Bowl projections in July? Of course we're going there. There are 35 bowl games outside the College Football Playoff this season, including a few new changes to Bowl Season. The Rate Bowl is now the Cactus Bowl. The Poinsettia Bowl is back. Say hello to the Puerto Rico Bowl. Don't pretend like you don't enjoy the Pop-Tarts Bowl. A total of 82 schools will participate in the 2026-27 postseason as a result, which includes the 12-team College Football Playoff. Sporting News has projections for all those games, which includes CFP semifinal matchups between Indiana and Texas and Notre Dame and Georgia. Those four schools combined for 17 players on our first 2027 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board. The College Football Playoff begins with first-round playoff games on Dec. 18-19. The quarterfinals start a