Our college football bowl projections ahead of Week 8 include a prediction for the entire playoff and bowl game matchups for every postseason tilt, all powered by our PFSN College Impact metrics and College Football Playoff Meter.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff First Round
- No. 12 Tulane Green Wave vs. No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 11 BYU Cougars vs. No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs
- No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders
- No. 9 Miami Hurricanes vs. No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers
After beating the East Carolina Pirates in a fascinating midweek clash, the Tulane Green Wave are undefeated in American Conference play, and despite losing to the Ole Miss Rebels earlier in the season, now have a 20.4% chance to land a playoff spot, the best among Group of Five teams. Our college football bowl projections see Jon Sumrall’s team on the road at Alabama, who continue to look like one of the best teams in the country.
The BYU Cougars head into Week 8 of the 2025 college football season undefeated after outlasting Arizona in overtime. They haven’t yet faced a ranked team, which may affect how they’re viewed by the selection committee at present. Yet, there are Utah, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech still to come, which should help build up their resume if they can continue to win.
MORE: PFSN Midseason All-America College Football Team
Speaking of the Red Raiders, after ruthlessly dispatching Kansas in Week 7, Joey McGuire’s team looks set to run the Big 12 table, with a 40.0% chance of landing the conference crown. Boasting one of the top defenses in the country, they’re a scary proposition for any team, even an Oregon Ducks team that suffered its first defeat of the year at home to Indiana in Week 7.
The Miami Hurricanes are the favorites to win the ACC, with a 47.5% chance of securing a conference title, according to the PFSN FPM. Mario Cristobal’s team was on a bye in Week 7, unlike the team they’re predicted to face in our college football bowl projections. The Tennessee Volunteers survived a scare against Arkansas and have a 54.0% chance of reaching the playoff.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
- Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 5 AlabamaÂ
- Orange Bowl: No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. No. 7 Texas Tech
- Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 6 GeorgiaÂ
- Rose Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No.9 MiamiÂ
After years of failing to live up to expectations under Jimbo Fisher, the Texas A&M Aggies finally look like a legitimate national title challenger. They earn a first-round bye in our latest college football bowl projections after comfortably taking care of business against the Florida Gators in Week 7. There aren’t many teams that are stronger in the trenches right now.
Following their win over Oregon in Week 7, the Indiana Hoosiers have a date with College Football Playoff destiny. There’s still a lot of football to play this season, but it’s hard to argue with the resume or talent that Curt Cignetti’s team brings to the table. On a neutral field, they’d be a 1.5-point favorite against the presumptive Big 12 champion Red Raiders in this quarterfinal.
The Ole Miss Rebels continue to be one of the SEC frontrunners, despite nearly tripping over themselves at home to the Washington State Cougars in Week 7. Lane Kiffin’s team has the third-highest chance of making the College Football Playoff (81.8%) heading into Week 8, with a 19.1% shot at winning the SEC. They face the Bulldogs in Oxford this coming weekend, so we’ll have a good idea of who would win this projected matchup.
Coming out of Week 7, the Ohio State Buckeyes are 6-0, 2-0 in Big Ten play, have two ranked wins on their resume (Texas and Illinois were both ranked when they took them to task), boast a top 25 scoring offense and defense, and generally look unbeatable. Miami has a great defense, and Carson Beck is having a bounce-back year, but the Hurricanes would be out of their depth in this matchup.
College Football Bowl Projections | College Football Playoff Semifinal
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 6 GeorgiaÂ
- Peach Bowl: No. 2 Indiana vs. No. 5 AlabamaÂ
The PFSN FPM gives Georgia a 51.2% chance of beating Ole Miss on a neutral field, setting up a semifinal clash with Ohio State in our college football bowl projections.
A repeat of the 2022 Peach Bowl and 1993 Citrus Bowl, the Buckeyes have never beaten the Bulldogs, but it would be a surprise to see Kirby Smart’s team get the better of Ryan Day for the third successive time.
If you’d have told Indiana fans they’d be a College Football Playoff semifinalist team within two years of Cignetti taking over, they’d have laughed you out of town — as would most college football fans. Yet, no one is laughing now, and this is no pipe dream.
Neither is Alabama playing for a national title, which many wouldn’t have thought possible after the opening loss to Florida State. Kalen DeBoer’s team is a 50.6% favorite over the Hoosiers on a neutral field, as per PFSN FPM.
College Football Bowl Projections | National Championship Game
- No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Alabama
For the first time since the preseason, our college football bowl projections feature a new College Football Playoff National Championship game lineup. Ohio State vs. Alabama would give us a repeat of the title game following the 2020 season, where the Buckeyes were trounced by the Crimson Tide, 52-24.
MORE: Week 7 College Football Players of the Week
Would the same happen again this time around? Absolutely not. The PFSN FPM gives Ohio State a 65.1% win probability on a neutral field, offering Julian Sayin the perfect opportunity to prove he was right in transferring away from Tuscaloosa two years ago.
Projections for the Remaining 2025 College Football Bowl Games
Celebration Bowl
North Carolina Central vs. Jackson State
LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk
UNLV vs. Arizona
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
Jacksonville State vs. Appalachian State
Cure Bowl
James Madison vs. East Carolina
68 Ventures Bowl
Ohio vs. Southern Miss
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Old Dominion
Gasparilla Bowl
North Texas vs. Florida State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
San Diego State vs. Miami (OH)
Boca Raton Bowl
Bowling Green vs. New Mexico
New Orleans Bowl
Troy vs. Western Kentucky
Frisco Bowl
UConn vs. Washington State
Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii vs. Temple
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Buffalo vs. Maryland
Rate Bowl
TCU vs. Northwestern
First Responder Bowl
UTSA vs. NC State
Military Bowl
Louisville vs. Memphis
Pinstripe Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Nebraska
Fenway Bowl
Clemson vs. Navy
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Virginia vs. Baylor
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Boise State vs. Western Michigan
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. Texas State
Gator Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Missouri
Texas Bowl
Houston vs. Vanderbilt
Birmingham Bowl
South Florida vs. South Carolina
Independence Bowl
Kansas vs. California
Music City Bowl
Minnesota vs. Auburn
Alamo Bowl
Cincinnati vs. Washington
ReliaQuest Bowl
Iowa vs. Texas
Sun Bowl
SMU vs. Arizona State
Citrus Bowl
Michigan vs. LSU
Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Illinois
Armed Forces Bowl
Army vs. New Mexico State
Liberty Bowl
Iowa State vs. Mississippi State
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Duke vs. Oklahoma
Holiday Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. USC
Bahamas Bowl
Kennesaw State vs. Toledo
