2024 Preseason Big 12 Bowl Game Projections

SALT  LAKE CITY – The college football bowl season this year will look a lot different and for the better than in years past.

There is a sparkling new 12-team playoff that will incorporate the games formerly known as the New Year’s Six for the quarterfinals and semifinal rounds. 

Plus, the Pac-12 is no longer an official FBS conference, but there are contracts in place that need to be honored. That means former Pac-12 schools in Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado would play in those affiliated bowl games over Big 12 tie-ins.

5️⃣ days until #Big12FB returns… pic.twitter.com/dR0Xoyn9Sv

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 24, 2024

Also to consider, with the first round of the playoffs being played on home campuses, there are bowl games with an open affiliation. So, there could be some Big 12 teams getting slotted there, especially if there are more bowl-eligible teams than available spots.

Each week here on KSL Sports we will predict the Big 12 playoff picture as well as the College Football Playoff bracket. 

The first set of projections will rely heavily on the preseason polls from conference media days and the initial releases of the US LBM coaches’ poll and Associated Press top 25 polls.

Also, if we are being honest here, these early bowl projections are really bowl guesses. It will take some time to get a real feel for how good or not-so-good these teams are. Odds that some of these preseason projections would be anywhere near the final result — hopefully for me the fewer the better.

What Are The Bowl Affiliations?

There are six Big 12 bowl tie-ins, two affiliate ones, four options for former Pac-12 schools, and the College Football Playoff to consider when making these projections.

Big 12 Bowl Tie Ins

1. Valero Alamo Bowl vs Pac-12 
2. Pop-Tarts Bowl vs ACC/Notre Dame
3. TaxAct Texas Bowl vs SEC 
4. AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs SEC 
5. Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs Big Ten 
6. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl vs Army or Pac-12

Alternate Affiliations, if available

1. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs American Athletic or C-USA
2. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs ACC or American Athletic

Pac-12 Bowl Tie Ins

1. DirecTV Holiday Bowl vs. ACC
2. SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl vs. SEC
3. Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl vs. ACC
4. LA Bowl vs. Mountain West

Will There Be Double-Digit Big 12 Bowl Teams?

In the first set of bowl projections, the number of Big 12 teams going to the postseason will be 10.

There will be eight of them going to the traditional bowl season and a little bit of a stunner by having two Big 12 teams going to the College Football Playoff.  The Big Ten and SEC can’t take up all of the spots.

With how some of the schedules play out for the Big 12, there is a path for no rematches in a conference championship game, and that will be one of the big keys for two teams from the Big 12 to make the playoffs.

A look at the rankings of every Big 12 Team on @RJ_Young‘s Ultimate 134 CFB Rankings 📈👀

Did he get your team right? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Gy1WNiYWfv

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 16, 2024

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Thursday, December 26
5:30, ESPN
Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
Matchup: Minnesota vs. TCU

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Friday, December 27
Time TBA, ESPN
Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Matchup: UTSA vs. Texas Tech

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Friday, December 27
7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN
Matchup: Kentucky vs. UCF

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

Friday, December 27
10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Reliant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Matchup: Auburn vs. Arizona

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Saturday, December 28
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Matchup: Miami vs. Iowa State

Valero Alamo Bowl

Saturday, December 28
7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Matchup: USC vs. Kansas

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Saturday, December 28
9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Matchup: Oregon State vs West Virginia 

TaxAct Texas Bowl

Tuesday, December 31
3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Matchup: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State

College Football Playoff Projections

As for the playoffs, these initial projections will see a pair of Big 12 teams vying for a national title. Utah earns the automatic bid for the Big 12 by them projected to win the conference and earn a bye as one of the top four seeds.

The other Big 12 team to earn an at-large bid is Kansas State.

“I ​think ​in ​this ​new ​format, ​the Heisman will ​probably ​go ​to ​somebody ​from ​a ​team ​that ​made ​the 12-team playoffs.”@slmandel @JeremiahJensen @AlexKirryKSL #UtahFootball https://t.co/Sn3KQugiI1

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 14, 2024

Quarterfinal Games

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8/9 Winner

No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 7/10 Winner

No. 3 Utah vs. No. 6/11 Winner

No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 5/12 Winner

Opening Round Games at campus sites

No. 12 Boise State at 5 Ohio State

No. 11 Kansas State at No. 6 Notre Dame

No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Alabama

No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 8 Texas

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Follow @JeremyMauss