BYU Bowl Projections Ahead of Thanksgiving Weekend

Where the Cougars are projected to go bowling by national outlets

BYU is 9-2 on the season with a chance to win 10 games at USC this weekend. Below are the updated bowl projections ahead of BYU's regular season final against the Trojans.

NY6 Projections

After last weekend, BYU moved up to no. 13 in the CFP rankings keeping the Cougars' NY6 hopes alive. On Tuesday, two national outlets projected BYU to a NY6 bowl.

Bleacher Report

Bowl: Fiesta Bowl

Opponent: Notre Dame

On the Cougars, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller said BYU "looks a whole lot prettier these days almost by default....If they're able to win at USC this Saturday, there's a good chance they get the final NY6 spot. Because whether it's Oregon or Utah and whether it's Pitt or Wake Forest, both the ACC and Pac-12 will almost certainly max out at one team each. Even with Independent Notre Dame also comfortably ahead of BYU, it seems more likely that the Cougars will claim a spot rather than either the Big Ten or the Big 12 getting three teams in." You can read Miller's full comments in the link above.

Yahoo! Sports

Bowl: Peach Bowl

Opponent: Notre Dame

Both NY6 projections have BYU playing Notre Dame. A BYU-Notre Dame matchup would be a preview of the 2022 game the Cougars and the Irish are scheduled to play next October in Las Vegas.

Other Bowl Projections

If not a New Year's Six Bowl, national outlets expect the Cougars to play in the Independence Bowl. It's worth noting, however, that BYU is not guaranteed to go to the Independence Bowl if it misses out on the NY6. Most national outlets are probably unaware of BYU's option to (contingent on availability) to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl (formerly the Cheez-It-Bowl) against either a Big 12 or Big Ten opponent.

From BYU's 2019-2020 annual report. "As part of both BYU bowl agreements, the Cougars also have an option to potentially participate in the Cheez-It Bowl (Now the Guaranteed Rate Bowl) in Arizona should its conference tie-ins (Big Ten and Big 12) be unable to provide an opponent. If applicable, that option can be exercised in lieu of one Independence Bowl and one ESPN Events bowl game."

Below are the non-NY6 bowl projections for BYU. All projections expect BYU to face the undefeated Roadrunners of UTSA.

Sports Illustrated

Bowl: Independence Bowl

Opponent: UTSA

Sporting News

Bowl: Independence Bowl

Opponent: UTSA

Action Network

Bowl: Independence Bowl

Opponent: UTSA

247 Sports

Bowl: Independence Bowl

Opponent: UTSA

College Football News

Bowl: Independence Bowl

Opponent: UTSA