Bowl Projections: Power Programs That Will Stay Home for the Holidays

The college football season is hitting the stretch run. 

It’s a time when some teams are vying for better bowl positions and some teams are fighting just to get into a bowl. Then, there are the historically successful programs that won’t be going to a bowl this season.

This slideshow will take a look at a couple of teams that usually go to bowl games that won’t be this year. 

It will also take a look at a few typically decent teams that have their work cut out for them if they want their seasons to continue into late December.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Ole Miss (2-8)

The Rebels are usually a pretty good football team, as are most SEC teams.

But that’s not the case this year. Coming off of an embarrassing loss to Louisiana Tech, they’re just going to go through the motions the next couple of weeks.

There’s no way they’re going to beat No. 1 LSU or Mississippi State in their next two games.

This dismal season already cost Houston Nutt his job. Now we’ll have to see what other changes are made this offseason.

Tennessee (4-6)

Tennessee still has an outside shot at making a bowl game.

To do that, they’ll have to beat Vanderbilt and Kentucky. They should be able to handle Kentucky, but I’m not so sure they can beat Vandy.

The Commodores are 5-5 right now, so they’ll be gunning for a bowl berth too. That might prove to be too much for Tennessee to handle.

Pittsburgh (5-5)

The Panthers are 5-5, so on paper it looks like they have a pretty decent shot at a bowl game.

However, they have to go on the road to West Virginia this weekend in a game the Mountaineers should win. Then, the Panthers have a game against Syracuse at home.

The game against the Orange won’t be as easy as it looks. Syracuse has already upset West Virginia this year and have an overtime victory over a surprisingly tough Wake Forest team.

Maryland (2-8)

This wasn’t what Maryland fans expected in their first year under former Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall.

After a big Week 1 victory over Miami (FL), the only team the Terrapins have managed to beat is Towson.

With games against North Carolina State and Wake Forest left on the schedule, it’s looking like a final record of 2-10 for Maryland.

Texas Tech (5-5)

The Red Raiders were competitive in the first seven weeks of the season, jumping out to a 5-2 start and beating then No. 1 Oklahoma in the process.

But since the upset of Oklahoma, Texas Tech is 0-3 after suffering a 41-7 loss to lowly Iowa State, a 52-20 loss to Texas and a 66-6 drubbing at the hands of Oklahoma State.

If they want to become bowl eligible, Tech will have to either go to Missouri and beat a Tigers team that is tough at home, or knock off Robert Griffin III and Baylor at home.

That’s easier said than done, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Raiders don’t make it to a bowl game.