Colorado and Colorado State will be invited to postseason games in the same autumn Sunday, something the Front Range hasn’t seen since 2016.
For the first time, 12 teams, and not four, will be participating in the College Football Playoff, including the champion of the Big 12 title game between Arizona State and Iowa State. Bowl matchups will be announced in the afternoon after the CFP committee has picked its teams and assigned their games. Here’s a quick primer for what to expect on college sports’ other Selection Sunday:
CU Buffs (9-3, 7-2 Big 12)
1. Where are we going?: After Saturday afternoon, it’s looking like San Antonio. The Pac-12 went away but the Pac-12 postseason contracts didn’t, so CU is legally obligated to the old Pac-12 bowl selection order through the 2025 season. Even as Big 12 champs, Arizona State is in a pool with 12-0 Oregon (Big Ten), 9-3 CU (Big 12), 8-4 Washington State (Pac-2), 6-6 USC (Big Ten), 6-6 Washington (Big Ten) and 6-6 Cal (ACC).
Oregon will likely earn a CFP berth regardless of the outcome of the Big Ten title game, so move the Ducks out of the pile. Take the Sun Devils out, too. There’s a one-win-only “jumping” rule carried over from the Pac-12 as well, so USC (six wins) or Washington (six wins) couldn’t be taken before CU (nine wins).
The selection order after CFP teams are off the table is as follows: 1. Alamo (San Antonio); 2. Holiday (San Diego); 3. Las Vegas (Las Vegas); 4. Sun (El Paso, Texas); 5. LA Bowl (Los Angeles); 6. Independence (Shreveport, La.).
Bowl selection has always been a popularity contest, and given the intense television and business interest in having Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at their game, CU would be a desirable pick even if the win-jumping rule didn’t apply. Long story short: It’s likely Alamo or Holiday, with a small chance of a slip to Las Vegas.
2. Who will we play?: Welcome to the wacky part. The Alamo Bowl’s contracted matchup is Pac-12 vs. Big 12, which likely means the Buffs could be staring at what’s basically another league game. The bowl itself has simplified things, too, by announcing on Wednesday that it had narrowed its selection pool to just CU and Arizona State from the “Pac-12” side and BYU or Iowa State from the “Big 12” side. With ASU heading to the playoffs, it’s looking as if CU plays Iowa State or BYU. The final selection is expected to be announced around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Holiday Bowl will pit an old “Pac-12” team against one from the ACC — think Clemson or Pitt. But longtime bowl prognosticators Jerry Palm (CBS) and Brett McMurphy (Action Network) both peg CU to play BYU in the Alamo Bowl, so San Antonio is probably the safest bet.
3. When and where is the game?: The Alamo Bowl is Saturday, Dec. 28, at 5:30 p.m. MT in San Antonio and will air on ABC. The Holiday Bowl is Friday, Dec. 27, at 6 p.m. MT in San Diego, and is televised on Fox.
CSU Rams (8-4, 6-1 Mountain West)
1. Where are we going?: Unlike the Big 12/Pac-12 situation, the process is more straightforward. After the CFP makes its selections, the running order is: 1. LA Bowl; 2. Rate Bowl if needed as a backup; 3. Arizona Bowl; 4/5/6 (to be arranged by league and bowl): Hawaii, New Mexico, Potato. However, any of the non-Rate and non-Hawaii destinations were conceivably on the table as of this past Friday afternoon.
2. Who will we play?: That depends on what the CFP committee thinks of Boise State, and whether the Broncos are adjudged to be one of the five highest-rated conference champions. McMurphy and Pete Fiutak of the College Football News project CSU to the Arizona Bowl against Miami of Ohio (MAC) or Ohio (MAC), respectively, while Palm has the Rams in the LA Bowl against Cal (ACC).
3. When and where is the game?: The Arizona Bowl is Saturday, Dec. 28 at 2:30 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz., and will air on The CW. The LA Bowl is Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in Inglewood, Calif., and will be shown by ESPN. The New Mexico Bowl is Saturday, Dec. 28 at 12:15 p.m. in Albuquerque, N.M., and is airing on ESPN. The Potato Bowl is Monday, Dec. 23 in Boise, Idaho, and will be broadcast by ESPN.