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