW vs. C-USA	Albuquerque, N.M.	Dec. 20	2:20 p.m.	ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl	MW vs. Pac-12	Las Vegas	Dec. 20	3:30 p.m.	ABC
Potato Bowl	MAC vs. MW	Boise, Idaho	Dec. 20	5:45 p.m.	ESPN
Camellia Bowl	MAC vs. Sun Belt	Montgomery, Ala.	Dec. 20	9:15 p.m.	ESPN
Miami Beach Bowl	AAC vs. BYU	Miami	Dec. 22	2 p.m.	TBD
Boca Raton Bowl	C-USA vs. MAC	Boca Raton, Fla.	Dec. 23	6 p.m.	ESPN
Poinsettia Bowl	MW vs. Navy	San Diego	Dec. 23	9:30 p.m.	ESPN
Bahamas Bowl	C-USA vs. MAC	Nassau, Bahamas	Dec. 24	12 p.m.	ESPN
Hawai'i Bowl	C-USA vs. MW	Honolulu	Dec. 24	8 p.m.	ESPN
Heart of Dallas Bowl	Big Ten vs. C-USA	Dallas	Dec. 26	1 p.m.	ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl	ACC vs. Big Ten	Detroit	Dec. 26	4:30 p.m.	ESPN
St. Petersburg Bowl	AAC vs. ACC	St. Petersburg, Fla.	Dec. 26	8 p.m.	ESPN
Military Bowl	AAC vs. ACC	Annapolis, Md.	Dec. 27	1 p.m.	ESPN
Sun Bowl	ACC vs. Pac-12	El Paso, Texas	Dec. 27	2 p.m.	CBS
Independence Bowl	ACC vs. SEC	Shreveport, La.	Dec. 27	3:30 p.m.	ABC
Pinstripe Bowl	ACC vs. Big Ten	Bronx, N.Y.	Dec. 27	4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Holiday Bowl	Big Ten vs. Pac-12	San Diego	Dec. 27	8 p.m.	ESPN
Liberty Bowl	Big 12 vs. SEC	Memphis, Tenn.	Dec. 29	2 p.m.	ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl	ACC vs. Big 12	Orlando, Fla.	Dec. 29	TBD	TBD
Texas Bowl	Big 12 vs. SEC	Houston	Dec. 29	9 p.m.	ESPN
Music City Bowl	SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten	Nashville, Tenn.	Dec. 30	3 p.m.	ESPN
Belk Bowl	ACC vs. SEC	Charlotte, N.C.	Dec. 30	6:30 p.m.	ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl	Big Ten vs. Pac-12	Santa Clara, Calif.	Dec. 30	10 p.m.	ESPN
Peach Bowl	TBD	Atlanta	Dec. 31	12:30 p.m.	ESPN
Fiesta Bowl	TBD	Glendale, Ariz.	Dec. 31	4 p.m.	ESPN
Orange Bowl	ACC vs. SEC/Big Ten	Miami	Dec. 31	8 p.m.	ESPN
Citrus Bowl	Big Ten vs. SEC	Orlando, Fla.	Jan. 1	1 p.m.	ABC
Outback Bowl	Big Ten vs. SEC	Tampa, Fla.	Jan. 1	12 p.m.	ESPN2
Cotton Bowl	TBD	Arlington, Texas	Jan. 1	12:30 p.m.	ESPN
Rose Bowl	CFP Semi	Pasadena, Calif.	Jan. 1	5 p.m.	ESPN
Sugar Bowl	CFP Semi	New Orleans	Jan. 1	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
Armed Forces Bowl	AAC vs. Army	Fort Worth, Texas	Jan. 2	12 p.m.	ESPN
TaxSlayer Bowl	SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten	Jacksonville, Fla.	Jan. 2	3:20 p.m.	ESPN
Alamo Bowl	Big 12 vs. Pac-12	San Antonio	Jan. 2	6:45 p.m.	ESPN
Cactus Bowl	Big 12 vs. Pac-12	Tempe, Ariz.	Jan. 2	10:15 p.m.	ESPN
Birmingham Bowl	AAC vs. SEC	Birmingham, Ala.	Jan. 3	1 p.m.	ESPN/2
GoDaddy Bowl	MAC vs. Sun Belt	Mobile, Ala.	Jan. 4	9 p.m.	ESPN
National Championship	CFP	Arlington, Texas	Jan. 12	TBD	ESPN

Bowl schedule information courtesy of ESPN.com.

