The 2024 regular season is officially wrapped up, and nine Big 12 teams will be headed to a bowl game in the coming weeks.
Arizona State (10-2), Iowa State (10-2), BYU (10-2), Colorado (9-3), Baylor (8-4), TCU (8-4), Texas Tech (8-4), Kansas State (8-4), and West Virginia (6-6) all have one game remaining on the schedule, and will get those all-important bowl practices as well.
With Arizona State and Iowa State playing in the Big 12 Championship, one of those two will claim a spot in the College Football Playoff, while the other will fall out of the CFP race and head to a Non-CFP bowl.
With all the regular season games behind us, it’s time for Heartland College Sports’ official Big 12 Bowl Projections for 2024.
College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff – Quarterfinals
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31 | Glendale, AZ
Arizona State (11-2)* vs. Notre Dame (11-1)
Despite losing Jordyn Tyson last week, Arizona State comes into the Big 12 Championship Game as the hottest team in the conference and rides Cam Skattebo to a title in their first year in the league. The Sun Devils’ victory sends them to the College Football Playoff, too. Thanks to an upset in the Mountain West Championship, the Sun Devils also secure a first-round bye, which lands them in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, which is just up the road in Glendale.
*- Big 12 Champion
Non-CFP Bowls
Valero Alamo Bowl
Dec. 28 | San Antonio, TX
BYU (10-2) vs. Colorado (9-3)
Both of these teams had hopes of making a Big 12 Championship, but due to tiebreakers, they were left without that opportunity. The Cougars and Buffaloes didn’t play in the regular season, but thanks to the Pac-12’s pre-existing ties with the Alamo Bowl, we get a chance to watch these two face off. If Deion Sanders can convince Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to play in this one, we might be in for one heck of a game.
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Dec. 28 | Orlando, FL
Iowa State (10-3) vs. Miami (10-2)
After coming up just short in the Big 12 Championship Game, Iowa State lands in everyone’s favorite non-CFP bowl. It will be a pseudo-road game for the Cyclones though, as their trip to Orlando will pair them against the Miami Hurricanes, who just missed a CFP bid as well. The status of Cam Ward will be a key to watch in this game, but this should be a terrific game whether he plays or not.
TaxAct Texas Bowl
Dec. 31 | Houston, TX
Baylor (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (8-4)
Is anyone up for a Battle of the Brazos matchup in the Texas Bowl? Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears ended their 2024 season on a six-game winning streak and enter the bowl season as one of the hottest offenses in the country. Texas A&M started the year off with 7-1 record but lost three of their last four and feels like they “fell” to this bowl. If Baylor can finish out the season 9-4, folks in Waco would have to feel great about their momentum heading into 2025.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 27 | Memphis, TN
Kansas State (8-4) vs Florida (7-5)
Kansas State dropped a couple of winnable games this season and feels like it didn’t reach expectations after missing the Big 12 Championship Game. This game would be must-see TV with two of the best young quarterbacks in the country going head-to-head in Kansas State’s Avery Johnson versus Florida’s DJ Lagway, who led the Gators to a three-game winning streak to end the year.
Rate Bowl
Dec. 26 | Phoenix, AZ
Texas Tech (8-4) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
Texas Tech just wrapped its best regular season in more than a decade and enters the bowl season playing some of its best offensive football of the year. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders will be forced to move forward without their offensive coordinator after Zach Kittley took the FAU job. TTU will face a tough Rutgers team that is playing some of its best ball down the stretch.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Jan. 3 | Dallas, TX
TCU (8-4) vs. Tulane (8-4)
Bowl games are supposed to be fun for the players, but something tells me the Horned Frogs won’t be too thrilled about having to play in Jerald R. Ford Stadium — home of the SMU Mustangs. On top of that, the Horned Frogs draw a tricky matchup with Tulane, a team that took Kansas State to the wire and finished as the runner-up in the American.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Dec. 28 | Shreveport, LA
West Virginia (6-6) vs. Marshall (9-4)
West Virginia’s football program is going through a major transition, with Neal Brown being fired after the last weekend of the year, but the Mountaineers have to get ready for a bowl game now. They draw a fun matchup, too, as one of their oldest rivals, Marshall, comes to Shreveport after finishing as the runner-up in the Sun Belt.
