Omar-Rashon Borja’s 2025 Week Three Bowl Projections

Non-Playoff Bowls

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

Morgan State vs. Jackson State

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

Bosie State vs. Arizona

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

Jacksonville State vs. Miami (OH)

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

East Carolina 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.

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

UConn vs. Coastal Carolina

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

Central Michigan vs. James Madison

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

USF vs. Virginia Tech

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

Ohio vs. Colorado State

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. South Alabama

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

Louisiana vs. UTEP

This would mark UTEP’s first appearance in a bowl other than the New Mexico Bowl since 2005, when they played in Mobile’s GMAC Bowl. The Frisco Bowl’s recent move to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility, The Ford Center at The Star, allows ESPN to take a chance on the Miners due to the venue’s 12,000-seat capacity.

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

Hawaii vs. Liberty

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. Mississippi State

This would mark San Jose State's first bowl appearance against a Power Four opponent.

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. Colorado

There will be no Rocket Ishmail or Rashaan Salaam, but another Notre Dame-Colorado bowl game will be peak cinema.

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

Air Force vs. Texas State

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

Georgia Tech vs. Florida

Former SEC foes collide in their first meeting since 1981.

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

Texas A&M vs. TCU

These two have met just once, in the 2001 GalleryFurtniture.com Bowl, since the Southwest Conference dissolved in 1995.

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

Oklahoma vs. Oregon State

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.

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

Wisconsin 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

Boston College vs. Utah

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

Indiana vs. Alabama

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

Nebraska vs. Washington State

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

Army vs. Toledo

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

New Mexico State vs. Southern Miss

College Football Playoff

First Round

#5 Penn State vs. #12 Navy

#6 LSU vs. #11 BYU

#7 Michigan vs. #10 Iowa State

#8 Oregon vs. #9 Clemson

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