2016-2017 College Football Bowl Tie-Ins For Each Conference
College Football Playoff New Year’s Six Bowls
– Top four teams ranked by the College Football Playoff selection committee to be slotted in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl. The two winners to play in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Tampa on January 9th.
– The highest-ranked conference champion from the American Athletic, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt automatically gets one spot in either the College Football Playoff or in the Cotton Bowl.
– Orange Bowl will be ACC vs. Big Ten, Big 12 or SEC
– Rose Bowl will be Big Ten vs. Pac-12
– Sugar Bowl will be Big 12 vs. SEC
American Athletic
The American Athletic Conference doesn’t have a true pecking order. The bowls matchups are based on best possible games and geography.
– Armed Forces Bowl (Navy) vs. Big 12
– AutoNation Cure Bowl vs. Sun Belt
– Birmingham Bowl vs. SEC
– Marmot Boca Raton Bowl vs. Conference USA
– Miami Beach Bowl vs. MAC
– Military Bowl vs. ACC
– Popeyes Bahamas Bowl vs. MAC
– St. Petersburg Bowl vs. ACC
The American Athletic has secondary partnerships with the AutoZone Liberty and Camping World Independence.
ACC
Notre Dame is eligible for any ACC bowl tie-in as long as it’s within one game of the team eligible for the slot, except the Orange Bowl.
The ACC gets a team in the Orange Bowl. It’s the ACC Champion if it’s not in the College Football Playoff. If the ACC plays the Big Ten in the Orange Bowl, the opportunity will be there for another opening in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
1. Capital One Orange Bowl vs. Big Ten or SEC or Notre Dame
2. Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Big 12
First Tier
– Belk Bowl vs. SEC
– Hyundai Sun Bowl vs. Pac-12
– New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. Big Ten
– Franklin American Mortgage Music City vs. SEC OR TaxSlayer vs. SEC
It’s one or the other along with the Big Ten. Last year, the ACC played in the Music City, the Big Ten was in the TaxSlayer, so the ACC most likely in the TaxSlayer.
Second Tier
– Camping World Independence Bowl vs. SEC
– Military Bowl vs. American Athletic
– Quick Lane Bowl vs. Big Ten
– St. Petersburg Bowl vs. American
Conditional Tier, if other conferences can’t fill slots
– Birmingham Bowl vs. American or SEC........