College Football Bowl Picks 2021-22: Predictions for Every Postseason Game

Bowl season is underway, with two games being played Friday and six taking place Saturday. However, those weren't marquee matchups, and the action is only going to get better as we get later into December.

So far, there have been only two teams that finished in the Top 25 of the final College Football Playoff rankings that have played bowl games. No. 13 BYU lost to UAB in the Independence Bowl, while No. 23 Louisiana defeated Marshall in the New Orleans Bowl.

Some solid games are scheduled before Christmas Day, but things will ramp up Dec. 31. That's when this season's College Football Playoff semifinal matchups (the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl) will take place.

Here's the remaining bowl schedule, along with a prediction for each matchup, followed by a closer look at some of this week's more intriguing games.

Remaining Bowl Schedule, Predictions

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Monday, Dec. 20

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Old Dominion vs. Tulsa, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Tuesday, Dec. 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Kent State vs. Wyoming, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Frisco Bowl: No. 24 San Diego State vs. UTSA, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 22

Armed Forces Bowl: Missouri vs. Army, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 23

Frisco Football Classic: North Texas vs. Miami (Ohio), 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Gasparilla Bowl: UCF vs. Florida, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Friday, Dec. 24

Hawai'i Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawai'i, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 25

Camellia Bowl: Georgia State vs. Ball State, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Monday, Dec. 27

Quick Lane Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Nevada, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

Military Bowl: Boston College vs. East Carolina, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Tuesday, Dec. 28

Birmingham Bowl: No. 20 Houston vs. Auburn, noon ET, ESPN

First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville, 3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech, 6:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Holiday Bowl: No. 18 NC State vs. UCLA, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Minnesota, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Fenway Bowl: SMU vs. Virginia, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. Virginia Tech, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Cheez-It Bowl: No. 19 Clemson vs. Iowa State, 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Alamo Bowl: No. 14 Oregon vs. No. 16 Oklahoma, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

Thursday, Dec. 30

Duke's Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. South Carolina, 11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Purdue, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN

Peach Bowl: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Friday, Dec. 31

Gator Bowl: No. 17 Wake Forest vs. No. 25 Texas A&M, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

Sun Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami, noon ET, CBS

Arizona Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Boise State, 2 p.m. ET, BarstoolSports.com

Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Orange Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 1

Outback Bowl: No. 21 Arkansas vs. Penn State, noon ET, ESPN2

Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Citrus Bowl: No. 15 Iowa vs. No. 22 Kentucky, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

Rose Bowl: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN

Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Tuesday, Jan. 4

Texas Bowl: LSU vs. Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Monday, Jan. 10

College Football Playoff National Championship, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Picks in bold.

Tulsa's Momentum Will Lead to Myrtle Beach Bowl Win

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Monday's lone college football action will be the Myrtle Beach Bowl, which features Tulsa and Old Dominion. And both of these teams are 6-6 and enter the matchup with a bit of momentum.

Tulsa has won three straight games and five of its past seven, notably finishing the regular season with an impressive road win over SMU. The Golden Hurricane haven't lost since Nov. 6, when they played a competitive game at Cincinnati (one of the four teams in the CFP) and fell 28-20.

Old Dominion opened the season with six losses in its first seven games before reeling off five straight wins to become bowl-eligible. It was an impressive turnaround for the Monarchs under head coach Ricky Rahne, who was hired in December 2019 before the team's 2020 season was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This should be a competitive game, but only one of these teams can keep its winning streak alive to end the season. Give the edge to Tulsa, as its balanced offense (which averaged 436.3 total yards per game) will be too difficult for Old Dominion to stop.

UTSA Will Cap Impressive Year by Winning Frisco Bowl

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Tuesday's Frisco Bowl should be among the more exciting games ahead of Christmas, as UTSA and San Diego State have both impressed during the 2021 season. It's likely to be a competitive matchup between a pair of teams that hasn't lost much this year.

UTSA enters at 12-1, with its only loss coming at North Texas on Nov. 27. However, the Roadrunners bounced back the following week by beating Western Kentucky to win the Conference USA championship.

San Diego State is 11-2, but it's coming off a loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Championship Game. Prior to that, the Aztecs had mostly rolled through their 2021 schedule, as their only previous loss came against Fresno State on Oct. 30.

While both teams will want to end the year with a win, this could be a special game for UTSA. The Roadrunners have never won a bowl game, having lost in their previous two appearances. Because of that, UTSA will cap the best season in program history with a victory.

UCF Will Take Down Florida in Gasparilla Bowl

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

There's the potential for much brighter days ahead for Florida. After firing Dan Mullen, the Gators hired Billy Napier to serve as their next head coach. However, Napier won't be coaching Thursday's Gasparilla Bowl. Instead, it will be special teams coordinator Greg Knox, who had been serving as interim head coach.

Not only that, but Florida will also be without quarterback Anthony Richardson. Its starting QB will be Emory Jones, even though he's already shared his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal afterward.

The Gators had a disappointing season, going 6-6 and 2-6 in SEC play. So even though they would likely have little trouble beating UCF most years, that may not be the case during this unusual period for the program.

The Knights went 8-4 in their first season under head coach Gus Malzahn. They didn't have a marquee victory, though, and this matchup against their in-state rival could be their opportunity to close the season with one.

Don't expect Florida to turn things around yet, as UCF will notch the victory.