Who's going bowling? Predicting which teams will play in which college football bowls

We are past the midpoint of the college football season, and while we are still trying to figure out which four teams will comprise the College Football Playoff, that isn't the only thing for schools to look forward to. Yes, it's time to look at the bowl season. Counting the College Football Playoff Championship Game, there will be 80 schools competing in 41 bowl games, including the National Championship Game. The games stretch across the country from Hawaii to the Bronx, Miami to Boise, and, oh, the Bahamas.

So who will play in these games? After figuring out who will play in the Peach and Fiesta Bowls (the Playoff games), let's dissect  the pecking order of the conference tie-ins for all those bowls and see what kind of matchups, if the bowls were to be set up today, we should get to enjoy. While we've attempted to go by what the landscape looks like now, we did add in some teams we think will get to bowl-eligible by the time the regular season ends.

Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Washington
Fiesta Bowl: Michigan vs. Clemson

Here is your current playoff field. All are undefeated and leading their respective Power 5 conferences. The snubs go to the Big 12, which has both Baylor and West Virginia undefeated, and the Group of 5 schools Boise State and Western Michigan.

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington State
Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Texas A&M
Cotton Bowl: Boise State vs. Nebraska
Orange Bowl: Louisville vs. Wisconsin

Here are the other "New Year's Six" bowls. All those elite one-loss teams are here (Ohio State, Texas A&M, Louisville) along with the highest ranked Group of 5 team (Boise State). The biggest snub here is West Virginia, who should arguably take either Nebraska's or Wisconsin's spot.

Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. Ole Miss
Citrus Bowl: North Carolina vs. Florida
Liberty Bowl: TCU vs. Tennessee
Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Arizona State
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Arkansas
Birmingham Bowl: Georgia vs. Houston
Belk Bowl: Florida State vs. LSU
Alamo Bowl: West Virginia vs. Utah
Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Minnesota
Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech
Foster Farms Bowl: Indiana vs. Stanford
Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Auburn

The next level of games is always fluid, and conferences like the Big Ten have certain rules about not letting teams play in certain bowls more than once in a certain time frame. Again, this takes into consideration what the standings look like now and not so much how things could shake out. Still, there are some intriguing matchups here.

Heart of Dallas Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Texas
Military Bowl: Miami vs. Tulsa
Holiday Bowl: Northwestern vs. Colorado
Cactus Bowl: Kansas State vs. California
St. Petersburg Bowl: Duke vs. South Florida
Quick Lane Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Maryland
TaxSlayer Bowl: Syracuse vs. Kentucky
Independence Bowl: N.C. State vs. Old Dominion
Armed Forces Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Navy
Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs. San Diego State

Here is where you have a bit more crossover between the Power 5 schools and the Group of 5 schools. There are a few schools here that may not even get to bowl eligibility (here's looking at you, Southern Cal!). Navy is all but locked in the Armed Forces Bowl bid.

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Western Kentucky
Bahamas Bowl: Central Florida vs. Toledo
Dollar General Bowl: Akron vs. Appalachian State
Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming vs. Central Michigan
Arizona Bowl: Colorado State vs. Idaho
Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. Air Force
Boca Raton Bowl: Memphis vs. Louisiana Tech
Miami Beach Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Western Michigan
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico vs. Southern Miss
Cure Bowl: Temple vs. Georgia Southern
Camellia Bowl: Ohio vs. SMU
New Orleans Bowl: North Texas vs. Troy

And, finally, you have the bowls that are pretty much Group of 5 schools facing off against each other. Usually these bowls select teams that make geographic sense so they can guarantee decent attendance figures. It's also one of the reasons that these schools would jump at a chance to get into the Big 12 or any other Power 5 conference if given the chance.