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The 8th year of the College Football Playoff has a 75% chance of producing a first-time champion. Alabama is back for a 7th time, having won 4 titles. The lone year in which the Tide was omitted from the Final Four was in 2019 when LSU was the only SEC participant and won the title. Georgia is back for the second time and the first since 2017 when the Bulldogs lost in the national championship game to Alabama in overtime. Michigan and Cincinnati are newbies with the Bearcats becoming the first team from a non-Power 5 conference to gain entry to the elite group.
Alabama is the No. 1 seed this year, with Michigan No. 2, Georgia No. 3 and Cincinnati No. 4.
The semifinals take place on New Year's Eve with Alabama and Cincinnati squaring off in the Cotton Bowl, followed Georgia battling Michigan in the Orange Bowl. The winners will meet in Indianapolis on January 10.
SEC teams have taken 11 of the last 15 national championships with Alabama claiming 6 of those. ACC schools have taken 3 of the last 6, courtesy of Clemson (2) and Florida State. Ohio State captured one for the Big Ten in 2014.
| College Football Playoff Title Game Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Won | Pts. | Lost | Pts. |
| 2014 | Ohio State | 42 | Oregon | 20 |
| 2015 | Alabama | 45 | Clemson | 40 |
| 2016 | Clemson | 35 | Alabama | 31 |
| 2017 | Alabama (OT) | 26 | Georgia | 23 |
| 2018 | Clemson | 44 | Alabama | 16 |
| 2019 | LSU | 42 | Clemson | 25 |
| 2020 | Alabama | 52 | Ohio State | 24 |
Alabama owns a 5-0 record vs. Cincinnati, but the schools haven't met since 1990. Michigan and Georgia split their two previous meetings which occurred way back in 1957 and 1965.
Alabama is 8-3 in playoff games, including a 3-2 mark in the championship.
In all, 42 bowl games will now take place in the postseason. The national championship clash gives us a 43rd game to watch, but is not a bowl game.
The computer expects just 6 of the bowl games to be decided by double-digit points, and 5 of those are among the first 9 games that will be played. The computer has 5 games with margins at less than a single point, and 20 with margins under 5 points.
Predicted margins range from 18.71 for Tulsa over Old Dominion to 0.17 for SMU over Virgnia.
Get all of the computer's Bowl Picks.
| Conference | W-L | Games | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big 12 |
5-0 | 5 | 1.000 |
| MAC | 2-0 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Sun Belt |
4-1 | 5 | .800 |
| Big 10 |
3-1 | 4 | .750 |
| SEC | 6-2 | 8 | .750 |
| Independents | 2-1 | 3 | .667 |
| MWC | 2-1 | 3 | .667 |
| American | 1-5 | 6 | .167 |
| PAC-12 | 0-2 | 2 | .000 |
| ACC | 0-6 | 6 | .000 |
| CUSA |
0-6 | 6 | .000 |
| NOTE: CFP Championship game does not count in bowl standings | |||
This year, No. 86 MTSU meets No. 55 Toledo (141 combined ranking) in the Bahamas Bowl to kick off the bowl season on December 17. But there are worse matchups as No. 90 Hawaii will entertain No. 75 Memphis (165 combined ranking) in the Hawaii Bowl to tie the 2018 Cure Bowl for the worst in the last 4 years. Also this year, 91st-ranked Old Dominion is facing No. 72 Tulsa (163 combined ranking) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, and No. 85 Wyoming plays No. 74 Kent State (159 combined ranking) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The one-off Frisco FB Classic, which was cobbled together at the last minute to insure no eligible team got left behind, pairs No. 82 North Texas with No. 73 Miami, Ohio (155 combined ranking).
There were plenty of bad matchups scheduled last year since won-loss record didn't have to be a consideration, but the worst of them all got canceled due to Covid issues. The Gasparilla Bowl topped the list with No. 110 South Carolina facing No. 44 UAB (154 combined ranking), but that game was canceled two days after bowl selections were made due to Covid issues within the Gamecocks' program. The Texas Bowl was handed that dubious honor until its matchup of No. 103 Arkansas facing No. 46 TCU (149 combined) was also canceled due to Covid issues in the TCU program.
The Liberty Bowl had No. 82 Tennessee playing No. 59 West Virginia (141 combined), but Tennessee had to back out due to Covid issues and was replaced by No. 41 Army. The Black Knights were 9-2, but had been left out in the cold after the Independence Bowl canceled its game on selection Sunday when it was unable to find an opponent for Army. The Liberty Bowl went from being a terrible game, to a very competitive one as the Black Knights fell 24-21 after leading 21-0 in the third quarter.
In 2019, Kent State was the lowest-ranked program of all the bowl teams as the No. 86 Golden Flashes faced No. 67 Utah State in the Frisco Bowl to tie for the worst combined-ranking of 153. The Camellia Bowl matched that game with No. 83 FIU and No. 70 Arkansas State.
The Cure Bowl took the honors of the worst bowl matchup in 2017 and 2018 by hosting No. 83 Louisiana-Lafayette and No. 82 Tulane in the 2018 game (165 combined ranking) after welcoming No. 85 Georgia State and No. 79 Western Kentucky in 2017 (164 combined ranking).
