Way-too-early college football bowl predictions

The Thundering Herd have won seven straight bowl games dating to 2004, so postseason football is their time to shine. Central Michigan, meanwhile, is vying for a Mid-American Conference title under former Florida coach Jim McElwain — just one season after finishing a dismal 1-11 and wondering what direction the program was headed.

At the moment, SMU is 8-0 and the likely front-runner to claim the Group of Five's bowl spot. However, road games at Memphis and Navy await and then a possible American Athletic Conference title game date. The Mustangs seem poised to slip up soon. Looking to make back-to-back bowl appearances, Eastern Michigan beat Illinois earlier this season. 

Lane Kiffin's Owls are two wins away from bowl eligibility and officially bouncing back from that underachieving 5-7 campaign of 2018. However, Wyoming would make for an interesting opponent. The Cowboys, who failed to earn a bowl bid last season at 6-6 , opened 2019 with a win over Kelly Bryant and Missouri.

This would be a fun one. Could it be a passing of the guard in Group of Five leadership? Probably not. Even though UCF's magic in that department has run out, Appalachian State still might not have enough cache to earn some New Year's Six bowl consideration. Regardless, this would be an entertaining matchup.

Memphis is still in the mix for the AAC title, and, who knows, could find its way into a New Year's Six bowl if things shake out in its favor. Freshman running back Kenneth Gainwell (118.6 rushing yards per game) is a name to remember. Ohio has underachieved in 2019, but a favorable finishing stretch should get the Bobcats to bowl eligibility.

No matter how Georgia State fares in its bowl game, the highlight of the program's season — and existence — was its upset of Tennessee in Knoxville. The Panthers also beat Army and have a key Sun Belt date with Appalachian State upcoming. Western Michigan has alternated wins and losses through its first eight games, a trend that would at least lead to bowl eligibility.

No longer undefeated, Boise State's Group of Five status took a hit. The Las Vegas Bowl could be a familiar consolation for the Broncos, who have appeared in this game four times since 2010. Should they draw Arizona, which made one bowl trip over the previous three seasons, it would be a rematch of the 2014 Fiesta Bowl won by Boise.

One of the more underrated stories of the 2019 season is Liberty. Guided by former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, the Flames are 5-2 in just their second recognized season on the FBS level. Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, entered Week 9 on a six-game winning streak after opening with a 45-14 loss at Texas.

First, getting to a bowl is far from certain for Manny Diaz and the Hurricanes. They entered Week 9 at 3-4 and have to play at Pitt, Florida State and Duke. Failing to make a bowl would obviously be a major underachievement for Diaz, who was hired to make Miami a national contender. Since returning in 2017 from its football hiatus, UAB is 25-9 with a bowl win.

It's been quite the season for the BYU Cougars, whose three wins to date came at Tennessee, over then-No. 24 USC and then-No. 14 Boise State at home. However, they've also lost to Toledo and South Florida. BYU's remaining schedule is more favorable and should get the team to six wins. Bowl eligibility for Hawaii generally means playing its postseason game at home.

First-year coach Scott Satterfield has done a nice job turning things around at Louisville following last season's 2-10 debacle. The Cardinals still have work to do to become bowl eligible, but we like their chances. At 3-4, North Texas and quarterback Mason Fine need to get hot to earn a fourth consecutive bowl appearance.

The Hoosiers are one win away from becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. Should they accomplish that feat, a trip to Detroit on the day after Christmas seems like an appropriate reward. N.C. State has battled with consistency all season, but a sixth consecutive bowl appearance should be in the cards. 

The Owls appear headed to a fifth consecutive bowl game. That's the good news. The bad: First-year coach Rod Carey went 0-6 in bowl games while guiding Northern Illinois. At 3-4 and mired in a three-game slide, underachieving Army needs to get hot down the stretch just to reach a bowl for its fourth straight season.

Remember when Nebraska was the preseason favorite to win the Big Ten West Division? This was really slated to be the turnaround year in Lincoln. Instead, quarterback Adrian Martinez is hurt again, and bowl eligibility is not certain. The post-Daniel Jones Era at Duke has not been an easy one, but the Blue Devils should find their way to a third straight bowl game.

After continuing North Dakota State's run of FCS dominance, first-year coach Chris Klieman has Kansas State closing in on returning to bowl action after the program's stretch of eight consecutive appearances ended in 2018. The Midshipmen, meanwhile, enter Week 9 at 5-1 and riding a three-game winning streak.

This just seems like a typical Holiday Bowl kind of matchup. Late-night game for most of the nation to watch; two successful Big Ten-Pac 12 programs. On paper, this type of matchup might seem low scoring but could end up following along the lines of a shootout or go to overtime at the very least. 

This would be a matchup of semi-disappointing teams should it happen. While neither the Horned Frogs nor Cougars were expected to seriously compete for their respective league titles, each has suffered at least one bad defeat thus far. A high-powered Washington State offense against a traditionally tough TCU defense, however, could be intriguing.

Wake Forest has been a nice story with its 6-0 start (before losing a wild affair vs. Louisville) and an offense averaging 37.1 points. Iowa State is still in the Big 12 title conversation and is starting to find a rhythm. Though the Cyclones have a much better defense, this could end up being a high-scoring contest if played. 

Should Nevada earn a bowl bid, keep an eye on freshman kicker Brandon Talton, who is 13 of 14 on field-goal attempts and just missed his first this month. Southern Miss' run of three consecutive seasons with a bowl appearance ended in 2018, but it would seem the Golden Eagles can get back — though seven, not just six, wins might again be the key to getting there.

