Week 5 bowl projections: Penn State's chance to move into Playoff field arrives

Bill Bender

Week 5 bowl projections: Penn State's chance to move into Playoff field arrives image

The 2018 college football schedule, featuring 40 bowl games between FBS teams, looks a little different heading into Week 5 after several upsets among top-25 teams.

Previously unbeaten Virginia Tech and Mississippi State both suffered debilitating losses against Old Dominion and Kentucky, respectively, affecting where they could play at the end of the season. This week, we kept Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State in the Playoff. Notre Dame, Miami and Auburn moved back into the New Year's Day Six. 

MORE: Week 5 Playoff picture

Here are our picks for every bowl game, with a familiar national championship game.

Week 5 College football bowl projections

DateBowlProjected teams
Dec. 15Gildan New Mexico BowlWyoming vs. Southern Miss
Dec. 15AutoNation Cure BowlAppalachian State vs. Houston
Dec. 15Las Vegas BowlBoise State vs. Utah
Dec. 15Raycom Media Camellia BowlGeorgia Southern vs. Utah State
Dec. 15New Orleans BowlArkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech
Dec. 18Cheribundi Tart Boca Raton BowlToledo vs. FIU
Dec. 19Frisco BowlOhio vs. USF
Dec. 20Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla BowlFAU vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 21Bahamas BowlMarshall vs. Akron
Dec. 21Potato BowlNorthern Illinois vs. Fresno State
Dec. 22Birmingham BowlMemphis vs. Tennessee
Dec. 22Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlBYU vs. Navy
Dec. 22Dollar General BowlCoastal Carolina vs. Buffalo
Dec. 22Hawai'i BowlHawaii vs. North Texas
Dec. 26First Responder BowlColorado* vs. Indiana
Dec. 26Quick Lane BowlVirginia vs. Northwestern
Dec. 26Cheez-It BowlOklahoma State vs. Cal
Dec. 27Walk-On's Independence Bowl Louisville vs. Vanderbilt
Dec. 27New Era Pinstripe BowlWake Forest vs. Minnesota
Dec. 27Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas BowlTexas Tech vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 28Franklin American Mortgage Music City BowlVirginia Tech vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 28Camping World BowlTexas vs. Syracuse
Dec. 28Arizona BowlTroy vs. San Diego State
Dec. 28Valero Alamo BowlWest Virginia vs. Oregon
Dec. 29Chick-Fil-A Peach BowlNotre Dame vs. Miami
Dec. 29Belk BowlN.C. State vs. Florida
Dec. 31Military Bowl Army vs. Boston College
Dec. 31Hyundai Sun BowlDuke vs. Washington State
Dec. 31San Francisco BowlMaryland vs. USC
Dec. 31AutoZone Liberty BowlTCU vs. Missouri
Dec. 31Holiday BowlIowa vs. Arizona State 
Dec. 31TaxSlayer Gator BowlMichigan State vs. South Carolina
Jan. 1Outback BowlWisconsin vs. Kentucky
Jan. 1Citrus BowlMichigan vs. Auburn
Jan. 1PlayStation Fiesta BowlUCF vs. Stanford
Jan. 1Rose Bowl GamePenn State vs. Washington
Jan. 1AllState Sugar BowlOklahoma vs. LSU

College Football Playoff predictions 

Dec. 29Capital One Orange BowlGeorgia vs. Alabama
Dec. 29Goodyear Cotton Bowl ClassicClemson vs. Ohio State
Jan. 7College Football Playoff championshipAlabama vs. Clemson

Bill Bender

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.