The 2021 college football season is just about ready to kick off, and while there are sure to be innumerable twists, turns, thrills and chills along the way, we’re going to skip the main course and head right to the dessert table by predicting all 44 bowl matchups, including the College Football Playoff semifinals and CFP National Championship game.
ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have dusted off their crystal balls and made their preseason picks, and will continue to hone their bowl forecasts as the season progresses. But for now, here’s how they see bowl season shaping up.
All times Eastern
College Football Playoff
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis) Jan. 10, 8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Alabama vs. Oklahoma Schlabach: Alabama vs. Georgia
CFP Semifinal at Capital One Orange Bowl Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida) Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Alabama vs. Ohio State Schlabach: Alabama vs. Clemson
CFP Semifinal at Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) Dec. 31, 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Clemson vs. Oklahoma Schlabach: Georgia vs. Oklahoma
Bowl Season
Dec. 17
Bahamas Bowl Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas) Noon on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Toledo vs. FAU Schlabach: Ball State vs. FAU
Cure Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and the ESPN App Bonagura: Charlotte vs. Houston Schlabach: Tulane vs. Western Kentucky
Dec. 18
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida) 11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: East Carolina vs. Miami (Ohio) Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. Memphis
Cricket Celebration Bowl Mercedes Benz Stadium (Atlanta) Noon on ABC and the ESPN App Bonagura: Alcorn State vs. South Carolina State Schlabach: Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T
New Mexico Bowl University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 2:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Wyoming vs. Eastern Michigan Schlabach: San Jose State vs. Kent State
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana) 3:30 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App Bonagura: Marshall vs. BYU Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. BYU
LendingTree Bowl Ladd-Peebles Stadium (Mobile, Alabama) 5:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Arkansas State vs. Western Michigan Schlabach: Georgia State vs. Western Michigan
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) 7:30 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App Bonagura: Colorado vs. San Jose State Schlabach: UCLA vs. Boise State
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans) 9:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: UTSA vs. Coastal Carolina Schlabach: Louisiana vs. Marshall
Dec. 20
Myrtle Beach Bowl Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina) 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Louisiana Tech vs. Kent State Schlabach: Tulsa vs. Coastal Carolina
Dec. 21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho) 3:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Buffalo vs. San Diego State Schlabach: Toledo vs. San Diego State
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: SMU vs. North Texas Schlabach: SMU vs. Wyoming
Dec. 22
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas) 8 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Army vs. Middle Tennessee Schlabach: Army vs. UTEP
Dec. 23
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) 7 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: South Carolina vs. Louisville Schlabach: Virginia vs. Troy
Dec. 24
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu) 8 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Nevada vs. Stanford Schlabach: Fresno State vs. California
Dec. 25
Camellia Bowl Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama) 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Southern Miss. vs. Fresno State Schlabach: Southern Miss. vs. Liberty
Dec. 27
Quick Lane Bowl Ford Field (Detroit) 11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Purdue vs. Ball State Schlabach: Maryland vs. Ohio
Military Bowl presented by Peraton Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland) 2:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: NC State vs. UCF Schlabach: Navy vs. Louisville
Dec. 28
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl Legion Field (Birmingham, Alabama) Noon on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Mississippi State vs. Tulsa Schlabach: Mississippi State vs. UAB
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas) 3:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: West Virginia vs. Tulane Schlabach: Houston vs. Air Force
AutoZone Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee) 6:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech Schlabach: Arkansas vs. West Virginia
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl Petco Park (San Diego) 8 p.m. on Fox Bonagura: Arizona State vs. Pitt Schlabach: Stanford vs. NC State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl Chase Field (Phoenix) 10:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Baylor vs. Michigan State Schlabach: Kansas State vs. Minnesota
Dec. 29
Fenway Bowl Fenway Park (Boston) 11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Virginia vs. Memphis Schlabach: Florida State vs. UCF
New Era Pinstripe Bowl Yankee Stadium (New York) 2:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Michigan vs. Boston College Schlabach: Northwestern vs. Virginia Tech
Cheez-It Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 5:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Oklahoma State vs. Miami Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs. North Carolina
Valero Alamo Bowl Alamodome (San Antonio) 9:15 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Texas vs. Washington Schlabach: Texas vs. Washington
Dec. 30
Duke’s Mayo Bowl Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) 11:30 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech Schlabach: Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh
TransPerfect Music City Bowl Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee) 3 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Auburn vs. Northwestern Schlabach: Auburn vs. Indiana
