The first 5 projections of the week are out. UTEP disappeared from the projections after Saturday's loss. Also, we have a new leader for wtf projection as Brad Crawford of 24/7 Sports has placed both UAB and Louisiana Tech into the New Orleans Bowl.


Charlotte

12/21 - Myrtle Beach Bowl • Conway, SC
• vs. Arkansas State (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura)
• vs. Kent State - (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey)
12/23 - Montgomery Bowl • Montgomery, AL
• vs. Tulane (ESPN/Mark Schlabach)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Louisiana (Stadium/Brett McMurphy)
12/26 - SERVPRO First Responder Bowl • Dallas, TX
• vs. Tulsa (Athlon/Steven Lassan)


Florida Atlantic

12/21 - Myrtle Beach Bowl • Conway, SC
• vs. Coastal Carolina (CBS/Jerry Palm) • (24/7 Sports/ Brad Crawford)
• vs. Kent State (Athlon/Steve Lassan)
12/22 - Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl • Boca Raton, FL
• vs. Liberty (The Athletic/Stewart Mandel)
• vs. Memphis (Stadium/Brett McMurphy)
• vs. Tulane (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller)
• vs. Western Michigan (College Football News)
12/26 - FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl • Orlando, FL
• vs. Troy (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura) • (ESPN/Mark Schlabach) • (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey)
• vs. UCF (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)
12/31 - Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl • Fort Worth, TX
• vs. Tulsa (USAToday/Erick Smith)


Louisiana Tech

12/19 - Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl • Frisco, TX
• vs. Tulane (USAToday/Erick Smith)
12/21 - Myrtle Beach Bowl • Conway, SC
• vs. Troy (The Athletic/Stewart Mandel)
12/23 - Montgomery Bowl • Montgomery, AL
• vs. Georgia Southern (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Georgia Southern (Athlon/Steven Lassan)
• vs. Louisiana (ESPN/Mark Schlabach) • (CBS/Jerry Palm)
• vs. UAB (24/7 Sports/Brad Crawford)
12/24 - New Mexico Bowl • Albuquerque, NM
• vs. Nevada (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey)
• vs. San Jose State (College Football News)
12/26 - FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl • Orlando, FL
• vs. Troy (Stadium/Brett McMurphy)
12/31 - Lockheed Martin Armed Forced Bowl • Fort Worth, TX
• vs. Navy (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller)
• vs. SMU (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)


Marshall

12/21 - Myrtle Beach Bowl • Conway, SC
• vs. Coastal Carolina (Stadium/Brett McMurphy) • (ESPN/ Mark Schlabach)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Coastal Carolina (USAToday/Erick Smith) • (College Football News) • (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller) • (Last Word of Sports/Kevin McGuffey) • (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)
12/26 - FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl • Orlando, FL
• vs. Coastal Carolina (The Athletic/Stewart Mandel)
• vs. Louisiana (Athlon/Steven Lassan)
12/26 - Lending Tree Bowl • Mobile, AL
• vs. Appalachian State (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura)
1/1 - TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl • Birmingham, AL
• vs. Missouri (CBS/Jerry Palm)
• vs. Tennessee (24/7 Sports/Brad Crawford)


UAB

12/23 - Montgomery Bowl • Montgomery, AL
• vs. Liberty (Stadium/Brett McMurphy) • (CBS/Jerry Palm)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Louisiana (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura)
• vs. Louisiana Tech (24/7 Sports/Brad Crawford)
12/24 - New Mexico Bowl • Albuquerque, NM
• vs. Boise State (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller)
12/26 - Lending Tree Bowl • Mobile, AL
• vs. Appalachian State (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey) • (ESPN/Mark Schlabach) • (The Athletic/Stewart Mandel)
• vs. Coastal Carolina (Athlon/Steven Lassan)
• vs. Georgia Southern (College Football News) • (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)


UTSA

12/19 - Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl • Frisco, TX
• vs. Houston (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura) • (ESPN/Mark Schlabach) • (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey)
• vs. Fresno State (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller)
• vs. Nevada (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)
• vs. SMU (Stadium/Brett McMurphy) • (College Football News)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Georgia Southern (The Athletic/Stewart Mandel)
12/24 - New Mexico Bowl • Albuquerque, NM
• Nevada (Athlon/Steven Lassan)
12/26 - SERVpro First Responder Bowl • Dallas, TX
• vs. TCU (24/7 Sports/Brad Crawford)
• vs. West Virginia (CBS/Jerry Palm)


