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Jeremy Mauss

Week 1 College Football Playoff Bowl Projections

Week 1 College Football Playoff Bowl Projections


Air Force is not in a NY6 game


Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Where will Air Force land?

The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and despite the Air Force Falcons being ranked No. 17 in the AP poll, they are No. 25 in the rankings that matter.

Tulane which has one loss is ranked one spot ahead of Air Force. That is likely due to strength of schedule. The Green Wave has a loss against Ole Miss which is ranked 10th in these rankings. That loss is really good and it should be noted that Tulane was not at full strength missing quarterback Michael Pratt.

These initial rankings mean that Air Force is not in the Fiesta Bowl, or whatever big time bowl game the Group of Five team gets shuffled off to.

This changes the Mountain West bowl projections that we made prior to the playoff rankings earlier in the week.

So, we will update these rankings as well every week which could be different from the updates after the weekend slate of games.

2023 College Football Playoff Rankings Week 1: Air Force Is Ranked No. 25

Mountain West Bowl Projections

New Mexico Bowl

Saturday, December 16, 2023
5:45 pm ET, ESPN
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Ties: Conference USA vs Mountain West
Matchup: Boise State vs. Coastal Carolina

LA Bowl

Saturday, December 16, 2023
7:30 pm ET, ABC
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Bowl Ties: Mountain West vs Pac-12
Matchup: Air Force vs. UCLA

RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl

Thursday, December 21, 2023
8:00 pm ET, ESPN
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Ties: Group of Five vs Group of Five
Bowl Projection: San Jose State vs South Florida

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Saturday, December 23, 2023
3:30 pm ET, ESPN
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Ties: MAC vs Mountain West
Matchup: Frseno State vs. Ohio

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl

Saturday, December 23, 2023
10:30 pm ET, ESPN
Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Ties: American Athletic vs Mountain West
Matchup: UNLV vs. Florida Atlantic 

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl

Saturday, December 30, 2023
4:30 pm ET, Barstool
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Ties: MAC vs Mountain West
Matchup: Wyoming vs. Miami (OH)

New Year’s Six Games

CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl

Monday, January 1, 2024
5:00 pm ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Ties: CFP vs CFP
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Georgia

CFP Semifinal Sugar Bowl

Monday, January 1, 2024
8:45 pm ET, ESPN
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Ties: CFP vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs Florida State

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl

Friday, December 29, 2023
8:00 pm ET, ESPN
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Ole Miss vs Texas

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Saturday, December 30, 2023
12:00 pm ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Last Season: Georgia 42, Ohio State 41
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Alabama vs Penn State

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Monday, January 1, 2024
1:00 pm ET, ESPN
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Washington vs Tulane

Capital One Orange Bowl

Saturday, December 30, 2023
4:00 pm ET, ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Bowl Ties: ACC vs Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Projection: Louisville vs Oklahoma

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