Even though we still have one more week left of the college football season, that doesn’t mean we can’t look ahead to the future. There are still a few important games left ahead of us, but it is never too early to start thinking about the postseason.
CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm recently released his latest College Football Playoff and bowl projections. It is always interesting to see how things change from week to week, but here is what he has listed for the Big 12.
College Football Playoff: First Round
Oregon vs. Arizona State
For the first time this season, the Arizona State Sun Devils are projected to be the playoff team for the Big 12 Conference. Their path is very simple compared to others. All they need to do is beat Arizona this weekend and then they are a Big 12 title win away from locking up a playoff spot.
Texas Bowl
TCU vs. LSU
For the second week in a row. TCU is slotted for the Texas Bowl against LSU. I don’t know how this matchup will play out on the field, but there should be plenty of purple in the stands.
Alamo Bowl
BYU vs. Colorado
A Big 12 vs. Big 12 matchup? As crazy as it sounds, this is possible due to the old Pac-12 bowl tie-ins. However, there is a chance BYU could sneak into Arlington and maybe even the College Football Playoff.
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Iowa State vs. Clemson
As much as Iowa State fans would love the Pop-Tarts Bowl, they have bigger hopes because they can play for a Big 12 title if they beat Kansas State.
Liberty Bowl
Kansas State vs. Arkansas
This is the same bowl projection for Kansas State, and I am not sure how much will change for them even if they win this weekend.
Armed Forces Bowl
Baylor vs. Navy
The last time Baylor played in a bowl game, they went up against another military academy, but it didn’t go so well. But this is an entirely different Baylor team than it was two years ago. The fact that this team could win nine games with a bowl win is crazy.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Texas Tech vs. Nebraska
Not much changes here with the Red Raiders and there is a chance they could move up the bowl order with a win on Saturday against West Virginia.
Gasparilla Bowl
West Virginia vs. Florida
Beggars can’t be choosers, and that is the case here for West Virginia, which finally secured a bowl spot last weekend after winning over UCF. But hey, playing Florida doesn’t sound too bad at all.
Frisco Bowl
Kansas vs. Oklahoma
The Jayhawks are back in the bowl picture for the first time in months and are projected to face a very familiar opponent in the Oklahoma Sooners. These two schools would play just about every year in the old Big 12, and I would love to see a Big 12 school go up against a former one.