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) 7 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) 10:30 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Utah vs. Indiana Schlabach: Michigan vs. Arizona State
Dec. 31
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida) 11 a.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Ole Miss vs. North Carolina Schlabach: Ole Miss vs. Miami
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas) 12:30 p.m. on CBS Bonagura: UCLA vs. Wake Forest Schlabach: Utah vs. Boston College
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona) 5:30 p.m. Bonagura: Central Michigan vs. Boise State Schlabach: Miami (Ohio) vs. Nevada
Jan. 1
Outback Bowl Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida) Noon on ESPN2 and the ESPN App Bonagura: LSU vs. Iowa Schlabach: LSU vs. Penn State
Vrbo Citrus Bowl Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida) 1 p.m. on ABC and the ESPN App Bonagura: Florida vs. Penn State Schlabach: Florida vs. Iowa
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona) 1 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: USC vs. Texas A&M Schlabach: Oregon vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl Game Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) 5 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. Oregon Schlabach: Ohio State vs. USC
Allstate Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans) 8:45 p.m. on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: Iowa State vs. Georgia Schlabach: Iowa State vs. Texas A&M
Jan. 4
Texas Bowl NRG Stadium (Houston) Time TBD on ESPN and the ESPN App Bonagura: TCU vs. Missouri Schlabach: TCU vs. Missouri
Date TBD
Redbox Bowl Site TBD Bonagura: Minnesota vs. California Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Colorado
Allar missed the second half of last week’s win over Wisconsin after suffering a left knee injury, but he was not listed on the injury report for the No. 3 Nittany Lions on Saturday morning.
Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier this week that Allar could be a game-time decision and that backup Beau Pribula would take snaps with Allar in practice.
Allar ranks 10th nationally with a QBR of 83.6. He has completed 71.3% of his passes for 1,640 yards and totaled 15 touchdowns with four interceptions.
Penn State starting defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton will be a game-time decision, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Dennis-Sutton, who is listed as questionable, is expected to warm up and try to play.
Information from ESPN’s Jake Trotter was used in this report.
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army star quarterback Bryson Daily will miss Saturday’s game against Air Force with an undisclosed injury/illness, Army officials told ESPN.
Daily leads the country with 19 rushing touchdowns and leads all FBS quarterbacks with 909 rushing yards. He was unable to practice this week. The No. 21 Black Knights had a bye last weekend after beating East Carolina 45-28 on Oct. 19 to win their seventh straight game this season.
In the win over ECU, Daily carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 171 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, five rushing and one passing. The 6-foot, 221-pound senior has already set Army single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (26) and rushing touchdowns (19) in seven games.
With Daily sidelined, junior Dewayne Coleman will fill in at quarterback and make his first career start. Daily, one of four team captains, has been Army’s starting quarterback over the past two seasons and the main cog in a Black Knights offense that has eclipsed 400 yards of total offense in all seven games this season.
Army (7-0, 6-0) travels to North Texas next week for an AAC contest. They get a bye week on Nov. 16 and then face Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.
There’s no timetable at this point on how long Daily might be out of the lineup, but Army officials don’t think it’s a season-ending setback.
Army, off to its best start in nearly 30 years, will be one of the top contenders for the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff if the Black Knights can win the American Athletic Conference championship.
The 2024 World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the championship in a stunning comeback in Game 5, with Walker Buehler the unlikely pitcher to close out the 7-6 win over the New York Yankees. First baseman Freddie Freeman was handed the World Series MVP award for his record-tying 12-RBI performance.
But that doesn’t tell the full story of everyone who played a starring role in October — a postseason that featured a record six grand slams, among other wildness. So, to honor the best of the entire postseason, we’ve created our first MLB All-October Team.
From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position along with some award hardware for the brightest stars of October.
Why he’s here: To be honest, it wasn’t a great playoffs for catchers — they hit just .184/.254/.310. Higashioka is the one catcher who did hit, belting three home runs and driving in five runs in the seven games the Padres played.
Honorable mention: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
Why he’s here: Freeman didn’t have an extra-base hit and drove in just one run in the first two rounds of the playoffs as he tried to play through the severely sprained ankle he suffered at the end of the regular season. He didn’t even play in two games of the NLCS and required hours of physical therapy before each game just to get on the field. But the five days off before the World Series clearly helped, and he homered in the first four games, including his dramatic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 that will go down as not only the signature World Series moment of 2024 — but a World Series moment for the ages.
Why he’s here: Torres had a solid October as he heads into free agency, although he had little competition here. Indeed, second basemen collectively hit just .219 with three home runs the entire playoffs — two of those from Torres — and drove in 24 runs, with Torres driving in eight himself. He had three multihit games and scored five runs in five games in the ALCS, while also taking walks to help set the table for Juan Soto.
