Week 1 College Football Playoff Bowl Projections
Air Force is not in a NY6 game
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Where will Air Force land?
The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and despite the Air Force Falcons being ranked No. 17 in the AP poll, they are No. 25 in the rankings that matter.
Tulane which has one loss is ranked one spot ahead of Air Force. That is likely due to strength of schedule. The Green Wave has a loss against Ole Miss which is ranked 10th in these rankings. That loss is really good and it should be noted that Tulane was not at full strength missing quarterback Michael Pratt.
These initial rankings mean that Air Force is not in the Fiesta Bowl, or whatever big time bowl game the Group of Five team gets shuffled off to.
This changes the Mountain West bowl projections that we made prior to the playoff rankings earlier in the week.
So, we will update these rankings as well every week which could be different from the updates after the weekend slate of games.
2023 College Football Playoff Rankings Week 1: Air Force Is Ranked No. 25
Mountain West Bowl Projections
New Mexico Bowl
Saturday, December 16, 2023
5:45 pm ET, ESPN
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Bowl Ties: Conference USA vs Mountain West
Matchup: Boise State vs. Coastal Carolina
LA Bowl
Saturday, December 16, 2023
7:30 pm ET, ABC
SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
Bowl Ties: Mountain West vs Pac-12
Matchup: Air Force vs. UCLA
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Thursday, December 21, 2023
8:00 pm ET, ESPN
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Bowl Ties: Group of Five vs Group of Five
Bowl Projection: San Jose State vs South Florida
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Saturday, December 23, 2023
3:30 pm ET, ESPN
Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
Bowl Ties: MAC vs Mountain West
Matchup: Frseno State vs. Ohio
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl
Saturday, December 23, 2023
10:30 pm ET, ESPN
Clarence TC Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI
Bowl Ties: American Athletic vs Mountain West
Matchup: UNLV vs. Florida Atlantic
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Saturday, December 30, 2023
4:30 pm ET, Barstool
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Bowl Ties: MAC vs Mountain West
Matchup: Wyoming vs. Miami (OH)
New Year’s Six Games
CFP Semifinal Rose Bowl
Monday, January 1, 2024
5:00 pm ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Ties: CFP vs CFP
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Georgia
CFP Semifinal Sugar Bowl
Monday, January 1, 2024
8:45 pm ET, ESPN
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Ties: CFP vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs Florida State
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl
Friday, December 29, 2023
8:00 pm ET, ESPN
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Ole Miss vs Texas
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Saturday, December 30, 2023
12:00 pm ET, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Last Season: Georgia 42, Ohio State 41
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Alabama vs Penn State
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Monday, January 1, 2024
1:00 pm ET, ESPN
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Ties: New Year’s Six vs New Year’s Six
Bowl Projection: Washington vs Tulane
Capital One Orange Bowl
Saturday, December 30, 2023
4:00 pm ET, ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Bowl Ties: ACC vs Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Projection: Louisville vs Oklahoma