Current Media Prediction Dates:
11/18 - Bleacher Report (Kerry Miller)
11/17 - Stadium (Brett McMurphy)
11/17 - The Athletic (Stewart Mandel)
11/17 - USA Today (Erick Smith)
11/17 - Last Word on Sports (Kevin McGuffey)
11/16 - Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan)
11/16 - College Football News
11/15 - ESPN (Kyle Bonagura)
11/15 - ESPN (Mark Schlabach)
11/15 - The Sporting News (Bill Bender)
11/15 - 24/7 Sports (Brad Crawford)
11/15 - CBS Sports (Jerry Palm)

Older Projections

Louisiana Tech

12/19 - Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl • Frisco, TX
• vs. Tulane (USAToday/Erick Smith)
12/23 - Montgomery Bowl • Montgomery, AL
• vs. Georgia Southern (ESPN/Kyle Bonagura)
12/23 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl • New Orleans, LA
• vs. Appalachian State (Athlon/Steven Lassan)
• vs. Louisiana (ESPN/Mark Schlabach) • (CBS/Jerry Palm)
• vs. UAB (24/7 Sports/Brad Crawford)
12/24 - New Mexico Bowl • Albuquerque, NM
• vs. Nevada (College Football News) • (Last Word on Sports/Kevin McGuffey)
12/26 - FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl • Orlando, FL
• vs. South Alabama (Stadium/Brett McMurphy)
12/31 - Lockheed Martin Armed Forced Bowl • Fort Worth, TX
• vs. Navy (Bleacher Report/Kerry Miller)
• vs. SMU (The Sporting News/Bill Bender)

Of these listed, I would choose playing Tulane, even though they will beat us like a drum. We have played and beaten Navy and SMU in bowls recently, see no attraction for a rematch. Other than Tulane, I hope we get an opponent we have a really good chance to beat...but I'm not sure who that would be! We suck.

And, just like that, the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl has become much less interesting for the Owls.
I guess the UCF match-up in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl is best, in terms of intrigue now.

unfortunately, I think if your team isn't playing in the conference USA championship, you will 100% be relegated into that November 19th through 24 time frame.

The CUSA championship teams will need those 26th through 1st slots.

That makes it very easy to project out. If the CUSA Championship remains Marshall vs UAB, those teams will either be in the:

First Responders Bowl Dec 26
Cure Dec 26
Lending Tree Dec 26
Armed Forces Dec 31
Birmingham Jan 1

If you are La Tech, FAU, Charlotte or UTSA, you're staring down the barrel of the:

Frisco Dec 19
Myrtle Beach Dec 21
Boca Bowl Dec 22
Montgomery Dec 23
New Orleans Dec 23

Additionally, because bowls can invite teams below a .500 record, I think that potentially limits our opportunity.

These are the only CUSA tie ins.

December 19: Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl vs. AAC, Mountain West or MAC

December 22: Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl vs. AAC or MAC

December 23: R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl vs. Sun Belt

December 24: New Mexico Bowl vs. AAC or Mountain West

December 31: Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl vs. Big 12

I'm kind of hoping USM is one of the schools that goes bowling with a losing record, just so the new coach can get some early time with them. It would take a lot of teams not willing to bowl with a losing record to make it happen, but might be worth it to our team's future.

So based on that, here would be my predictions.

December 19 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl in Frisco, TX: Rice vs Tulane

December 22 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl in Boca, FL: FAU vs Miami OH

December 23 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in New Orleans, LA: La Tech vs App State

December 24 New Mexico Bowl UTSA vs Air Force

December 26 Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile, AL: Marshall vs Coastal Carolina

December 31 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth, TX: UAB vs SMU

Add another writer who missed the class on thoroughness.

Erick Smith of USA Today has only 3 C-USA teams slated for bowls (FAU, La Tech and Marshall) this week.


The Athletic and Stewart Mandel join the fray this week. Hats off to him for actually trying to think things out.

Quote:After that, it’s a lot of guesswork, especially when it comes to the Group of 5 teams. ESPN owns most of their bowls and can swap teams around as it chooses. Complicating matters: Most of those games fall within a week of Championship Saturday. Anticipating Coastal Carolina and Marshall both reach their leagues’ championship games, I pitted them in the Dec. 26 Cure Bowl, exactly one week later.

The final projections of the week from Bleacher Report finally crawled in. You would think that a writer that makes very little changes, could get it out before the next week's games actually began.