Bowl Games Schedule 2014-15: TV Info, Predictions, and More
The first year of the College Football Playoff affects much more than the four teams that make it and the few that miss out, as the championship format influences the rest of the bowl schedule.
There still remains the chance for two teams from the Big 12—Baylor and TCU—to crack the Top Four, which would bump everyone else in the conference up a few spots. Other squads sitting around the Top 10 could sneak into one of the New Year's Six bowls with at-large bids, which would open things up for their bowl-eligible conference counterparts to make a more preferable bowl than expected.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With that said, most of the championship-caliber teams playing throughout Week 15 should take care of business despite eye-opening tests down the stretch. So where will that leave everyone else?
Take a look below to find out, as projections for every bowl game are made.
| New Orleans Bowl | Dec. 20 | UL-Lafayette vs. Pittsburgh | 11 a.m. | ESPN |
| New Mexico Bowl | Dec. 20 | UTEP vs. Utah State | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Dec. 20 | Colorado State vs. Washington | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Potato Bowl | Dec. 20 | Central Michigan vs. Nevada | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Camellia Bowl | Dec. 20 | Toledo vs. South Alabama | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Miami Beach Bowl | Dec. 22 | BYU vs. Cincinnati | 2 p.m. | TBD |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Dec. 23 | Louisiana Tech vs. Bowling Green | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Poinsettia Bowl | Dec. 23 | San Diego State vs. Navy | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Bahamas Bowl | Dec. 24 | Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Hawai'i Bowl | Dec. 24 | Western Kentucky vs. Fresno State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Heart of Dallas Bowl | Dec. 26 | Rutgers vs. Marshall | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Dec. 26 | Virginia Tech vs. Illinois | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| St. Petersburg Bowl | Dec. 26 | East Carolina vs. Miami | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Military Bowl | Dec. 27 | UCF vs. Boston College | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sun Bowl | Dec. 27 | Duke vs. Utah | 2 p.m. | CBS |
| Independence Bowl | Dec. 27 | North Carolina vs. Florida | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 27 | Penn State vs. N.C. State | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Holiday Bowl | Dec. 27 | Nebraska vs. USC | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Liberty Bowl | Dec. 29 | West Virginia vs. Arkansas | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | Dec. 29 | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | TBD | TBD |
| Texas Bowl | Dec. 29 | Texas vs. Texas A&M | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Music City Bowl | Dec. 30 | LSU vs. Iowa | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Belk Bowl | Dec. 30 | Tennessee vs. Notre Dame | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Dec. 30 | Maryland vs. Stanford | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Peach Bowl | Dec. 31 | Baylor vs. Ohio State | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | Arizona vs. Boise State | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Orange Bowl | Dec. 31 | Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Citrus Bowl | Jan. 1 | Wisconsin vs. Missouri | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Outback Bowl | Jan. 1 | Georgia vs. Minnesota | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Cotton Bowl | Jan. 1 | Ole Miss vs. Michigan State | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | Oregon vs. Florida State | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | Alabama vs. TCU | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Jan. 2 | Houston vs. Rice | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Jan. 2 | Louisville vs. Auburn | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Alamo Bowl | Jan. 2 | Kansas State vs. UCLA | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Cactus Bowl | Jan. 2 | Air Force vs. Arizona State | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Birmingham Bowl | Jan. 3 | Memphis vs. South Carolina | 1 p.m. | ESPN/2 |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Jan. 4 | Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| National Championship | Jan. 12 | Alabama vs. Oregon | TBD | ESPN |
College Football Playoff Outlook
Diehards of every bowl-eligible fanbase in college football are on pins and needles entering Week 15 as they await news of where—or if—they'll be going bowling. But most of the teams playing on championship weekend have their sights set on a much larger prize.
That's because the first year of the CFP is finally here, and for the first time ever four teams will emerge from the ashes with their championship hopes intact.
But even with days to go until Selection Sunday, there's no telling just how things will shake out.
One thing is clear, however: The committee isn't impressed with Florida State's undefeated record, per ESPN's Joe Schad:
Anyone who has watched the Seminoles this year knows why, as they have looked lifeless in most of their games before doing just enough to win. In fact, seven of their 12 victories have come by six or fewer points.
Their most recent performance was a close win over in-state rivals Florida, which bumped the 'Noles down to fourth behind TCU, who slid up to No. 3. But it's awfully easy to craft a scenario that would see Florida State move back into the third spot.
With an ACC Championship Game showdown against No. 11 Georgia Tech, a win for Florida State would almost certainly bump them above TCU, which plays Iowa State, as Sports on Earth's Matt Brown noted:
But where does that leave the Baylor Bears, who beat TCU head-to-head earlier this season but have failed to move ahead of them into the Top Four?
Well, it would leave Art Briles' crew out of the CFP entirely. The Bears may have knocked off TCU when the two played but have since been topped by West Virginia and haven't posted the all-season resume that TCU boasts, as ESPN's Danny Kanell said (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jimmy Burch):
Potentially falling back to No. 4, TCU would likely face top-ranked Alabama—which should dispose of 10-2 Missouri in the SEC title game. Blake Sims and Amari Cooper will simply be too much for the Tigers defense, despite first-round NFL draft picks Shane Ray and Markus Golden coming off the edge.
Ohio State, however, will be left on the outside looking in. Even if the Buckeyes take care of Wisconsin in Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game, it's easy to see them missing out with J.T. Barrett's absence still looming large, per Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde:
There may not be a CFP hopeful with a tougher play-in contest than the Oregon Ducks, who face No. 7 Arizona—the only team that beat them in the regular season—in Santa Clara, California, for the Pac-12 title. But while offensive line struggles doomed Oregon in that first matchup, the Ducks offense is at another level now and will take care of business.
After the Ducks stomp on the Wildcats' remote CFP chances, they will advance to face Florida State—a team that would likely rather remain at No. 4 to play in the more geographically friendly Sugar Bowl. But with a spot in the Top Four, the 'Noles won't have much to complain about.
However, with so many games that could go either way among the top teams, the only certainty coming down the stretch is that there will inevitably be disagreement as to how it all unfolds.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