Why he’s here: Max Muncy set a record when he reached base 17 times in the NLCS, including a single-postseason-record 12 times in a row, but he went hitless in the World Series. Vientos, meanwhile, had a stellar first trip to the postseason, hitting .327/.362/.636 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 13 games. That followed a breakout regular season in which he posted an .837 OPS with 27 home runs in just 111 games. He looks like he’ll be a fixture in the middle of the Mets’ lineup for years to come.
Why he’s here: Edman was an under-the-radar pickup at the trade deadline, in part because he was still injured and hadn’t yet played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Most of Edman’s starts came at shortstop, especially after Miguel Rojas was injured in the NLDS, but his bat got him here. Edman was the NLCS MVP after hitting .407 with a record-tying 11 RBIs in the series. He had started at cleanup just twice in his career but was slotted there twice against the Mets, driving in seven runs in those two games. Then he went 2-for-4 in each of the first two games of the World Series, including a home run in Game 2, and finished the Fall Classic hitting .294/.400/.588 with six runs.
Why they’re here: Betts entered this postseason in a 3-for-38 postseason slump going back to the end of the 2021 NLCS — and it initially looked like it would be more of the same when he went 0-for-6 the first two games of the NLDS, including being robbed of a home run courtesy of Jurickson Profar. Everything turned in Game 3 when Profar almost robbed him of another home run — but didn’t. After that, Betts was in the middle of most of the Dodgers’ big rallies, hitting .321/.394/.625 with four home runs and 16 RBIs over the Dodgers’ final 14 playoff games.
Soto’s at-bats spoke for themselves: He never seemed to have a bad one. His big at-bat was the three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS to send the Yankees to the World Series. Getting intentionally walked twice while batting in front of Aaron Judge speaks to Judge’s struggles, yes — but also to how locked in Soto was all postseason. He finished the postseason slashing .327/.469/.633 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs and 14 walks in 14 games.
Hernandez actually began October on the bench, but we’ve seen him perform big in the postseason before, and he stepped up when Rojas was injured in the NLDS. Hernandez homered in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory to close out the Padres in the NLDS, had a big two-run home run against the Mets in Game 3 of the NLCS and got the series-turning five-run rally against the Yankees in Game 5 started with a leadoff single in the fifth as well as the series-winning rally in the eighth with another leadoff base hit. Overall, he hit .294/.357/.451 with 11 runs and six RBIs.
Why he’s here: The Yankees were often a two-man show in the postseason, just like they were in the regular season — except it was Soto and Stanton, not Soto and Judge. Stanton blasted seven home runs in the playoffs, including in the final three games of the ALCS (earning MVP honors) and in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series. He finished the playoffs hitting .273/.339/.709, and those seven homers are the most in a single postseason in Yankees history.
Why they’re here: Certainly, it seems as if the status of the starting pitcher in the postseason continues to decline — although, that doesn’t mean they’re not important. There were certainly some stellar individual outings along the way: Corbin Burnes allowed one run in eight innings (but lost 1-0) for the Baltimore Orioles; Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings (but that would be his only start); and the Padres’ Michael King fanned 12 to beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Skubal had two scoreless starts against the Houston Astros in the wild-card series and Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, confirming his status as one of the best in the game — or maybe the best, as his soon-to-be AL Cy Young Award will attest.
Cole was really the one consistent starter throughout the postseason, making five starts with a 2.17 ERA. Unfortunately, that ERA doesn’t register the five unearned runs from the final game of the World Series when the Yankees’ defense turned into a comedy of errors — including Cole himself opening up the floodgates by failing to cover first base to get what would have been the inning-ending out.
Why they’re here: It also wasn’t the best of postseasons for closers — not even great ones. The Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase allowed five earned runs all regular season — and then eight in the playoffs. Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams blew that wild-card game against the Mets. All-Star Jeff Hoffman lost two games for the Phillies. Weaver, however, was the one consistent late-game performer and was great while often pitching more than one inning. He posted a 1.76 ERA across 15⅓ innings. Who knows how the World Series ends if Yankees manager Aaron Boone keeps Weaver in the game in the 10th inning of Game 1. (Weaver had thrown just 19 pitches.)
Treinen, meanwhile, capped his comeback season — he had missed almost all of 2022 and then all of 2023 — with a 2.19 ERA across 12⅓ innings, winning two games and saving three others. In the World Series clincher, he recorded seven outs and got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the eighth inning to preserve the Dodgers’ 7-6 lead before handing the ball to Buehler to close out the ninth.