As we exit a wild Thanksgiving week filled with rivalry game upsets and head toward the final week of the regular season, it’s crazy to think that college football is over for a lot of teams. At the same time, there are dozens of others wondering what’s next on the docket with the postseason picture still slowly coming into focus. Most teams are left wondering just how the bowl picture will shake out and it could come right down to the end for several teams looking to find a spot from the College Football Playoff on down.
With all that in mind, CFTalk decided to peer into our crystal ball and see how every game the rest of the year plays out and which teams wind up in certain bowl games. Running through all the scenarios, here’s how the bowl picture could play out from the final four to the very first one on December 17:
College Football Playoff
| Bowl | Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Peach Bowl | No. 1 Alabama | No. 4 Washington |
| Fiesta Bowl | No. 2 Clemson | No. 3 Ohio State |
New Year’s Six
| Bowl | Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Rose Bowl | Wisconsin | USC |
| Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma | Florida |
| Orange Bowl | Florida State | Michigan |
| Cotton Bowl | Penn State | Western Michigan |
2016 FBS Bowl Games
| Bowl | Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico Bowl | UTSA | New Mexico |
| Las Vegas Bowl | North Texas+ | San Diego State |
| Cure Bowl | UL-Lafayette | UCF |
| Camellia Bowl | Arkansas State | Central Michigan |
| New Orleans Bowl | Southern Miss | Appalachian State |
| Miami Beach Bowl | Tulsa | Toledo |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Western Kentucky | Houston |
| Poinsettia Bowl | BYU* | Wyoming |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Colorado State | Miami (OH) |
| Bahamas Bowl | Old Dominion* | Eastern Michigan* |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Navy* | Mississippi State+ |
| Dollar General Bowl | Troy | Ohio |
| Hawaii Bowl | Middle Tenn. State | Hawaii |
| St. Petersburg Bowl | South Florida | Army |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Maryland | Boston College |
| Independence Bowl | South Carolina | N.C. State |
| Heart of Dallas Bowl | Louisiana Tech | South Alabama |
| Military Bowl | Wake Forest | Temple |
| Holiday Bowl | Iowa | Stanford |
| Cactus Bowl | Baylor | Air Force |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Northwestern | Pitt |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | Virginia Tech | West Virginia |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Indiana | Washington State |
| Texas Bowl | Texas A&M | Kansas State |
| Birmingham Bowl | Vanderbilt | Memphis |
| Belk Bowl | Georgia Tech | Kentucky |
| Alamo Bowl | Oklahoma State | Colorado |
| Liberty Bowl | Tennessee | TCU |
| Sun Bowl | North Carolina | Utah |
| Music City Bowl | Minnesota | Georgia |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Miami (FL) | Arkansas |
| Outback Bowl | Nebraska | LSU |
| Citrus Bowl | Louisville | Auburn |
| Arizona Bowl | Idaho | Boise State |
*Accepted bowl invite
+ 5-7 team selected based on APR