2024 Big 12 Football Bowl Projections Following Week 8

SALT LAKE CITY – Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark confidently said that his conference for football would have a lot of good teams. In fact, he went beyond that by saying the Big 12 “will be the deepest conference in America and every week will matter.”

He seems to be correct on that front, for the most part. The league has two dominant teams with BYU and Iowa State undefeated and a third team Kansas State has one loss and is ranked 16th in both polls. Plus, Arizona State and Cincinnati are getting votes in the AP poll.

The middle of the league has been proven to beat each other up on a given week. Yormak’s deepest comments aren’t quite there yet but seating every week will matter is accurate. There are seven teams with one or two conference losses.

That’s a wrap on another wild weekend of #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/LFKvRvknI0

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) October 20, 2024

Then, there are teams that earned first-place votes in the preseason are at three conference losses in Utah, Kansas, and Arizona. The other is Oklahoma State and they have four conference losses. Only Kansas State is living up to the preseason expectations as a potential Big 12 champion.

Each week this league has close games and unexpected results. Our Big 12 bowl projections are proving to be just as interesting.

Middle Of Big 12 Is A Jumbled Mess, Bowl Projections Reflect That

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, there are 11 teams projected to get to six wins or more. Oklahoma State and West Virginia are both 3-4 but sitting at 48% and 47.9% to get to bowl eligibility.

For another week in a row, there are 11 Big 12 teams projected to go bowling, and while the Cowboys are just under 50% per FPI they are in a postseason game over Baylor who is given a 56.9% chance to get to the magic six-win mark.

The order of these games keeps shifting. Utah’s loss to TCU drops the Utes even further in the bowl projections this week with three league losses and just 3-4 overall. However, their matchup vs. Army in this week’s bowl prognostications could be a good game as the Black Knights are currently undefeated.

There does not seem to be a firm team to move to that wants to be in that fourth spot behind BYU, Iowa State, and Kansas State. The closest teams seem to be Colorado and Cincinnati as both have just one league loss. Texas Tech also has a conference loss in a surprising 59-35 loss to Baylor.

For another week in a row, the Big 12 is projected to have two teams in the College Football Playoff field.

12 Bowl Projections: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

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

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Friday, December 27
12:00 or 3:30, ESPN
Amon G Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX
Matchup: Navy vs. Oklahoma State

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

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

DIRECTV Holiday Bowl

Friday, December 27
8:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA
Matchup: Cal vs Colorado

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl

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

Pop-Tarts Bowl

Saturday, December 28
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Matchup: Notre Dame vs. Texas Tech

Valero Alamo Bowl

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

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Saturday, December 28
9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Matchup: Army vs. Utah

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Projection

Tuesday, December 31
2:00 p.m. ET, CBS
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Arizona State

Texas Bowl 

Tuesday, December 31
3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Matchup: LSU vs. Cincinnati

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Projection

Friday, January 3
4:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Gerald R Ford Stadium, University Park, TX
Matchup: Minnesota vs. West Virginia

College Football Playoff Projections Have A New No. 1

For the third time this year a No. 1 team in either the AP or Coaches Poll has fallen. The latest victim is when Georgia toppled No. 1 Texas in Austin, 30-15. 

There are now zero undefeated from the SEC, and overall there are 10 undefeated teams with seven from the Power 4 leagues. 

After falling to Tennessee, Alabama now has two losses, which could lead to a stress test if other teams remain undefeated. The Crimson Tide’s win over then-No. 1 Georgia holds a lot of weight and can be considered one of the best wins by any team.

In the meantime, Alabama is out of the field and is not even considered as one of the first four out with two losses, and Tennessee is back in the field as the No. 10 seed.

The top four had some changes with Texas falling from the No. 1 seed and being replaced by Oregon and Georgia taking over as the projected SEC champion at No. 2.

In the race for the Group of Five spot, Army and Navy both remain undefeated, as does Liberty, but it is Boise State who holds down that 12th spot.

Quarterfinal Games

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

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

No. 3 Miami  vs. No. 6/11 Winner

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

Opening Round Games at campus sites

No. 12 Boise State at No. 5 Penn State

No. 11 Iowa State at No. 6 Ohio State

No. 10 Tennessee at No. 7 Texas

No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Clemson

First Four out: Indiana, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Pitt

Next Group of Five: Navy, Army, UNLV, Liberty

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