TDB Bowl Contest 2025-2026

December 12, 2025 John Weld 18 Comments

UPDATED STANDING AS OF 01/11/2026

Names: Points
Golden Trojan – 19
Satyrdancing – 19
The are playing for first and second. Both have Indiana so this will come down to the tie breaker. Golden has 48 points and Satyr had 57 points for the game total.
Trojan562 PE – 16
TommeTrojan – 16
Mrs Steveg – 16
Patrick9 – 16
Illinois Trojan – 16
Trojan562, Tomme, MrsG all have Indiana winning the Championship, so if Indiana wins all three will go to the tie breaker. With Trojan562 having 72 points in the tiebreaker, Tomme has 52 and MrsG has 59. If Miami wins then all 5 of them will go to the tiebreaker.
Patrick9 has 39 points and Illinois has 42 points

The following are eliminated because they cannot get any more points but thank you for playing.

Plumb Daddy – 15
BUS83 – 15
Steveg – 15
Nick422 – 13
Dabrickashaw Ferguson – 12
DubPar-McKringleBerry – 12

UPDATED STANDINGS AS OF THE END OF GAMES ON 01/03/26

Names: Points
Golden Trojan 18
Satyrdancing 18
Patrick9 16
Illinois Trojan 16
Plumb Daddy 15
BUS83 15
TommeTrojan 15
Mrs Steveg 15
Trojan562 PE 15
Steveg 14
Nick422 12
Dabrickashaw Ferguson 12
DubPar-McKringleBerry 12

UPDATED RESULTS AS OF THE END OF GAMES ON 12/27/25

Bowl Contest Standings

Names Points
Golden Trojan – 12
BUS83 – 11
Satyrdancing – 11
TommeTrojan – 11
Patrick9 – 11
Mrs Steveg – 10
Trojan562 -10
Illinois Trojan – 10
Steveg – 9
Nick422 – 9
Plumb Daddy – 9
Dabrickashaw Ferguson – 8
DubPar-McKringleBerry – 7

TDB 2025/2026 Bowl Contest

You must pick a winner for each game. There are no points or wagering involved. The person, who picks the most winners, wins the prize.

Please use the ballot at the end of this post to make your selections and your ballot must be posted by December 19th at 12 noon PT.

Please read the contest rules carefully. If you have any questions please ask them here or email me at: john@trojandailyblog.com

The following are notes on each of the bowl games that will be played. Please take into consideration that many players who are entering the NFL Draft or entering the Transfer Portal may choose not to play in the bowl games.

26. Potato Bowl (Dec. 22, 2 p.m., ESPN) Washington State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

The Cougars just lost head coach Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State after Matt Campbell went to Penn State, and it was a weird season for Wazzu. They got blown out by North Texas and lost to Oregon State, but lost to Ole Miss by only three, Virginia by two and James Madison by four. The Aggies have alternated wins and losses over their final six games and nearly took down Boise State at home to end the regular season.

25. Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m., CW) Miami of Ohio (7-6) vs. Fresno State (8-4)

The RedHawks are making consecutive trips to the Arizona Bowl. Miami won this game a year ago. WR Kamryn Perry has 966 receiving yards on just 42 catches. That’s 23 yards a reception. The Bulldogs are making their fifth consecutive bowl appearance and have wins over Boise State and Hawaii in 2025.

24. Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN) Nebraska (7-5) vs. No. 15 Utah (10-2)

This looks like a mismatch. Utah had been on the margins of the playoff discussion for most of November while Nebraska was just been existing in the Big Ten. Especially as QB Dylan Raiola is out for the season. Will he be back in 2026? More pressing for Nebraska is a chance for the Cornhuskers to win eight games in a season for the first time since 2016. It’s hard to overstate just how bad things have been for the Cornhuskers recently after their decades of dominance.

23. Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 19, 2:30 p.m., ESPN) NC State (7-5) vs. Memphis (8-4)

The Wolfpack won three of their last four games to ensure a winning record and a sixth straight bowl appearance under head coach Dave Doeren. But NC State would really like a bowl win more than most schools. The Wolfpack have lost their last five bowl games — the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled — and haven’t scored a bowl victory since 2017. Memphis lost head coach Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas and ended the season on a three-game losing streak to fall out of College Football Playoff contention.

22. Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 23, 2 p.m., ESPN Louisville (8-4) vs. Toledo (8-4)

Louisville went on a three-game losing streak in November to kill any chance at the ACC title. The Cardinals’ first three ACC losses came by a combined seven points … and then SMU blew them out 38-6 before the Cardinals got their mojo back with a 41-0 win over Kentucky. The Rockets lost head coach Jason Candle to UConn this week and defensive coordinator Vince Kehres went to Syracuse. That’s massive. The Rockets allow just 12 points per game.

21. Military Bowl (Dec. 27, 11 a.m., ESPN) Pitt (8-4) vs. East Carolina (8-4)

Pitt beat Georgia Tech to end the Yellow Jackets’ ACC title hopes but that win was sandwiched around blowout losses at home to Miami and Notre Dame. Did you know the Panthers average over 35 points per game? Now you do. The Pirates won five of their last six games and are in the Military Bowl for the second straight season.

20. Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27, Noon, ABC) Penn State (6-6) vs. Clemson (7-5)

A Penn State-Clemson bowl game would have been an enticing proposition before the season. Now, not so much. Both teams had incredibly underwhelming seasons after they were ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 to start the season. It’ll be the final game in charge for Penn State interim coach Terry Smith, though he’s staying on new head coach Matt Campbell’s staff for 2026 and beyond.

19. Fenway Bowl (Dec. 27, 2:15 p.m., ESPN) Army (6-5) vs. UConn (9-3)

Remember, Army still has one more game to go as Navy looms on Dec. 13. The Black Knights lost to FCS Tarleton State to open the season before beating Kansas State in Week 2 and then losing back-to-back games to North Texas and East Carolina. Army’s triple-option offense will look to grind UConn’s defense to dust. UConn head coach Jim Mora Jr. is now at Colorado State. Hopefully QB Joe Fagnano keeps throwing. The seventh-year QB has nearly 3,500 passing yards and 28 TDs with just one interception in 2025.

18. Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24, 8 p.m., ESPN) Cal (7-5) vs. Hawaii (8-4)

It’s a return to the islands for former Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich. He’s the interim at Cal following Justin Wilcox’s firing and the Bears beat SMU in their regular-season finale in his first game in charge. It’s also a chance for Cal freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to play in his home state. He’s staying with Cal for 2026 under new head coach Tosh Lupoi. This has been the best season for Hawaii since the Rainbow Warriors went 10-5 in 2019. That was Rolovich’s final season before leaving for Washington State.

17. Frisco Bowl (Dec. 23, 9 p.m., ESPN) UNLV (10-3) vs. Ohio (8-4)

The Rebels have back-to-back 10-win seasons and back-to-back seasons that ended with a loss to Boise State in the Mountain West title game. It’s been a fun first season for former Florida head coach Dan Mullen at UNLV. Ohio has an interim coach for the game after Brian Smith was placed on leave at the start of the month. No reason has been given for Smith’s absence and Smith’s attorney said on Dec. 4 that Smith had not been provided a formal reason why he was placed on leave.

16. Rate Bowl (Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m., ESPN) New Mexico (9-3) vs. Minnesota (7-5)

It’s been an incredible season for the Lobos under first-year head coach Jason Eck. New Mexico is making its first bowl appearance since 2016 under Bob Davie. It’s also the first bowl game outside the state of New Mexico for the Lobos since an appearance in the 2004 Emerald Bowl. Minnesota is a program that just wins bowl games. Especially under PJ Fleck. The Gophers are 6-0 in bowls during Fleck’s tenure and haven’t lost since a Citrus Bowl defeat to Missouri in 2014.

16. Texas Bowl (Dec. 27, 9:15 p.m., ESPN) LSU (7-5) vs. No. 21 Houston (9-3)

The chances of a senior sendoff for QB Garrett Nussmeier seem slim after Michael Van Buren has taken over as LSU’s quarterback. If you’re going to watch this game, be prepared for a lot of talk about Lane Kiffin and maybe even a Kiffin appearance in the booth. You’ve been warned. The potential Kiffin talk shouldn’t distract from how good of a season Houston had. The Cougars made a five-win improvement and further cemented Willie Fritz’s status as one of the most underrated college football coaches.

14. Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2, 4:30 p.m., ESPN) Navy (9-2) vs. Cincinnati (7-5)

The Midshipmen earned a second trip to Memphis in three games. Navy spent Thanksgiving in Memphis with a 28-17 win over the Tigers. Now it’ll spend New Year’s there too. The Bearcats collapsed in November. Cincinnati was 7-1 after beating Baylor but went 0-4 to end the season against Utah, Arizona, BYU and TCU.

13. New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 27, 5:45 p.m., ESPN) San Diego State (9-3) vs. North Texas (11-2)

The Aztecs are allowing opponents to average just 4.1 yards a play and 12.6 points per game. SDSU opponents scored seven or fewer points in seven games this season. Both Hawaii and Washington State topped 35, however, and North Texas’ explosive offense will hope to be the third team. The Mean Green average 7.3 yards a play as QB Drew Mestemaker has completed over 70% of his passes.

12. Holiday Bowl (Jan. 2, 8 p.m., Fox) No. 17 Arizona (9-3) vs. SMU (8-4)

The Wildcats have won their last five games following back-to-back losses to BYU and Houston. It’s just the second bowl game in eight seasons for Arizona and the Wildcats have the chance to win 10 games in each of those seasons. The Mustangs were in the ACC title game with a win over Cal in Week 14, but went down early and threw away a late comeback as Cal scored with 43 seconds to go in a 38-35 win.

11. Sun Bowl (Dec. 31, 2 p.m., CBS) Arizona State (8-4) vs. Duke (8-5)

The Blue Devils won the ACC and got a trip to El Paso in one of the best under-the-radar bowls every year. Arizona State seems unlikely to have QB Sam Leavitt as he’s played only seven games this season. But the career resurgence of Jeff Sims has been fun to watch after his struggles at Nebraska. Duke QB Darian Mensah was worth it for the Blue Devils as he immediately was one of the best QBs in the ACC after his transfer from Tulane.

10. Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30, 9 p.m., ESPN) No. 16 USC (9-3) vs. TCU (8-4)

It’s USC’s first trip to the Alamo Bowl as the Trojans look for just their fourth 10-win season over the past decade. With both teams averaging over 30 points per game and outside the top 40 in scoring defense, this could easily have the highest over/under of any bowl game. The Horned Frogs’ offense sputtered down the stretch, however. Before scoring 45 against Cincinnati in the regular-season finale, TCU hadn’t scored more than 17 points since October.

9. Music City Bowl (Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m., ESPN) Illinois (8-4) vs. Tennessee (8-4)

A team coached by Bret Bielema vs. a team coached by Josh Heupel is a contrast that could make for a very intriguing game. The Illini won three of their final four games while Tennessee lost two of its last four games. The Vols gave up more than 30 points in seven games this season. Can Illinois take advantage? QB Luke Altmyer was very efficient and WR Hank Beatty had a big first half of the season before slowing down in conference play.

8. Gator Bowl (Dec. 27, 7:30 p.m., ABC) Missouri (8-4) vs. No. 19 Virginia (10-3)

The Tigers have another chance for a win over a ranked opponent. Mizzou is 8-0 against unranked teams and 0-4 against ranked teams in 2025. RB Ahmad Hardy has rushed for 1,560 yards and 16 TDs after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. Virginia missed out on a fourth overtime win in the ACC title game against Duke but still has one more chance to win 11 games for the first time in school history.

7. Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 27, 3:30 p.m., ESPN) Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. BYU (11-2)

Had Notre Dame not opted out of a bowl game, we would have gotten the Fighting Irish against the Cougars. Georgia Tech is an adequate replacement. This will be a fun game between two offenses committed to running the football with quarterbacks who can run over defenders. Georgia Tech lost three of its last four games while BYU’s only losses came to Texas Tech.

