Bowl Predictions 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream Info and CFP Projections
It's December, which means college football bowl season is right around the corner.
So as temperatures cool down and competitive spirits heat up, it's time for fans to hunker down and process the upcoming bowl game schedule.
But before breaking down the College Football Playoff picture and sifting through updated projections, here's a look at the latest CFP rankings in advance of Saturday's conference championship game showdowns.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
With help from CBSSports.com, here's a rundown of when and where you can catch all of this season's bowl action:
| Dec. 19 | New Orleans Bowl | C-USA vs. Sun Belt | 9 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 19 | Camellia Bowl | MAC vs. Sun Belt | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 19 | Royal Purple Bowl | Pac-12 vs. Mountain West/BYU | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 19 | New Mexico Bowl | C-USA vs. Mountain West | 2 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 19 | Cure Bowl | American vs. Sun Belt | 12 p.m. | CBS Sports Network | TBD |
| Dec. 21 | Miami Beach Bowl | American vs. C-USA | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 22 | Boca Raton Bowl | American vs. MAC | 7 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 22 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | MAC vs. Mountain West | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 23 | GoDaddy Bowl | MAC vs. Sun Belt | 8 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 23 | Poinsettia Bowl | Mountain West vs. Army | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaii Bowl | American vs. Mountain West/BYU | 8 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Bahamas Bowl | C-USA vs. MAC | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Foster Farms Bowl | Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Independence Bowl | ACC vs. SEC | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Pinstripe Bowl | ACC vs. Big Ten | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Heart of Dallas Bowl | Big Ten vs. C-USA | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Sun Bowl | ACC vs. Pac-12 | 2 p.m. | CBS Sports | TBD |
| Dec. 26 | St. Pete Bowl | ACC vs. American | 11 a.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 28 | Quick Lane Bowl | ACC vs. Big Ten | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 28 | Military Bowl | ACC vs. American | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 29 | Texas Bowl | Big 12 vs. SEC | 9 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 29 | Arizona Bowl | Mountain West vs. C-USA/Sun Belt | 7:30 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Dec. 29 | Russell Athletic Bowl | ACC vs. Big 12 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 29 | Armed Forces Bowl | Big Ten vs. Mountain West | 2 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Holiday Bowl | Big Ten vs. Pac-12 | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Music City Bowl | ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC | 7 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Belk Bowl | ACC vs. SEC | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Birmingham Bowl | SEC vs. American | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Orange Bowl | TBA | TBA | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Cotton Bowl | TBA | TBA | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Peach Bowl | At-Large vs. At-Large | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Citrus Bowl | Big Ten vs. SEC | 1 p.m. | ABC | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Big Ten vs. SEC | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Sugar Bowl | SEC vs. Big 12 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl | Big Ten vs. Pac 12 | 5 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Fiesta Bowl | At-Large vs. At-Large | 1 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Cactus Bowl | Big 12 vs. Pac-12 | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Alamo Bowl | Big 12 vs. Pac-12 | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Liberty Bowl | Big 12 vs. SEC | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 2 | TaxSlayer Bowl | ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| Jan. 11 | National Championship Game | Orange Bowl Winner vs. Cotton Bowl Winner | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
CFP Projections
Orange Bowl: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
The path for Clemson is simple: Defeat No. 10 North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, and the Tigers are in the Orange Bowl as the unquestioned No. 1 seed.
Over the past month and a half, the Tigers have become accustomed to occupying the CFP throne. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Clemson has touted the No. 1 designation five weeks in a row, which is the longest residency in that position of any team since the CFP came into existence.
Should Clemson dispatch the Tar Heels, head coach Dabo Swinney's squad will sit back and wait to see which program it squares off against.
Although the current CFP rankings have Clemson matching up against No. 4 Iowa in the Orange Bowl, there's a real possibility the Big Ten title game winner could creep up to No. 3 and bump the Oklahoma Sooners—who essentially sewed up a CFP berth last weekend against Oklahoma State—to the No. 4 spot following an idle week.
And if Iowa is able to remain undefeated with a convincing win over Michigan State, a move up to No. 3 is hardly out of the question. The same goes for No. 5 Michigan State, which boasts an impressive resume that could receive a boost with a win over the Hawkeyes.
Should Oklahoma drop down a spot because of Big Ten implications, Clemson would be in for a tough test, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:
A year after Clemson topped Oklahoma, 40-6, in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, a rematch has evidently emerged as an enticing proposition for the Sooners.
"After watching what happened last year, I would love a shot at them," Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield said, per the Tulsa World's Guerin Emig.
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State
Like a prospective showdown between Clemson and Oklahoma, conference championship weekend will have a major bearing on the Cotton Bowl.
With a win over Florida in the SEC Championship Game, Alabama should lock itself into the No. 2 spot. And if we follow the line of thinking that the winner of the Big Ten will vault into the No. 3 spot, Michigan State has to be licking its chops with a shot to slay undefeated Iowa.
"The Spartans were here two years ago," ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman and Dan Murphy wrote. "They’ve played in big games regularly. And the Spartans have won them, going 5-1 against Top 10 teams since 2013. Michigan State’s senior class needs one victory to set a school record with 43."
The Spartans have stepped up against ranked competition all season long, with wins over No. 15 Michigan, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 16 Oregon standing out. Conversely, Iowa has downed just one opponent currently ranked in the CFP Top 25 (No. 14 Northwestern).
Adding a win over the undefeated Hawkeyes would be a nice line item for the Spartans' ledger, and it's not inconceivable to think a drubbing of one of the nation's most esteemed defenses could make the selection committee think long and hard about flipping Oklahoma with the potential Big Ten champs.
A blowout may need to be in order for Michigan State to make a two-spot leap, but the Spartans have the talent and experience necessary to make a statement before the semifinal matchups are revealed.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
