College Football Playoff
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&TLucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Jan. 10, 8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Oklahoma
CFP Semifinal at Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Michigan State
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Cincinnati
CFP Semifinal at Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Dec. 31, 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Michigan State vs. Oklahoma
Playoff breakdown
Bonagura: It was always inevitable that Cincinnati's strength of schedule would be more of a target as the season progressed, but I'm going to go ahead and leave the Bearcats in the No. 2 spot for another week as we await the only opinion that really matters: the College Football Playoff selection committee's. Tuesday's announcement of the initial playoff rankings will be instructive on what to expect the Bearcats' path to the playoff to look like, and while history says the inclusion of a Group of 5 team is unlikely, the Bearcats have as good a case as any of the era -- at this point, of course. Georgia is the obvious No. 1 and Michigan State deserves to be in the top four after beating Michigan. Nick Saban and Alabama have earned the benefit of the doubt, while Oklahoma is sitting on zero impressive wins. The Sooners will have a chance to change that with three good opponents to finish the regular season (Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma State).
Schlabach: As I said last week, I still believe that Georgia and Alabama are the two best teams in the FBS, at least in terms of talent. But I'm still sticking with the No. 1 Bulldogs to finish the regular season unbeaten and then finally defeat the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship game in Atlanta on Dec. 4. Georgia's defense is too good, even for the high-powered Crimson Tide, as evidenced by its flurry of knockout blows in the final minutes of the first half in Saturday's 34-7 victory against Florida. I don't think Alabama can get into the CFP with two losses and no SEC championship. Its victories over Miami and Florida aren't going to carry much weight with the selection committee. I'll go with Michigan State and Oklahoma as my Nos. 2 and 3 teams for now, and the Spartans' overall body of work is a little more impressive to me at this point. For now, Cincinnati is my No. 4 team, although the Bearcats have been far from impressive in closer-than-expected victories over struggling Navy and Tulane the past two weeks. The Bearcats are going to have to do much more to grab one of the four CFP spots, and I'm not sure there's enough meat left on their AAC schedule for them to do it. So I wouldn't be surprised to see Oregon or even Wake Forest jump ahead of Cincinnati in the end.
New Year's Six
Dec. 30Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
7 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Wake Forest vs. Michigan
Schlabach: Ole Miss vs. Michigan
Jan. 1
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
1 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame
Schlabach: Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame
Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
5 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
8:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: Alabama vs. Oklahoma State
Team knocking on the door of the NY6
Bonagura: Baylor. At 7-1 with a game against Oklahoma approaching on Nov. 13, Baylor can easily play its way into the New Year's Six. It will be a heavy favorite in its three other regular-season games (TCU, Kansas State and Texas Tech) so it's not outside the realm of possibility that even if the Bears lose to Oklahoma and finish 10-2, they could still grab an at-large bid. That would take other results around the country to fall their way, but it's definitely in play.
Schlabach: Oklahoma State. The Cowboys rebounded from their loss at Iowa State by thumping Kansas 55-3 on Saturday. Oklahoma State has two potential pathways to a New Year's Six bowl: win its remaining four games, including a victory over rival Oklahoma in the Nov. 27 Bedlam Game, then beat the Sooners again in the Big 12 championship game; or hope Oklahoma does enough to qualify for the CFP and take the Big 12's guaranteed spot in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. With victories over Kansas State, Baylor and Texas, the Pokes are in pretty good shape. And Iowa State's loss at West Virginia on Saturday certainly helped too.
Bowl season
Dec. 17Bahamas Bowl
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
Noon on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Toledo vs. Marshall
Schlabach: Kent State vs. Florida Atlantic
Cure Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
6 p.m. on ESPN2 and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kent State vs. Liberty
Schlabach: Army vs. UAB
Team that hurt its cause the most
Bonagura: Michigan. In squandering a 16-point second-half lead, not only did Michigan drop from the ranks of the unbeaten, it put its New Year's Six chances in jeopardy. Had it beaten Michigan State, it would have been this close to clinching a New Year's Six appearance -- now the buffer is gone. There is still a very good chance the Wolverines end up with an at-large bid even with a loss to Ohio State (and wins in their other remaining games), but that will be dependent on what happens elsewhere.
