Omar-Rashon Borja’s 2025 Week Five Bowl Projections

Non-Playoff Bowls

Celebration Bowl, Atlanta, GA (MEAC Champion vs. SWAC Champion), December 13th, 12 PM ET, ABC

Delaware State vs. Jackson State

LA Bowl, Inglewood, CA (Mountain West vs. Former PAC-12 Member), December 13th, 9 PM ET, ESPN

San Diego State vs. Arizona

This is an awkward situation. While I expect either Boise State or UNLV to win the Mountain West, I think that if San Diego State is bowl-eligible, the LA Bowl would take them. UNLV appeared last year, and Boise State played in 2023. Seems like an ideal situation to bypass the conference champion and choose geography.

Salute to Veterans Bowl, Montgomery, AL: (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 16th, 9 PM ET ESPN

Liberty vs. Miami (OH)

Cure Bowl, Orlando, FL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 17th, 5:30 PM ET ESPN

Old Dominion vs. Buffalo

In 1958, Buffalo received an invite to Orlando’s Tangerine Bowl. Unfortunately, the Bulls never played after the bowl demanded Buffalo leave their Black players home. In 2025, I have Buffalo finally making its Orlando bowl debut.

This marks Old Dominion's first appearance in a bowl located in Florida.

68 Ventures Bowl, Mobile, AL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 17th, 9 PM ET ESPN

UConn vs. Jacksonville State

Myrtle Beach Bowl, Conway, SC (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 19th, 12 PM ET, ESPN

Western Michigan vs. Appalachian State

Gasparilla Bowl, Tampa, FL (At-large vs. At-Large), December 19th, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN

USF vs. Virginia

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Boise, ID (MAC vs. Mountain West), December 22nd, 2 PM ET, ESPN

Ohio vs. Air Force

Air Force lands in this bowl due to having played in Dallas-Fort Worth area bowls in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The New Mexico Bowl seems logical with Kirkland Air Force Base in the heart of Albuquerque (I got my haircut there on leave once), but New Mexico's resurgent season figures to land them in their home stadium.

Thus, Idaho it is for the Falcons!

Boca Raton Bowl, Boca Raton, FL (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 23rd, 2 PM ET, ESPN

Bowling Green vs. Georgia Southern

New Orleans Bowl, New Orleans, LA (Conference USA vs. Sun Belt), December 23rd, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN

Louisiana Tech vs. James Madison

Frisco Bowl, Frisco, TX (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 23rd, 9 PM ET, ESPN

Louisiana-Monroe vs. Toledo

Hawaii Bowl, Honolulu, HI (Mountain West vs. Conference USA), December 24th, 8 or 9 PM ET, ESPN

Hawaii vs. FIU

FIU gets a taste of a different beach in this one.

GameAboveSports Bowl, Detroit, MI (MAC vs. Big Ten), December 26th, 1 PM ET, ESPN

Central Michigan vs. Rutgers

Rate Bowl, Phoenix, AZ (Big 12 vs. Big 10), December 26th, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN

Baylor vs. Maryland

First Responder Bowl, College Park, TX, (At-large vs. At-large), December 26th, 8 PM ET, ESPN

San Jose State vs. East Carolina

Military Bowl, Annapolis, MD, (AAC vs. ACC), December 27th, 11 AM ET, ESPN

Memphis vs. Syracuse

Pinstripe Bowl, Bronx, NY, (ACC vs. Big 10), December 27th, 12 PM ET, ABC

Louisville vs. Iowa

Fenway Bowl, Boston, MA (AAC vs. ACC), December 27th, 2:15 PM ET, ESPN

Tulane vs. Pitt

Pop-Tarts Bowl, Orlando, FL (ACC vs. Big 12), December 27th, 3:30 PM ET, ABC

Notre Dame vs. UCF

Arizona Bowl, Tucson, AZ, (MAC vs. Mountain West), December 27th, 4:30 PM ET, The CW

UNLV vs. Northern Illinois

New Mexico Bowl, Albuquerque, NM, (Group of Five vs. Group of Five), December 27th, 5:45 PM ET

New Mexico vs. Texas State

Gator Bowl, Jacksonville, FL, (ACC vs. SEC), December 27th, 7:30 PM ET, ABC

Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State

These two schools were in the SEC together from 1932-1964. The number of meetings in that time period? Zero. These two have met just five times: 1908, 1929, 2008, 2009, and in the 2014 Orange Bowl. Rotating conference schedules don't seem bad now do they?