National Championship Odds

Team	Odds
Alabama	8-5
Florida State	13-2
Oregon	5-2
Ohio State	12-1
Baylor	9-1
TCU	5-1

*Odds to win national championship courtesy of Odds Shark, as of December 2 at 4 p.m. ET.

Bowl Predictions

Arkansas Turns Heads

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

There is a beast growing in the SEC.

It matters little who the Arkansas Razorbacks play and in what bowl it happens to be—Bret Bielema's team will put on a show. 

The 6-6 Razorbacks have been on the cusp of relevancy all season long. The middle of a brutal schedule speaks well enough to this. Close losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia were of the typical variety. Ditto for a seven-point loss to then-No. 1 Mississippi State.

Arkansas finally turned the corner, though, with a shutout of LSU, 17-0. The next week was a 30-0 win over Ole Miss. That said, the team did end on a sour note with a loss in its first rivalry encounter with Missouri.

"I think we might have worn down in the fourth quarter," Bielema said, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com. "My guess is we'll be very, very energized and very, very excited bowl team to take somewhere."

Still, fans get the point. Arkansas amazingly did not get lost in the hype of the SEC West and ranks 16th nationally with an average of just 20.3 points allowed per game. Its hefty stable of backs can grind down any team in the nation:

For what it is worth, CBS Sports projects Arkansas to meet West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. While a great team, even the Mountaineers and a 62nd-ranked defense would struggle to keep pace with the Razorbacks.

Regardless, Arkansas is here to stay. That much will be apparent once bowl season concludes.

Ohio State Meets Mississippi State

Through the disappointment of late-season adversity comes one of the best possible matchups of the entire season. 

Mississippi State collapsed late, losing two of its last three. Granted, those were respectable losses to Alabama and Ole Miss by the Bulldogs, but the fact remains that Heisman contender Dak Prescott and Co. had SEC title game and CFP hopes dashed.

Believe it or not, things are even more dreadful for Ohio State. Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are actually still in the running for the CFP, but one has to think the committee will shun them regardless of their performance in the Big Ten Championship after losing starting quarterback J.T. Barrett for the season.

ESPN.com's Brian Bennett put it best:

Those in charge will still do right by the hobbled Buckeyes, though, and give them a chance to further exorcise some SEC demons.

Call it a war of wills in this hypothetical matchup. The Buckeyes give up just 22.9 points per game on average, while the Bulldogs allow just 19.4.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The wild card seems to be Prescott, who has completed 61.2 percent of his passes this season for 2,996 yards and 24 touchdowns with another 939 yards and 13 scores on the ground. 

Ohio State will look to keep pace on the ground now that sophomore Cardale Jones is all the team has under center. That means more work than ever for Ezekiel Elliott (197 carries, 1,182 yards and 10 scores) and freshman Curtis Samuel (52 carries, 353 yards, 11 touchdowns).

Given how the Buckeyes are once again starting over under center and Prescott's elite play, it seems like the SEC would win this potential matchup.

Wisconsin and Auburn Run Wild

How is this for a Big Ten vs. SEC encounter?

Wisconsin loves to run the ball and is third-best in the nation at doing so. That is likewise for Auburn, which ranks 11th.

After losing three of four to close the season, the Tigers will watch from the sidelines as Alabama moves on to the SEC title game. Still, Gus Malzahn's team is assured a meaty bowl game thanks to an 8-4 finish and one of the most prolific offenses in the nation.

Wisconsin still has to play Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, but regardless, the Badgers will be headed to a high-profile bowl.

A more prolific rushing showdown is hard to find:

Nick Marshall is no slouch through the air, either. He has completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,315 yards and 18 scores this year, although Auburn's best chance to win this encounter against the nation's fourth-best defense figures to come on the ground.

Really, though, this potential showdown seems to be a great finale for Melvin Gordon before he heads to the NFL. 

A sixth game with a minimum of 200 rushing yards this season seems in the cards, as does a marquee win for the Big Ten.

Stats and information via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.