2025 Non-Playoff College Football Bowl Predictions

Although the main course of the postseason is the College Football Playoff, there are 35 more bowl games on the docket.

And we are excited for every single one.

Sure, the elephant in the room is opt-outs—a trend that has extended to teams. Notre Dame decided not to participate after its CFP snub, and several other programs chose not to accept a bowl invitation.

However, we will always celebrate the players and schools involved. Bowl season ties a well-deserved bow on the campaign for 70 non-CFP teams—and provides some regular mid-week entertainment for us, too.

The picks are subject to change, especially based on reports of player availability over the upcoming weeks from publish time.

Dec. 13-19 Bowls

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Demond Williams Jr.

LA Bowl: Boise State (9-4) vs. Washington (8-4)
Saturday, Dec. 13, 8 p.m. ET

The return of quarterback Maddux Madsen sparked Boise State in its Mountain West Championship Game triumph, and taking down a Big Ten opponent would have the Broncos end on a high note. As of this writing, though, Washington seems to be fielding its typical roster. That should mean UW finds plenty of running lanes against a Boise defense ranked 116th in yards allowed per carry.

Prediction: Washington 31, Boise State 24

Salute to Veterans Bowl: Troy (8-5) vs. Jacksonville State (8-5)
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 9 p.m.
Prediction: Jax State 27, Troy 23

Cure Bowl: Old Dominion (9-3) vs. South Florida (9-3)
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 5 p.m.
Prediction: USF 29, ODU 24

68 Ventures Bowl: Louisiana (6-6) vs. Delaware (6-6)
Wednesday, Dec. 17, 8:30 p.m.
Prediction: Louisiana 28, Delaware 27

Xbox Bowl: Missouri State (7-5) vs. Arkansas State (6-6)
Thursday, Dec. 18, 9 p.m.
Prediction: Arkansas State 30, Missouri State 24

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State (10-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-4)
Friday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m.
Prediction: Western Michigan 26, Kennesaw State 23

Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis (8-4) vs. North Carolina State (7-5)
Friday, Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m.
Prediction: NC State 34, Memphis 27

Dec. 22-26 Bowls

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Jeff Brohm

Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo (8-4) vs. Louisville (8-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2 p.m.

We'll be monitoring opts-out for Louisville, which has a handful of NFL hopefuls on the roster. At close to full strength, though, the Cardinals should take out Toledo and record a third nine-win season in Jeff Brohm's three-year tenure.

Prediction: Louisville 30, Toledo 19

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Washington State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)
Monday, Dec. 22, 2 p.m.
Prediction: Utah State 27, Washington State 26

New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (7-5)
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 5:30 p.m.
Prediction: Western Kentucky 31, Southern Miss 23

Frisco Bowl: UNLV (10-3) vs. Ohio (8-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 9 p.m.
Prediction: UNLV 34, Ohio 27

Hawaii Bowl: Cal (7-5) at Hawaii (8-4)
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 8 p.m.
Prediction: Cal 30, Hawaii 28

GameAbove Sports Bowl: Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Northwestern (6-6)
Friday, Dec. 26, 1 p.m.
Prediction: Northwestern 27, CMU 17

Rate Bowl: New Mexico (9-3) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
Friday, Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m.
Prediction: New Mexico 24, Minnesota 23

First Responder Bowl: Florida International (7-5) vs. UTSA (6-6)
Friday, Dec. 26, 8 p.m.
Prediction: UTSA 35, FIU 24

Dec. 27-30 Bowls

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Jayden Maiava

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. BYU (11-2)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m. ET

On the busiest day of bowl season, the Pop-Tarts Bowl is must-see TV—not simply to watch that mascot's new antics. Both programs whiffed on late chances to make the CFP, so a final victory seems particularly meaningful. Georgia Tech showed a little life defensively in the loss to rival Georgia, but that unit's shaky performance down the stretch is cause for concern if BYU has a healthy, intact offense—something we'll be watching closely for a couple weeks.

Prediction: BYU 29, Georgia Tech 24

Alamo Bowl: USC (9-3) vs. TCU (8-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 9 p.m.

Same qualifier for this Big Ten/Big 12 battle. Beyond that, however, it's a fun matchup! USC averaged 36.5 points per game in 2025, and TCU notched 30.8. On paper, it's a defense-optional clash in San Antonio. I'll initially take USC because of its depth of offensive talent, but opt-outs may play a role eventually.

Prediction: USC 38, TCU 31

Military Bowl: Pitt (8-4) vs. East Carolina (8-4)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 11 a.m.
Prediction: Pitt 34, ECU 23

Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State (6-6) vs. Clemson (7-5)
Saturday, Dec. 27, Noon
Prediction: Clemson 27, Penn State 20

Fenway Bowl: Connecticut (9-3) vs. Army (6-5)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 2:15 p.m.
Prediction: UConn 31, Army 24

Arizona Bowl: Miami (Ohio) (7-6) vs. Fresno State (8-4)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m.
Prediction: Fresno State 23, Miami 21

New Mexico Bowl: North Texas (11-2) vs. San Diego State (9-3)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 5:45 p.m.
Prediction: SDSU 28, North Texas 24

Gator Bowl: Virginia (10-3) vs. Missouri (8-4)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Prediction: Missouri 27, Virginia 23

Texas Bowl: LSU (7-5) vs. Houston (9-3)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 9:15 p.m.
Prediction: LSU 20, Houston 16

Birmingham Bowl: Georgia Southern (6-6) vs. Appalachian State (5-7)
Monday, Dec. 29, 2 p.m.
Prediction: Georgia Southern 34, App State 28

Independence Bowl: Coastal Carolina (6-6) at Louisiana Tech (7-5)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2 p.m.
Prediction: Louisiana Tech 29, Coastal Carolina 17

Music City Bowl: Tennessee (8-4) vs. Illinois (8-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m.
Prediction: Tennessee 31, Illinois 27

Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 Bowls

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Arch Manning

ReliaQuest Bowl: Iowa (8-4) vs. Vanderbilt (10-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 31, Noon ET

Diego Pavia and his dual-threat brilliance against a rock-solid Iowa defense? Oh, buddy, we cannot wait for this matchup. The one-dimensional nature of Iowa's offense will probably shape the result—Vandy has been solid at stopping the run, too—but Pavia will be scrapping for every yard.

Prediction: Vanderbilt 27, Iowa 20

Citrus Bowl: Michigan (9-3) vs. Texas (9-3)
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 3 p.m.

In the aftermath of Sherrone Moore's dismissal, what will Michigan's roster look like by New Year's Eve? Texas has plenty of NFL decisions to track, as well. Consider this a pure guess that Michigan will have a few more notable absences—specifically on defense—and faces a tougher task. We'll update as it gets closer.

Prediction: Texas 31, Michigan 21

Sun Bowl: Arizona State (8-4) vs. Duke (8-5)
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
Prediction: ASU 24, Duke 20

Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska (7-5) vs. Utah (10-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
Prediction: Utah 35, Nebraska 17

Armed Forces Bowl: Rice (5-7) vs. Texas State (6-6)
Friday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m.
Prediction: Texas State 38, Rice 24

Liberty Bowl: Navy (9-2) vs. Cincinnati (7-5)
Friday, Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m.
Prediction: Cincinnati 30, Navy 28

Holiday Bowl: Arizona (9-3) vs. SMU (8-4)
Friday, Jan. 2, 8 p.m.
Prediction: Arizona 31, SMU 27

Duke's Mayo Bowl: Wake Forest (8-4) vs. Mississippi State (5-7)
Friday, Jan. 2, 8 p.m.
Prediction: Mississippi State 28, Wake Forest 24