Bowl Projections Week 2: Will There Be Too Many SEC Teams?
It’s really early, but one of the key aspects to Week 1 of the college football season was an SEC that went 16-0.
From Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma down to Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Florida, the whole league – at least for one week – looked better. That means there should be a tougher league to get through with just two losses, which means there should be fewer SEC teams in the College Football Playoff than last year.
(There’s no rule that says 9-3 teams can’t get in over 10-2 teams, but the CFP committee has always defaulted to power teams that go 10-2 or better, and there should be more than enough of them.)
So with ten projected teams from the SEC, not including the three we have in the CFP, where do they all go? We try to find homes for them in our Week 2 Bowl Projections.
– Week 2 College Football Playoff Projections
– Week 2 CFN Top 25 Rankings
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Projection: South Carolina State vs Alabama State
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Last Season: South Carolina State 50, Prairie View A&M 38 4OT
Bowl Affiliations: MEAC, SWAC
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Projection: Louisiana vs Auburn
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Last Season: Jacksonville State 17, Troy 13
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Frisco Football Classic
Projection: Liberty vs Arkansas State
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Ford Center at the Star, Frisco, TX
Last Season: No Game
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl
Projection: Nebraska vs Florida State
Friday, December 18, 2026
Game Time: 11:00 am, ESPN
Location: Flagler Credit Union Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Last Season: Louisville 27, Toledo 22
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Projection: USF vs Wake Forest
Friday, December 18, 2026
Game Time: 3:30, ESPN
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Last Season: NC State 31, Memphis 7
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, CUSA (ACC, SEC)
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Projection: Western Michigan vs James Madison
Monday, December 21, 2026
Game Time: 11:00 am, ESPN
Location: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Last Season: Western Michigan 41, Kennesaw State 6
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6, (Not Pac-12 or Mountain West)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Projection: Toledo vs Wyoming
Monday, December 21, 2026
Game Time: 2:30, ESPN
Location: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Last Season: Washington State 34, Utah State 21
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Mountain West
Puerto Rico Bowl
Projection: Old Dominion vs Washington State
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 1:30, ESPN
Location: Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Last Season: No Game
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Group of 6 or Pac-12
StaffDNA Cure Bowl
Projection: Northwestern vs UCF
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 5:00, ESPN
Location: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: Old Dominion 24, USF 10
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Projection: Tulane vs Cal
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Game Time: 8:30, ESPN
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Last Season: Louisiana Tech 23, Coastal Carolina 14
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, Big 12, CUSA, Former Pac-12
New Orleans Bowl
Projection: Kennesaw State vs Louisiana Tech
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Last Season: Western Kentucky 27, Southern Miss 16
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, Sun Belt
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Projection: Navy vs West Virginia
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Last Season: Texas State 41, Rice 10
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, CUSA, (or Big 12)
Poinsettia Bowl
Projection: San Diego State vs UNLV
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 7:30, CW
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA
Last Season: No Game
Bowl Affiliations: Pac-12, Mountain West
Frisco Bowl
Projection: UTSA vs Miami University
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
Last Season: Ohio 17, UNLV 10
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
Projection: Air Force vs Troy
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Game Time: 2:30, ESPN
Location: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Last Season: North Texas 49, San Diego State 47
Bowl Affiliations: Mountain West, CUSA or Sun Belt
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Projection: Hawaii vs Duke
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Game Time: 7:00, ESPN
Location: Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
Last Season: Hawaii 35, Cal 31
Bowl Affiliations: Mountain West, CUSA (or AAC)
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Projection: NC State vs Wisconsin
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Last Season: Penn State 22, Clemson 10
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big Ten
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Projection: East Carolina vs North Carolina
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Last Season: Army 41, UConn 16
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, ACC
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Projection: Clemson vs Minnesota
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 3:30, ABC
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Last Season: Wake Forest 43, Mississippi State 29
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big Ten (or SEC)
68 Ventures Bowl
Projection: Jacksonville State vs Georgia Southern
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ESPN
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
Last Season: Delaware 20, Louisiana 13
Bowl Affiliations: CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Cactus Bowl
Projection: Illinois vs Iowa State
Saturday, December 26, 2026
Game Time: 7:30, ABC
Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Last Season: Minnesota 20, New Mexico 17 OT
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, Big 12
Freedom Mortgage Military Bowl
Projection: Army vs Georgia Tech
Monday, December 28, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
Last Season: East Carolina 23, Pitt 17
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, ACC
Holiday Bowl
Projection: Pitt vs Utah
Monday, December 28, 2026
Game Time: 5:00, CW
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA
Last Season: SMU 24, Arizona 19
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Pac-12
JLab Birmingham Bowl
Projection: Memphis vs Missouri
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, ESPN
Location: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Last Season: Georgia Southern 29, App State 10
Bowl Affiliations: AAC, SEC
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Projection: Virginia vs Arizona State
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 5:30, ABC
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: BYU 25, Georgia Tech 21
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Big 12
Valero Alamo Bowl
Projection: Houston vs Washington
Tuesday, December 29, 2026
Game Time: 9:00, ESPN
Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Last Season: TCU 30, USC 27 OT
Bowl Affiliations: Former Pac-12, Big 12
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Projection: Louisville vs Florida
Wednesday, December 30, 2026
Game Time: 11:30 am, ESPN
Location: EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
Last Season: Virginia 13, Missouri 7
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, SEC
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Projection: Iowa vs South Carolina
Wednesday, December 30, 2026
Game Time: 3:00, ESPN
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Last Season: Illinois 30, Tennessee 28
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
ReliaQuest Bowl
Projection: Penn State vs Texas
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 12:00, ESPN
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Last Season: Iowa 34, Vanderbilt 27
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Projection: Virginia Tech vs Arizona
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 2:00, CBS
Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Last Season: Duke 42, Arizona State 39
Bowl Affiliations: ACC, Pac-12
Las Vegas Bowl
Projection: Tennessee vs UCLA
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 3:45, ESPN
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Last Season: Utah 44, Nebraska 22
Bowl Affiliations: SEC, Former Pac-12
Kinder’s Texas Bowl
Projection: TCU vs Texas A&M
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Game Time: 7:30, ESPN
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Last Season: Houston 38, LSU 35
Bowl Affiliations: Big 12, SEC
Citrus Bowl
Projection: Michigan vs Alabama
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 12:00, ABC
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Last Season: Texas 41, Michigan 27
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Projection: North Texas vs Colorado State
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 3:30, ESPN
Location: Gerald R Ford Stadium, University Park, TX
Last Season: UTSA 57, FIU 20
Bowl Affiliations: Group of 6 (or ACC)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Projection: Kansas State vs Ole Miss
Saturday, January 2, 2027
Game Time: 7:30, ESPN
Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN
Last Season: Navy 35, Cincinnati 13
Bowl Affiliations: Big 12, SEC, (or AAC)
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop
Projection: Ohio vs New Mexico
Date TBD
Game Time: TBD
Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Last Season: Fresno State 18, Miami University 3
Bowl Affiliations: MAC, Mountain West
– Week 2 College Football Playoff Projections
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