Projecting Matchups For Every 2022-23 Big 12 Bowl Game
Six weeks of the college football season are in the books and the framework of bowl games are beginning to take shape. It's an interesting time to take a look at how the Big 12 stands and how teams might trend for the remainder of the season. Below, we'll look at every bowl game with a firm Big 12 tie-in and what those matchups might look like.
Disclaimer: Plenty of teams are still in the College Football Playoff running, namely Oklahoma State and TCU but for simplicity's sake, we're going to act as if the top 4 in the Week 7 AP Poll (Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson) are the CFP selections.
Second disclaimer: There will likely be more bowl-eligible Big 12 teams this season than direct Big-12 bowl tie-ins. The following order is the order in which Big 12 teams are selected, with the rest filling in at-large positions and for other conferences who can't meet their quota. Just because a team isn't listed below doesn't mean we're projecting them to be bowl in-eligible.
AllState Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma State Vs. Tennessee
Saturday, December 31, 11:00 a.m. CT, Caesars Superdome (New Orleans, LA)
Tie-ins: Top Big 12 vs. Top SEC
It's a fair assumption that the SEC Champion is going to make the Playoff, otherwise they'd have an automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl. Since we're also operating under the assumption that both Georgia and Alabama land in the playoff, the next-highest ranked team is the Tennessee Volunteers.
Aside from the orange overload, this would be a terrific matchup between two high-powered offenses with star QBs. Oklahoma State is the betting favorite to take the Big 12 at this point in time, although upcoming games against TCU, Texas, and Kansas State will surely shape the outlook of the Pokes.
Valero Alamo Bowl: TCU Vs. Utah
Thursday, December 29, 8:00 p.m. CT, Alamodome (San Antonio, TX)
Tie-ins: Big 12 vs. Pac-12
The Pac-12 doesn't have a set order, rather their bowl bids are based on the "best possible matchup and geography." The Utes are the best Pac-12 team not among the favorites for the conference and closest to San Antonio by about 40 miles.
The matchup on the field is terrific, as well, between two star veteran QBs in TCU's Max Duggan and Utah's Cameron Rising. Expect a lot of points out of this matchup and heavy fan support from both sides. This weekend's TCU-Oklahoma State game could see these two flip-flop in their bowl spots.
Cheez-It Bowl: Texas Vs. Wake Forest
Thursday, December 29, 4:30 p.m. CT, Camping World Stadium (Orlando, FL)
Tie-ins: Big 12 vs. ACC or Notre Dame
Like the Pac-12, the ACC picks their bowl representatives based on what matchup makes sense and would generate the most interest. Pitting upstart Wake Forest against a national brand like Texas would both make sense and draw a ton of interest.
Veteran star QB Sam Hartman and the high-octane Wake Forest offense would be a terrific counter to young superstar Quinn Ewers and the high-octane Texas offense. This matchup would generate plenty of fireworks and potentially one of the most interesting matchups in all of Bowl Season.
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Kansas State Vs. Mississippi State
Wednesday, December 28, 8:00 p.m. CT, NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Tie-ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
The fourth-ranked Big 12 team– at this point in our power rankings would be Kansas State– squares off against a hand-picked SEC team. The top three SEC teams are slotted and the fourth would go to the Citrus Bowl, the currently-ranked fifth SEC team heads to Houston for the Texas Bowl.
That fifth team as it stands today looks like Mississippi State, who's rattled off a pair of impressive wins over Texas A&M and Arkansas in back to back weeks. K-State was a Texas Bowl participant last year, a game which they cruised to victory over LSU behind nearly 150 yards and four TDs from Deuce Vaughn.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Baylor Vs. Kentucky
Wednesday, December 28, 4:30 p.m. CT, Liberty Bowl Stadium (Memphis, TN)
Tie-ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
It feels like every year one of these tiers of bowls delivers a bigger matchup than the tie-in lets on. This year, it's looking like two good teams– Baylor and Kentucky– with some tough losses on the resume land in Memphis to face each other. It's likely the last time we'll see Will Levis in a Wildcat uniform before he heads for the NFL.
The Liberty Bowl is a fall from grace after Dave Aranda led Baylor to a Sugar Bowl game last season, but this is another chance for a resume win.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas Vs. Illinois
Tuesday, December 27, 8:15 p.m. CT, Chase Field (Phoenix, AZ)
Tie-ins: Big 12 vs. Big Ten
Alright, sickos. This is the game for you. In many years, this may seem like the battle for the proverbial first overall pick in the college football draft, but this year it's a consolation prize for two seriously-overachieving teams.
A night game for central timezoners, this game could be all sorts of weird. Tack on potentially the lamest name for a bowl game on the slate, and you're set for everything we've ever wanted in a Kansas-Illinois matchup.
Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Oklahoma are all three wins from bowl eligibility while West Virginia is four. They fall 7, 8, 9, and 10 in Big 12 power rankings, respectively. They're likely to fill one of the following two bowl games and the remaining eligible teams will be placed in bowls with at-large bids accordingly.
Other Bowl Tie-Ins
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: vs. ACC, American, or Pac-12
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: vs. American, Conference USA, or Pac-12
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