These bowl games will be featuring teams that have never previously played each other.
Bahamas Bowl - MTSU vs. Toledo
Cure- Northern Illinois vs. Coastal Carolina
Independence - BYU vs. UAB
New Orleans - Marshall vs. Louisiana
Myrtle Beach: Old Dominion vs. Tulsa
Famous Idaho Potato: Wyoming vs. Kent State
Frisco - UTSA vs. San Diego State
Frisco FB Classic - Miami, O. vs. North Texas
Hawaii - Hawaii vs. Memphis
Quick Lane - Nevada vs. Western Michigan
Military - Boston College vs. East Carolina
SERVPRO First Responder - Louisville vs. Air Force
Guaranteed Rate - Minnesota vs. West Virginia
Fenway - Virginia vs. SMU
Cheez-It - Clemson vs. Iowa State
Outback - Arkansas vs. Penn State
Fiesta - Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State
Citrus - Iowa vs. Kentucky
Lending Tree - Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty (Only meeting was 1989. Liberty won 25-24 as a FCS school led by former Cleveland Browns HC Sam Rutigliano).
LA Bowl - Oregon State vs. Utah State (last of three meetings occurred in 1998 and the first in 1904 - Beavers are 3-0 in series).
Armed Forces - Army vs. Missouri (met four times between 1968 and 1982. Missouri leads 3-1).
Birmingham - Auburn vs. Houston (played 6 times from 1956 to 1973. Only win by Houston was 1969 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl, 36-7).
Liberty - Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State (played 7 times from 1953 to 1970 with Bulldogs going 4-2-1).
Holiday - NC State vs. UCLA (played at UCLA in 1959 and 1960 with Bruins winning both).
Music City- Purdue vs. Tennessee (Only meeting was in 1979 Bluebonnet Bowl which Purdue won 27-22).
Orange - Michigan vs. Georgia (Met twice in Ann Arbor. Michigan won in 1957, Georgia in 1965).
Rose - Utah vs. Ohio State (Buckeyes won only meeting 64-6 in 1986).
Orange- Mississippi vs. Baylor (Bears won only meeting 20-10 in 1975).
Texas - LSU vs. Kansas State (LSU won only meeting 21-0 in 1980).
Gasparilla - Florida vs. UCF (Gators lead series 2-0 and outscored Knights by a combined 100-27. Last played in 2006).
Pinstripe - Maryland vs. Virginia Tech (Maryland leads series 16-15. Teams last met in 2013 when Terps snapped 5-game loss streak).
Alamo - Oklahoma vs. Oregon (Oklahoma leads series 6-1. Last met in 2006 Holiday Bowl for lone Oregon win, 34-33).
Duke's Mayo Classic - North Carolina vs. South Carolina (Tar Heels lead border war series, 35-19-4. Last met in 2019).
Peach - Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh (Spartans are 6-0-1 vs. Panthers all-time. Last met in 2007).
Las Vegas - Arizona State vs. Wisconsin (Sun Devils lead series 3-1. Last played in 2013).
Liberty - Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech - We'll dub this one "The Mike Leach Bowl". Texas Tech fired Leach in 2009. Mississippi State is his current team.
Sun: Miami vs. Washington State (only previous meeting was this same bowl game in 2015 which was won 20-14 by the Cougars).
Cotton - Alabama vs. Cincinnati (Tide are 5-0 vs. Bearcats. Last met in 1990).
Arizona - Central Michigan vs. Boise State (First met as D2 schools in 1973 playoff which Chips won 20-6. Last met 2001. CMU leads series 3-2).
Massachusetts
Texas State
None
Of the teams that made it this year, these had the longest wait to get back to a bowl game:
Oregon State, 2013
East Carolina, 2014
Maryland, 2014
UTEP, 2014
This teams have the longest continuing current streak of bowl absence:
Kansas, 2008
Louisiana-Monroe, 2012
UNLV, 2013
Rice, 2014
Rutgers, 2014
These teams have the longest continuing current streaks of bowl appearances:
*-Virginia Tech, 28 - Opted out due to Covid in 2020, but reportedly had interest from at least 3 bowl games.
Georgia, 25 - the leader now, without an asterisk.
Oklahoma, 23
These teams have the most consecutive bowl victories (last season of a bowl loss in parenthesis).
NOTE: CFP Championship games are NOT bowl games. All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Appalachian State, 6 (Never)
Alabama, 6 (2014)
Minnesota, 4 (2013)
Northwestern, 4 (2015) - Uninvited this year
Syracuse, 4 (2004) - Uninvited this year
Tennessee, 4 (2010)
Texas, 4 (2014) - Uninvited this year
Troy, 4 (2009) - Uninvited this year
Duke, 3 (2014) - Uninvited this year
Georgia Southern, 3 (Never) - Uninvited this year
Iowa, 3 (2016)
Kansas, 3 (2003) - Uninvited this year. Hasn't appeared in a bowl game since 2008
Kentucky, 3 (2017)
Ohio, 3 (2016) - Uninvited this year
Texas A&M, 3 (2017)
Streaks snapped last year: Louisiana Tech's 6-bowl winning streak was snapped with a 38-3 loss to Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl.
