Bowl predictions: The Athletic staff picks all 41 college football bowl games
The second half of college football bowl season is underway, with the week after Christmas jam-packed all the way to New Year’s Day, with the College Football Playoff semifinals set to be played in the late afternoon on January 1.
There are 24 games between December 26 and January 1 plus the College Football Playoff national championship game on January 8.
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Pick ’em pools are commonplace during bowl season and we’re doing our own staff version here. Seven staff members at The Athletic made their straight up picks for all 41 bowl games.
There are seven unanimous picks: Jacksonville State over Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl, Louisville to beat USC in the Holiday Bowl, SMU to top Boston College in the Fenway Bowl, LSU over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl and Oregon to knock off Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl.
As for the College Football Playoff games, five of our seven pickers are going with Michigan to beat Alabama while four took Texas to beat Washington.
Picks standings through Dec. 28
| W | L | |
|---|---|---|
Scott Dochterman | 17 | 11 |
Dan Santaromita | 17 | 11 |
Jill Thaw | 16 | 12 |
Audrey Snyder | 15 | 13 |
Sam Khan Jr. | 15 | 13 |
Austin Mock | 14 | 14 |
Daniel Shirley | 12 | 16 |
Gator Bowl
Kentucky vs. No. 22 Clemson
Sun Bowl
No. 19 Oregon State vs. No. 16 Notre Dame
Liberty Bowl
Memphis vs. Iowa State
Cotton Bowl
No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Peach Bowl
No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Music City Bowl
Auburn vs. Maryland
Orange Bowl
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Arizona Bowl
Toledo vs. Wyoming
ReliaQuest Bowl
Wisconsin vs. No. 13 LSU
Citrus Bowl
No. 21 Tennessee vs. No. 17 Iowa
Fiesta Bowl
No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon
Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
Games played before Christmas
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Ohio
New Orleans Bowl
Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana
Cure Bowl
Miami (Ohio) vs. App State
New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico State vs. Fresno State
LA Bowl
UCLA vs. Boise State
Independence Bowl
Cal vs. Texas Tech
Famous Toastery Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
Frisco Bowl
UTSA vs. Marshall
Boca Raton Bowl
Syracuse vs. USF
Gasparilla Bowl
UCF vs. Georgia Tech
Birmingham Bowl
Duke vs. Troy
Camellia Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
Armed Forces Bowl
James Madison vs. Air Force
Idaho Potato Bowl
Georgia State vs. Utah State
68 Ventures Bowl
South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan
Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Northwestern
Hawaii Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
Quick Lane Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Minnesota
First Responder Bowl
Texas State vs. Rice
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Kansas vs. UNLV
Military Bowl
Tulane vs. Virginia Tech
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Holiday Bowl
USC vs. No. 15 Louisville
Texas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State
Fenway Bowl
Boston College vs. No. 24 SMU
Pinstripe Bowl
Miami vs. Rutgers
Pop-Tarts Bowl
No. 18 NC State vs. No. 25 Kansas State
Alamo Bowl
No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 12 Oklahoma
(Photo of Blake Corum: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
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