6. ReliaQuest Bowl (Dec. 31, Noon, ESPN) No. 14 Vanderbilt (10-2) vs. No. 23 Iowa (8-4)

There’s a small chance Diego Pavia could enter this game as a Heisman winner. He should be a Heisman finalist regardless and he’ll want to cap his Vanderbilt career with a big win. Iowa’s defense will present a tough test and Mark Gronowski needs two passing touchdowns to become the first Iowa QB since Spencer Petras in 2021 to have 10 passing touchdowns. Three TD passes will give Gronowski 11 for the season and make him the most productive Iowa QB since Nathan Stanley threw 16 scores in 2019.

5. Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31, 3 p.m., ABC) No. 18 Michigan (9-3) vs. No. 13 Texas (9-3)

These two teams met a season ago in the regular season with the Longhorns getting a road win. They both look a lot different now and it should be the best non-playoff bowl game of the season. Texas QB Arch Manning has gotten better as the season has progressed and a few weeks of bowl practices for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood should be a real asset for the former five-star recruit’s development.

4. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., TNT) No. 12 James Madison (12-1) at No. 5 Oregon (11-1)

This game has the biggest spread of any first-round game for a good reason. Oregon can put up points in a hurry and James Madison played just one power conference opponent all season. That was JMU’s only loss as the Dukes fell 28-14 to Louisville in Week 2. Let’s hope that this game is better than the last time Oregon played a non-power conference opponent in a major bowl game. Two seasons ago, the Ducks obliterated Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl to spoil the Flames’ unbeaten season.

3. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m., TNT) No. 11 Tulane (11-2) at No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1)

It’s hard to get too excited about a rematch of a game that was 45-10. But there’s the added stakes of the College Football Playoff and the coaching situations surrounding each team. It’s the first game in charge for former Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin left for LSU. And it could be the last game with the Green Wave for Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall as he takes over at Florida in 2026.

2. CFP first-round game (Dec. 19, 8 p.m., ABC) No. 9 Alabama (10-3) at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2)

It was hard to justify putting a rematch at No. 1 even if the first game was exceptionally close. Alabama turned the ball over three times in its home loss to the Sooners in November. Those turnovers gave Oklahoma great field position. The Sooners had just 212 yards of total offense in the upset win. Can they count on forcing turnovers again? Alabama has committed half of its 12 turnovers over the past four games.

1. CFP first-round game (Dec. 20, noon, ABC) No. 10 Miami (10-2) at No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1)

Does the winner of this game get the ultimate bragging rights over Notre Dame? The Fighting Irish’s losses to both the Hurricanes and Aggies in the first two weeks of the season kept them out of the CFP and got Miami in. The Aggies had eyes on a first-round bye before losing to Texas on Black Friday and Miami has won five straight games after losing to Louisville. Carson Beck never faced Texas A&M while at Georgia and a win against the Aggies would give him the chance to start against his former team.

Contest Rules:
Please remember, this is supposed to be about fun and Trojan camaraderie.
There are no entry fees.
You must pick the straight up winner of every game. There are no points involved. If you do not pick a team for a bowl game, that will be considered a loss.
You must post your picks to the blog by December 19th at 12noon PT.
The contest will end at the conclusion of the College Football Championship game played on January 19, 2026.
The winner will be determined by who has picked the most winning teams. If there is a tie, the winner will be determined by which person guessed the total final score of championship game. If no one guesses the exact score the winner will be the person who guessed the number closest to the final total score.
First Prize is: 125.00
Second Prize is: 50.00
Third Prize is: 25.00
If two people end up in first place, then the first and second prize will be added together and that amount will be split between the two winners.
I will handle all disputes and my decision will be final.
Anyone can be removed from the contest for exhibiting poor sportsmanship, as determined by me.
By submitting entries to pick bowl winners you acknowledge you agree to these rules.
John Weld

TDB 2025/2026 Scorecard
Once you have determined your picks, copy and paste this to the blog. Leave the game number and then keep the team that you want to win and delete the team you think is going to lose.

26. Potato Bowl (Dec. 22, 2 p.m., ESPN) Washington State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

25.Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl (Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m., CW) Miami of Ohio (7-6) vs. Fresno State (8-4)