Texas Bowl, Houston, TX, (SEC vs. Big 12), December 27th, 9:15 PM ET, ESPN

Oklahoma vs. TCU

Birmingham Bowl, Birmingham, AL (At-Large vs. At-Large), December 29th, 2 PM ET, ESPN

Auburn vs. North Texas

Auburn would be North Texas' first Power Four/Power Five bowl opponent ever.

Independence Bowl, Shreveport, LA (Conference USA vs. Big 12), December 30th, 2 PM ET, ESPN

Western Kentucky vs. Kansas

This is Conference USA’s lone guaranteed tie-in against a Power Four conference (thanks to BYU forfeiting its tie-in after joining the Big 12) so I expect the league to reward its champion with this coveted matchup.

Kansas would be Western Kentucky's first Power Four/Power Five bowl opponent.

Music City Bowl, Nashville, TN, (SEC vs. Big Ten), December 30th, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN

Illinois vs. Ole Miss

Alamo Bowl, San Antonio, TX, (Former PAC-12 member vs. Big 12), December 30th, 9 PM ET, ESPN

Texas Tech vs. USC

Texas Tech and USC last met in a bowl game on New Year's Day 1995, when 6-5 Texas Tech won a five-way tiebreaker to represent the Southwest Conference as champion in the Cotton Bowl. They lost to 7-3-1 USC 55-14.

ReliaQuest Bowl, Tampa, FL, (SEC vs. Big Ten), December 31st, 12 PM ET, ESPN

Tennessee vs. Minnesota

Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX, (ACC vs. Former PAC-12 member), 2 PM ET, CBS

Clemson vs. Utah

Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL, (SEC vs. Big Ten), 3 PM ET, ABC

Nebraska vs. Alabama

A matchup like this would be a dream for the Citrus Bowl. These two have not met since 1978, and have had three prior meetings in bowls, none since the 1972 Orange Bowl.

Las Vegas Bowl, Las Vegas, NV, (Former PAC-12 member vs. Big Ten), 3:30 PM ET, ESPN

Michigan vs. California

Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, TX (At-Large vs. At-Large), January 2nd, 1 PM ET, ESPN

Boise State vs. Colorado

Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN, (SEC vs. Big 12), January 2nd, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN

Vanderbilt vs. West Virginia

Surprisingly, Vanderbilt has not appeared in the Liberty Bowl since 2011.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Charlotte, NC (ACC vs. SEC), January 2nd, 8 PM ET, ESPN

Duke vs. South Carolina

Holiday Bowl, San Diego, CA, (ACC vs. Former PAC-12 school), Date TBA

SMU vs. Arizona State

Bahamas Bowl Replacement Bowl, TBD

Utah State vs. Southern Miss

College Football Playoff

First Round

#5 Penn State vs. #12 Navy

#6 LSU vs. #11 BYU

#7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Iowa State

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Florida State

Quarterfinals

Cotton Bowl, Arlington, TX, December 31st

#3 Miami vs. #6 LSU

Orange Bowl, Miami, FL, January 1st, 12 PM ET

#4 Georgia vs. #5 Penn State

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA, January 1st, 4 PM ET

#1 Ohio State vs. #10 Iowa State

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, LA, January 1st , 8 PM ET

#2 Texas vs. #9 Oregon

Semifinals

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, AZ, January 8th, 7:30 PM ET

#1 Ohio State vs. #5 Penn State

Peach Bowl, Atlanta, GA, January 8th, 7:30 PM ET

#3 Miami vs. #2 Texas

National Championship Game, January 19th, Miami, FL, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN

#1 Ohio State vs. #2 Texas