Schlabach: Kentucky. I was singing the Wildcats' praises in this space a week ago, even after their first loss of the season, 30-13 at Georgia. The Wildcats apparently let the Bulldogs beat them twice because they had four turnovers and didn't play much pass defense in a 31-17 loss at Mississippi State on Saturday. Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers completed 36 of 39 passes to break the SEC record for completion percentage (92%) for a quarterback with at least 30 pass attempts. With games left against Tennessee (home), Vanderbilt (road), New Mexico State (home) and Louisville (road), Kentucky is still in pretty good shape to finish 10-2. It might need some of the better SEC West teams to beat up each other down the stretch to get to a New Year's Six bowl, though.Dec. 18
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Charlotte vs. Miami (Ohio)
Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. Toledo
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon on ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Jackson State vs. Norfolk State
Schlabach: Jackson State vs. South Carolina State
New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
2:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Boise State vs. Middle Tennessee
Schlabach: Nevada vs. Miami (Ohio)
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
3:30 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: BYU vs. Texas-San Antonio
Schlabach: BYU vs. Texas-San Antonio
Bonagura's most intriguing matchup: UTSA has been one of the stories of the season and its 8-0 start made coach Jeff Traylor one of the more attractive coaching candidates for Power 5 schools (hello, Texas Tech) before he signed a contract extension Sunday. The Roadrunners haven't played a team nearly as good as BYU, though, so this would be a good test to see how they stack up when the stakes are raised.
LendingTree Bowl
Ladd-Peebles Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
5:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Appalachian State vs. San Jose State
Schlabach: Louisiana Monroe vs. Western Michigan
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: UCLA vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: Oregon State vs. Fresno State
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
9:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Louisiana vs. UAB
Schlabach: Louisiana vs. Marshall
Dec. 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: East Carolina vs. Florida Atlantic
Schlabach: Charlotte vs. Coastal Carolina
Dec. 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Western Michigan vs. Nevada
Schlabach: Eastern Michigan vs. Boise State
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
7:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Air Force vs. Western Kentucky
Schlabach: Utah State vs. UTEP
Dec. 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
8 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Texas Tech vs. Houston
Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. Air Force
Team that helped its cause the most
Bonagura: Houston. The Cougars' thrilling 44-37 win against unbeaten SMU makes it seven straight wins for Houston since opening the year with a disappointing 38-21 loss to Texas Tech. The Cougars have USF, Temple, Memphis and UConn the rest of the way -- all very winnable games -- before a possible showdown with Cincinnati in the AAC title game. That would essentially stand as a play-in game for a New Year's Six berth, which for Houston would mean a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
Dec. 23
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
7 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: LSU vs. Coastal Carolina
Schlabach: Liberty vs. Virginia Tech
Dec. 24
EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
8 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: San Diego State vs. USC
Schlabach: San Jose State vs. SMU
Dec. 25
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Ball State vs. Troy
Schlabach: Ball State vs. Georgia State
Dec. 27
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Rutgers vs. Eastern Michigan
Schlabach: Western Kentucky vs. Northern Illinois
Military Bowl presented by Peraton
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Central Florida
Schlabach: Syracuse vs. East Carolina
Dec. 28
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Protective Life Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Missouri vs. Memphis
Schlabach: Tennessee vs. Central Florida
Our Time: UCF Football
Schlabach's most intriguing matchup: First-year Volunteers coach Josh Heupel bailed on the Knights after only three seasons to join former UCF athletic director Danny White at Tennessee. After helping Scott Frost guide the Knights to a 13-0 record in 2017, Heupel led his teams to a 28-8 record in three seasons, winning 22 in the first two. It's been an up-and-down maiden season for him at Tennessee, and facing his former team probably isn't how he'd want to spend the postseason.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
3:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: UTEP vs. Army
Schlabach: Houston vs. Washington
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
6:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Texas vs. Mississippi State
Schlabach: Texas vs. Mississippi State
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m. on Fox
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Arizona State
Schlabach: NC State vs. Arizona State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Chase Field (Phoenix)
10:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Maryland vs. West Virginia
Schlabach: Maryland vs. West Virginia
Dec. 29
Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: North Carolina vs. SMU
Schlabach: Louisville vs. Memphis
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Purdue vs. Louisville
Schlabach: Purdue vs. Clemson
Cheez-It Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Iowa State vs. Pittsburgh
Schlabach: Iowa State vs. Pittsburgh
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Baylor vs. Utah
Schlabach: Baylor vs. Utah
Dec. 30
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
11:30 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Tennessee vs. Miami
Schlabach: Florida vs. North Carolina
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
3 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Arkansas vs. Penn State
Schlabach: LSU vs. Penn State
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
10:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. Washington State
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Washington State
Dec. 31
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Auburn vs. NC State
Schlabach: Auburn vs. Virginia
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
12:30 p.m. on CBS
Bonagura: Virginia vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: Miami vs. Oregon State
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
5:30 p.m.
Bonagura: Utah State vs. Northern Illinois
Schlabach: San Diego State vs. USC
Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon on ESPN2 and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Minnesota vs. Florida
Schlabach: Wisconsin vs. Texas A&M
Vrbo Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kentucky vs. Iowa
Schlabach: Kentucky vs. Minnesota
Jan. 4
Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Time TBD on ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: Kansas State vs. Arkansas
