The playoff race is wide open after Week 12 of college football that saw Michigan State get trounced by Ohio State at the Horseshoe. It sets up a massive meeting in The Game between the Buckeyes and Michigan for all the marbles in the Big Ten East as well as the continued inside track to the College Football Playoff.
But under that? Bowl chaos still reigns as the picture of eligible teams takes shape. Below is how we see the bowl picture stacking up with one week left in the regular season.
Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports
All times are Eastern.
College Football Playoff
CFP national championship Presented by AT&T
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Jan. 10, 8 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Ohio State vs. Georgia
CFP semifinal at Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Georgia vs. Notre Dame
CFP semifinal at Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Dec. 31, 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Ohio State vs. Cincinnati
New Year’s Six
Dec. 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
7 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Pitt vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 1
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
1 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Baylor vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
5 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Wisconsin vs. Utah
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
8:45 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Bowl Season
Dec. 17
Bahamas Bowl
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
Noon on ESPN
Pick: Charlotte vs. Toledo
Cure Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
6 p.m. on ESPN2
Pick: Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty
Dec. 18
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Fla.)
11 a.m. on ESPN
Pick: UCF vs. Central Michigan
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon on ABC
Pick: South Carolina State vs. Jackson State
New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, N.M.)
2:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: UTEP vs. Wyoming
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, La.)
3:30 p.m. on ABC
Pick: BYU vs. UTSA
LendingTree Bowl
Ladd-Peebles Stadium (Mobile, Ala.)
5:45 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Kent State vs. Troy
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
7:30 p.m. on ABC
Pick: Oregon State vs. San Diego State
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
9:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Western Kentucky vs. Louisiana
Dec. 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, S.C.)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Appalachian State vs. Utah State
Dec. 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Ball State vs. Boise State
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Memphis vs. Fresno State
Dec. 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
8 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Army vs. Marshall
Dec. 23
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
7 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: ECU vs. UAB
Dec. 24
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
8 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: SMU vs. Nevada
Dec. 25
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Buffalo vs. Georgia State
Dec. 27
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
11 a.m. on ESPN
Pick: Rutgers vs. Miami (OH)
Military Bowl presented by Peraton
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Md.)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Air Force vs. Houston
Dec. 28
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Protective Life Stadium (Birmingham, Ala.)
Noon on ESPN
Pick: Clemson vs. Mississippi State
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
3:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: NC State vs. TCU
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (Memphis, Tenn.)
6:45 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Kansas State vs. South Carolina
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m. on Fox
Pick: Syracuse vs. UCLA
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Chase Field (Phoenix)
10:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Texas Tech vs. Purdue
Dec. 29
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m. on ESPN
Pick: Boston College vs. Tulsa
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Louisville vs. Minnesota
Cheez-It Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
5:45 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
11:30 a.m. on ESPN
Pick: Wake Forest vs. Arkansas
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville)
3 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Penn State vs. Auburn
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Pick: Arizona State vs. Florida Atlantic
Dec. 31
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Fla.)
11 a.m. on ESPN
Pick: UNC vs. Tennessee
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
12:30 p.m. on CBS
Pick: Washington State vs. Miami
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Ariz.)
5:30 p.m.
Pick: Nevada vs. Coastal Carolina
Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
Noon on ESPN2
Pick: Iowa vs. Texas A&M
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
1 p.m. on ABC
Pick: Kentucky vs. Michigan State
Jan. 4
Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Time TBD, on ESPN
Pick: Iowa State vs. Missouri
More College Football Coverage:
• Hot Names to Look for in High-Profile Coaching Searches
• Jimmy Lake’s Firing Stands Out for Its Swiftness
• The Big 12 Will Go On Without Oklahoma and Texas
• Oregon’s Loss to Utah Opens Up a Wealth of Playoff Scenarios