FAU suffered its first-ever bowl lost, a 25-10 defeat to Memphis in the Montgomery Bowl. The Owls are 1-4 all-time. Memphis had lost 5 straight.
Florida's 3-bowl winning streak was broken with a 55-20 loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
San Jose State had 4-bowl winning streak snapped with a 34-13 loss to Ball State in the Arizona Bowl.
Army lost 24-21 to West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl for its first bowl loss since 1996, snapping a 4-bowl winning streak.
These teams have the most consecutive bowl losses (last season of a bowl win in parenthesis). All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Indiana, 6 (1991) - Uninvited this year
UTEP, 6 (1967)
Northern Illinois, 6 (2011)
Central Michigan, 5 (2012)
Colorado, 4 (2004) - Uninvited this year
Colorado State, 4 (2013) - Uninvited this year
Miami, FLA, 4 (2016)
Michigan, 4 (2015)
North Texas, 4 (2013)
Streaks snapped last year: Memphis snapped a 5-bowl losing streak with a 25-10 in over FAU in the Montgomery Bowl. FAU was 4-0 in bowl games until that loss.
Ball State had 7-bowl losing streak snapped with its first-ever bowl win (1-7), a 34-13 defeat of San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl.
South Alabama, 0-2 - Uninvited this year
UTSA, 0-2
Last year: Ball State (1-7) dropped from this list after beating San Jose State 34-13 in the Arizona Bowl.
2019: Buffalo and Kent State each dropped from this list by winning their respective bowl games. Buffalo entered the 2019 bowl season 0-3, while Kent State came in 0-2.
(Minimum 20 appearances)
All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Utah, 18-6 (.750)
Mississippi, 25-13 (.658)
Oklahoma State, 20-11 (.645)
USC, 35-20 (.636) - Uninvited this year
Penn State, 30-17-2 (.633)
Alabama, 41-24-3 (.625)
Syracuse, 15-9-1 (.620) - Uninvited this year
Florida State, 28-17-2 (.617) - Uninvited this year
Georgia, 33-20-3 (.616)
All teams listed are playing in a bowl game this year, unless otherwise noted.
Alabama, 41
USC, 35 - Uninvited this year
Georgia, 33
Texas, 31 - Uninvited this year
Oklahoma, 30
Penn State, 30
Tennessee, 29
Florida State, 28 - Uninvited this year
LSU, 26
Nebraska, 26 - Uninvited this year
Georgia Tech, 25 - Uninvited this year
Mississippi, 25
Auburn, 24
Florida, 24
Ohio State, 24
Clemson, 22
Michigan, 21
2 teams played 2 FCS teams this fall (UConn and UMass), and 115 teams played 1 FCS school for a total of 117 such matchups.
The FBS finished the season 105-12 vs. the FCS and are 1,574-140 (.918) since we began tracking this in 2003.
Last year, 30 FBS teams played a total of just 34 games against FCS schools and the FCS won just 1 game (1-33). That honor also went to Jacksonville State with its 19-10 victory over FIU.
These were the FCS wins in 2021:
September 2: UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17
September 2: Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 (2 OT)
September 3: South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23
September 4: Holy Cross 38, UConn 28
September 4: Montana 13, Washington 7
September 4: ETSU 23, Vanderbilt 3
September 11: Duquesne 28, Ohio 26
September 11: Jacksonville State 20, Florida State 17.
September 18: Incarnate Word 42, Texas State 34.
September 18: Northern Arizona 21, Arizona 19
November 6: Rhode Island 35, Massachusetts 22
November 13: Maine 35, Massachusetts 10
This was the only FCS win vs. the FBS in 2020:
October 23: Jacksonville State 19, FIU 10
In 2019, FBS teams were 111-3 (.974) in such games. These were the only FCS wins that season:
August 29: Central Arkansas 35, Western Kentucky 28
September 7: Southern Illinois 45, Massachusetts 20
September 14: The Citadel 27, Georgia Tech 24 (OT)
CINCINNATI - Won 13 straight overall (FBS longest). Won 16 straight conference games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 35-20 at home over Houston in American Championship on Saturday, Dec. 4.
Next: Cotton Bowl Final Four playoff game vs. Alabama on Dec. 31.
NOTRE DAME - Won 9 straight road games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 45-14 at Stanford on Saturday, Nov. 27.
Next: Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State on Jan. 1.
CLEMSON - Won 34 straight home games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 30-0 at South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 27.
Next: Cheez-It Bowl vs. Iowa State on Dec. 29.
FIU - Lost 11 straight over-all (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 37-17 at Southern Miss on Saturday, Nov. 27.
Next: Season complete (1-11).
VANDERBILT - Lost 21 straight conference games (FBS longest).
Last: Lost 45-21 at Tennessee on Saturday, Nov. 27.
Next: Season complete (2-10).
NEW MEXICO STATE - Lost 18 straight road games (FBS longest).
Last: Won 44-27 at home versus Massachusetts on Saturday, Nov. 27
Next: Season complete (2-10).