NCAAF teams
Mark SchlabachBrett McMurphy 9y

Bowl projections: TCU, Auburn both CFP semifinal picks

College Football, TCU Horned Frogs, Auburn Tigers, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Michigan State Spartans, Ohio State Buckeyes

The start of the 2015 college football season is upon us, and it's never too early to start talking bowl lineups.

Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach each have common teams making the College Football Playoff semifinals: TCU in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and Auburn in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Schlabach has defending national champion Ohio State facing the Tigers, while McMurphy projected Big Ten foe Michigan State as their opponent. In the Cotton Bowl, each had a Pac-12 opponent for TCU, with McMurphy choosing USC and Schlabach choosing Oregon.

A year ago, McMurphy correctly picked three of the four teams who played in the inaugural College Football Playoff (Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon), while Schlabach correctly picked two (Alabama and Florida State).

(NOTE: All times Eastern)

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Sat. Dec. 19, 2 p.m. (ABC)

Schlabach: Rice vs. Nevada
McMurphy: Wyoming vs. Louisiana Tech


Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sat., Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

Schlabach: Washington vs. BYU
McMurphy: Boise State vs. Cal


Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Sat., Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Akron vs. Appalachian State
McMurphy: Ball State vs. Georgia Southern


AutoNation Cure Bowl

Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Sat., Dec. 19, 7 p.m. (CBSSN)

Schlabach: ECU vs. Georgia Southern
McMurphy: Temple vs. Appalachian State


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Sat., Dec. 19, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: UTEP vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
McMurphy: Southern Miss vs. Louisiana-Lafayette


Miami Beach Bowl

Marlins Park, Miami, Florida
Mon., Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: UCF vs. Marshall
McMurphy: UCF vs. Western Kentucky


Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
Tues., Dec. 22, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Toledo vs. Colorado State
McMurphy: Fresno State vs. Western Michigan


Boca Raton Bowl

FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
Tues., Dec. 22, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Temple vs. Bowling Green
McMurphy: East Carolina vs. Toledo


San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Wed., Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: San Diego State vs. Utah
McMurphy: San Diego State vs. Duke


GoDaddy Bowl

Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
Wed., Dec. 23, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Western Michigan vs. Arkansas State
McMurphy: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State


Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
Thurs., Dec. 24, noon (ESPN)

Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois
McMurphy: Middle Tennessee vs. Bowling Green


Hawai'i Bowl

Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii
Thurs., Dec. 24, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Boise State vs. Cincinnati
McMurphy: BYU vs. Houston


St. Petersburg Bowl

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Sat., Dec. 26, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Houston vs. Middle Tennessee
McMurphy: Cincinnati vs. Marshall


Hyundai Sun Bowl

Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
Sat., Dec. 26, 2 p.m. (CBS)

Schlabach: NC State vs. Arizona
McMurphy: Virginia Tech vs. Utah


Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl

Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
Sat., Dec. 26, 2:20 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. Western Kentucky
McMurphy: Rutgers vs. Rice


New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Sat., Dec. 26, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

Schlabach: Louisville vs. Nebraska
McMurphy: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa


Camping World Independence Bowl

Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana

Sat., Dec. 26, 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: UNC vs. Kentucky
McMurphy: North Carolina vs. Florida


Foster Farms Bowl

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Sat., Dec. 26, 9:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Northwestern vs. USC
McMurphy: Minnesota vs. Stanford


Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman

Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland
Mon., Dec. 28, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Pitt vs. Navy
McMurphy: Miami vs. Navy


Quick Lane Bowl

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Mon., Dec. 28, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)

Schlabach: Duke vs. Iowa
McMurphy: Pitt vs. Indiana


Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Ft. Worth, Texas
Tues., Dec. 29, 2 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Rutgers vs. Air Force
McMurphy: New Mexico vs. Maryland


Russell Athletic Bowl

Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Tues., Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State
McMurphy: Florida State vs. Oklahoma


AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl

NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Tues., Dec. 29, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
McMurphy: Texas vs. Texas A&M


Birmingham Bowl

Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
Wed., Dec. 30, noon (ESPN)

Schlabach: Mississippi State vs. Memphis
McMurphy: Mississippi State vs. Memphis


Belk Bowl

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Wed., Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina
McMurphy: NC State vs. Tennessee


Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Wed., Dec. 30, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ole Miss vs. Michigan
McMurphy: Missouri vs. Michigan


National University Holiday Bowl

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Wed., Dec. 30, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Penn State vs. UCLA
McMurphy: Penn State vs. Arizona


Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Thurs., Dec. 31, noon (ESPN)

Schlabach: Georgia vs. Clemson
McMurphy: Arizona State vs. Clemson


College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: TCU vs. Oregon
McMurphy: TCU vs. USC


College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl

Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Thurs., Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Auburn
McMurphy: Michigan State vs. Auburn


Outback Bowl

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Fri., Jan. 1, noon (ESPN2)

Schlabach: Minnesota vs. Tennessee
McMurphy: Nebraska vs. LSU


Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl

Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Fri., Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (ABC)

Schlabach: Wisconsin vs. LSU
McMurphy: Wisconsin vs. Georgia


Fiesta Bowl

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Fri., Jan. 1, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Utah State vs. Notre Dame
McMurphy: Utah State vs. Notre Dame


Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Fri., Jan. 1, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Arizona State vs. Michigan State
McMurphy: Ohio State vs. Oregon


Allstate Sugar Bowl

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Fri., Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Alabama vs. Baylor
McMurphy: Alabama vs. Baylor


TaxSlayer Bowl

EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
Sat., Jan. 2, noon (ESPN)

Schlabach: Florida State vs. Arkansas
McMurphy: Ole Miss vs. Louisville


AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tennessee
Sat., Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Texas vs. Missouri
McMurphy: Kansas State vs. Arkansas


Valero Alamo Bowl

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
Sat., Jan. 2, 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Oklahoma vs. Stanford
McMurphy: Oklahoma State vs. UCLA


Cactus Bowl

Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona
Sat., Jan. 2, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: West Virginia vs. Cal
McMurphy: West Virginia vs. Washington


College Football Playoff National Championship

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Mon., Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Schlabach: Ohio State vs. TCU
McMurphy: TCU vs. Auburn

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