Bowl Games Schedule 2018-19: TV, Live-Stream Info and Matchup Predictions
With two days of college football left before the bowl matchups are announced, we have a clearer idea of which teams will be headed to certain postseason games.
Even though the competition for spots in the College Football Playoff is the most heated it's been all season, there's still a clear path for every program in contention—unless Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Championship.
Beneath the New Year's Six on the bowl schedule, certain matchups are coming into focus as Group of Five conferences begin to inform teams of their destinations.
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The early confirmations have helped make intriguing contests more possible, as some schools appear destined for certain bowls without any official announcements.
2018-19 Bowl Schedule
All Times ET.
Saturday, December 15
New Mexico Bowl (2 p.m., ESPN)
Cure Bowl (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Las Vegas Bowl (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Camellia Bowl (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
New Orleans Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, December 18
Boca Raton Bowl (7 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 19
Frisco Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 20
Gasparilla Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 21
Bahamas Bowl (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Idaho Potato Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 22
Birmingham Bowl (Noon, ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Dollar General Bowl (7 p.m., ESPN)
Hawaii Bowl (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 26
First Responder Bowl (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Quick Lane Bowl (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Cheez-It Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 27
Independence Bowl (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Pinstripe Bowl (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 28
Music City Bowl (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Camping World Bowl (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Alamo Bowl (9 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 29
Peach Bowl (Noon, ESPN)
Belk Bowl (Noon, ABC)
Arizona Bowl (1:15 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Orange or Cotton Bowl (4 p.m., ESPN)
Orange or Cotton Bowl (8 p.m., ESPN)
Monday, December 31
Military Bowl (Noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl (2 p.m., CBS)
Redbox Bowl (3 p.m., Fox)
Liberty Bowl (3:45 p.m., ESPN)
Holiday Bowl (7 p.m., FS1)
Gator Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, January 1
Outback Bowl (Noon, ESPN2)
Citrus Bowl (1 p.m., ABC)
Fiesta Bowl (1 p.m., ESPN)
Rose Bowl (5 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
Games on ABC and ESPN can be live-streamed on WatchESPN or ESPN app, games on Fox can be live-streamed on Fox Sports App or Fox Sports Go, games on CBS can be live-streamed on CBS Sports app.
Matchup Predictions
New Year's Six
Orange Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington
Sugar Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. LSU
Peach Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida
Conference championship weekend may be exciting, but it won't produce the total chaos some want it to.
By the time Sunday morning rolls around, Alabama will be safely in as the No. 1 seed after dispensing of Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. ACC champion Clemson, meanwhile, slides into the No. 2 seed.
Notre Dame, which already has a spot in the playoff locked down, will stay at No. 3 and face Clemson in the Cotton Bowl.
The Crimson Tide will choose the Orange Bowl to force fourth-seeded Oklahoma to do more traveling instead of going to a familiar venue in Dallas.
Even though Ohio State will give Oklahoma a run for the No. 4 seed, the Sooners will put together an impressive victory over Texas that doesn't make the selection committee think twice about their inclusion.
The Buckeyes will head to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2010 to take on Pac-12 champion Washington, which will end a Rose Bowl drought that dates back to 2001.
Even though Texas will end up with four losses, it will be included in the New Year's Six because the Sugar Bowl takes the loser of the Big 12 Championship Game if the title winner qualifies for the playoff.
The Longhorns should be heavy underdogs against a Georgia team whose only losses came to LSU and Alabama.
Michigan and Florida get into the Peach Bowl as the two best at-large teams in the playoff rankings, with the Gators remaining ahead of LSU, which gets in as the third at-large in the Fiesta Bowl.
Awaiting the Tigers is UCF, which will find a way to win the American Championship over Memphis despite losing quarterback McKenzie Milton to a season-ending leg injury.
Other Intriguing Matchups
Camping World Bowl: Iowa State vs. Syracuse
Iowa State's Matt Campbell and Syracuse's Dino Babers might not be leaving their respective programs this offseason, but they won't be there for much longer after that.
Campbell and Babers are two of the hottest coaching prospects in the nation because of the respective jobs they have done in rebuilding the Cyclones and Orange.
Iowa State is a bit ahead of Syracuse because it has been able to contend with the top teams in the Big 12, owning a 2-2 record against Top 25 teams this season and knocking off Oklahoma on the road a year ago.
The Cyclones will reach 8-4 with a win over FCS side Drake Saturday, which will make them the fourth-best team in the Big 12.
With Texas accepting a spot in the Sugar Bowl, the Cyclones move up the pecking order to earn a matchup against one of the best sides the ACC has to offer.
Despite falling short against Notre Dame, Syracuse lands in Orlando, Florida, as the second-best ACC team at 9-3.
In his third year as head coach, Babers has the Orange back in a bowl game for the first time since 2013, and they have an opportunity to win 10 games for the first time since 2001.
Syracuse should have a slight edge in the Big 12 versus ACC matchup because of Eric Dungey's play at quarterback.
Dungey threw for 17 touchdowns and ran for 15 more while racking up more than 3,000 total yards in 12 games for Syracuse.
Although Dungey will be in the spotlight, Iowa State running back David Montgomery, who is 53 yards short of 1,000, is worth keeping an eye on as well.
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo vs. Troy
We want to see a clash between Buffalo and Troy for the same reason we would like to see Iowa State and Syracuse square off.
A proposed matchup between the Bulls and Trojans would pit two of the best Group of Five coaches against each other, and if power conference schools with job openings are smart, Lance Leipold or Neal Brown could soon be on the move.
One half of the MAC versus Sun Belt showdown is set, as Troy is confirmed to play in the Dollar General Bowl, per CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd.
Troy ended the regular season at 9-3, and it'll be hungry to end the season with a victory after falling short of the Sun Belt Championship in a loss to Appalachian State.
Running back B.J. Smith is the player to watch for the Trojans, as he's put up more than 1,000 rushing yards and strung together five straight 100-yard rushing games in the middle of the season.
The Trojans would be facing off against one of the best success stories in college football, as Leipold, who was coaching at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2014, led the Bulls to their first 10-win season and into the MAC Championship.
The Bulls are led by 6'7" quarterback Tyree Jackson, who has thrown for 2,605 yards and 25 touchdowns in his junior season.
Buffalo has been the dominant force in most of its contests, but it has one final hurdle to clear in the MAC Championship against Northern Illinois.
If the Bulls defeat the Huskies Friday in Detroit, they will be on a path to Mobile, Alabama, for one of the most intriguing games of bowl season.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
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