Like rival Miami, Florida State sits at 3-4 entering Week 9. Even if the Seminoles fall to the rival Hurricanes next month, there's a good chance they return to the bowl fun after their lengthy run ended in 2018. Kelly Bryant's only season in Missouri could end with a game against a familiar ACC foe.

The most intriguing aspect of this potential matchup is that both Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and USC's Clay Helton could be gone from their respective programs before or after this contest. It would be so much better if they were each still around for this, as the pregame hype and in-game commentary on their futures would be nauseating.

If anything, this bowl meeting would be a just reward for two programs that have had their moments in 2019. South Carolina's upset of Georgia in Athens is one of the biggest victories in program history. Pitt topped UCF and could very well find itself in the ACC championship game for a second straight season.

Though opinions vary on whether Justin Fuente is the right guy to restore Virginia Tech's football glory, the Hokies have quietly put together a solid 5-2 season at the moment after needing to work hard to keep their bowl run alive in 2018. Arizona State has won one of the best young quarterbacks in the country in freshman Jayden Daniels (141.6 passer rating).

Entering Week 9, Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard leads the nation with 1,265 rushing yards. Mississippi State's run defense has been hit or miss at times this season, but just making a bowl will be a chore for a Bulldogs team that still needs three victories for that 10th consecutive appearance. 

San Diego State could end up being the runaway winner of the Mountain West's West Division. Though beating Boise State or Utah State for the league title won't be easy. Troy is a bowl staple but needs three more victories to potentially have a shot at winning its fifth consecutive such kind of contest.

While Texas has underachieved and Utah probably does not get by Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, this would be quite the interesting bowl scenario for both. Entering Week 9, Texas averaged 40.9 points, while the Utes are giving up just 11.7 per contest. It would be fun to see which way this would play out in San Antonio.

At various points during the first part of the season, this was a potential New Year's Six matchup. However, both teams have suffered surprise losses — Wisconsin at lowly Illinois and Georgia vs. South Carolina in overtime at home. However, the Badgers and Bulldogs hooking up would not be a consolation for college football fans.

It's been a special season thus far for Minnesota, which is trying to go 8-0 for the first time since the 1940s. The Gophers have also won three straight bowl games, but should they draw a team like Auburn, this would be a major challenge. Bo Nix has been decent during his first season running the Tigers offense, but Auburn's defense could be the difference here.

Tulane is on the verge of going bowling for a second consecutive season after four years without making an appearance. Aiming for a Conference USA championship, Western Kentucky should be back in a bowl after its four-year run of doing so ended in 2018. The latter means a Big Red appearance on the sidelines.

This could be a 10-9 final. And we're not really sure who would even win. While Michigan State might have been overvalued to start the season, Texas A&M certainly was — at least in terms of the poll voters. Jimbo Fisher's Aggies have been unable to seriously compete with the big boys in the SEC this season, which is disappointing.

In the preseason this was a great matchup on paper. Utah State is still pushing Boise State in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West, but Toledo no longer seems likely to play for a Mid-American Conference title it was predicted to win. The Rockets have also lost their last three consecutive bowl contests.

With its shocking victory over then-No. 6 Wisconsin, Illinois seems to have a legitimate shot at six wins and the program's first bowl appearance since 2014, thus, likely saving coach Lovie Smith's job. While Air Force's bowl drought is not as long as the Illini's, the Falcons are about to go bowling for the first time since 2016.

Chirp, chirp! The Ball State Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference West Division and are closing in on being bowl eligible for the first time since 2013. The Rajin' Cajuns of Louisiana are aiming for a second consecutive bowl game. Though many college football fans haven't noticed, there is a nice rivalry between the MAC and Sun Belt during bowl season.

As mentioned, SMU is the Group of Five choice at the moment, but it could run into the Bearcats in the AAC title game. If that's the case, we think Cincinnati is a more complete team and would win the league and get the the New Year's Six spot. Virginia leads the Coastal Division of the ACC and it will probably stay that way, but the Cavaliers won't beat Clemson in the title game.

Not sure if this matchup would actually happen, but it would make sense. These are two teams that are capable of flirting with a spot in the College Football Playoff but maybe not really ready for prime time this season. It could be the most competitive of the New Year's Six bowls if things fall into place.

Give coach Mario Cristobal credit for getting the Ducks to bounce back after that heartbreaking season-opening loss to Auburn. They are the class of the Pac-12, which might not be saying much nationally. They seem likely to draw a Penn State squad that could be undefeated heading into a Nov. 23 road date with Ohio State.

Here are a couple of teams that have surprised many this season. In 2017, Baylor was 1-11 but now could challenge Oklahoma for the Big 12 title. Meanwhile, not many people saw just how dominant, especially offensively, LSU would be this year. The Tigers' College Football Playoff chances could come down to Nov. 9 at Alabama.

Assuming Tua Tagovailoa is healthy and Alabama can get by LSU at home on Nov. 9, then maybe two old friends can reunite with a spot in the national championship game on the line. Former teammates Tagovailoa and Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts is the matchup college football fans have been waiting for and one the College Football Playoff selection committee should give us if possible.

The reigning national champion Tigers should run the table and win another ACC title. Regardless what the AP Poll voters think, they are still worthy of reaching the CFP. Their defense (12.0 points per game allowed) remains elite. However, the fun would end here against an Ohio State group that has the look of a national champ.

The Buckeyes' last national title came during the 2014 season, and at the moment, they are playing like the most dominant team in the country. There are enough reasons (Justin Fields, great receivers, stout defense) the machine will keep rolling right into the national championship game, against the Crimson Tide, who will be ready to reclaim their spot atop the college football world.