COLLEGE

Live updates: 2019 college football bowl destinations revealed

Danny Lawhon
The Des Moines Register

This season's bowl wait is over for Iowa and Iowa State. And it was sure worth it.

The No. 16 Hawkeyes (9-3) are off to the Holiday Bowl for the first time since 1991. They'll be taking on No. 22 USC on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

The Cyclones (7-5) are traveling to Orlando and the Camping World Bowl to face No. 15 Notre Dame on Dec. 28.

Objectively, those are two fantastic matchups for the state of Iowa's major college football teams.

Subjectively, those are two freaking fantastic matchups for the state of Iowa's major college teams.

I'll have more analysis on how this process unfolded and how each school fared.

Additionally, we'll have catch-all linked coverage for both teams shortly, and if you want to know how this exciting bowl selection day unfolded, scroll below.

IOWA STATE COVERAGE LINKS

IOWA COVERAGE LINKS

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Notable highlights from our day-long coverage:

  • College Football Playoff matchups at an 11:20 a.m. posting;
  • New Year's Six analysis and projections at 11:55 a.m.;
  • Big Ten and Big 12 affiliations, plus Danny's final observations at 12:30 p.m.;
  • National experts' predictions at 1:30 p.m.;
  • Full bowl list and TV schedule for Big Ten, Big 12 at 2:35 p.m.
  • Announcements and confirmations from 2-3 p.m.
  • And live tweets from national experts across the bowl sphere in our widget among Danny's thoughts.

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4:15 p.m.: Danny's final thoughts

There's been a ton posted here already, so I'l try to keep this as brief as I can.

I have to reiterate that both schools should be quite happy with their draws. Iowa gets its long-awaited Holiday Bowl trip. Iowa State mostly wins out in the free-for-all scrum in third place in the Big 12. Only Texas got the better bowl berth out of the four.

Extended thoughts below.

Iowa: This is the bowl game that the Hawkeyes deserved. It's maybe the tiniest bit fortunate that everything I detailed from the past several weeks ended up unfolded as I thought it might. Granted, that's just stuff going to script, but sports aren't scripted for a reason.

But these final rankings and assignments above the Hawkeyes left the perfect scenario for there to be no real debate about where Iowa was going to be placed. It pays to do the homework, and if you were following along, there shouldn't have been tons of surprises since the results in the West and in the title game were rather straightforward. And you know which teams couldn't be assigned where.

Iowa State: This is the much bigger victory and story under the circumstances. Simply put, the Cyclones were in a brand battle. There wasn't much on the field to distinguish themselves, Texas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, as we examined in detail earlier this week. 

Texas was always going to be the top dog among these four. Fair or unfair, that's just the reality. If Baylor wasn't among the New Year's Six, then that would have meant the Bears to the Alamo and Texas off to Orlando.

But Oklahoma making the playoff opened this door. So among Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Iowa State, the Iowa State brand wins out.

That's an important statement.

The Cyclones have fans who travel, a nationally-known and popular coaching name, and a coach who just signed another contract extension to add to brand stability.

That's a situation to be incredibly proud of if you're an Iowa State fan.

2:58 p.m.

The Iowa confirmation.

2:40 p.m.

The Iowa State confirmation.

2:35 p.m.

Here's the full list of Big Ten and Big 12 bowls and affiliations:

Big Ten

  • Fiesta (Playoff): Ohio State vs. Clemson, 7 p.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)
  • Rose (NY6): Wisconsin vs. Oregon, 4 p.m., Jan. 1 (ESPN)
  • Cotton (NY6): Penn State vs. Memphis, 11 a.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)
  • Citrus: Michigan vs. Alabama, noon, Jan. 1, Orlando, Fla. (ABC)
  • Outback: Minnesota vs. Auburn, noon, Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla. (ESPN)
  • Holiday: Iowa vs. USC, 7 p.m., Dec. 27, San Diego (Fox Sports 1)
  • Gator: Indiana vs. Kentucky, 6 p.m., Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla. (ESPN)
  • Pinstripe: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest, 2:20 p.m., Dec. 27, New York (ESPN)
  • Redbox: Illinois vs. California, 3 p.m., Dec. 30, Santa Clara, Calif. (Fox)

Big 12

  • Peach (Playoff): Oklahoma vs. LSU, 3 p.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)
  • Sugar (NY6): Baylor vs. Georgia, 7:45 p.m., Jan. 1 (ESPN)
  • Alamo: Texas vs. Utah, 6:30 p.m., Dec. 31, San Antonio (ESPN)
  • Camping World: Iowa State vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m., Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla. (ABC)
  • Texas: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, 5:45 p.m., Dec. 27, Houston (ESPN)
  • Liberty: Kansas State, vs. Navy, 2:45 p.m., Dec. 31, Memphis, Tenn. (ESPN)

2:29 p.m.

Unofficially USC in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa. So, officially. 

2:20 p.m.

Unless everyone is lying, here's the barest bones of what you need to know:

Camping World Bowl: Iowa State vs. No. 15 Notre Dame, 11 a.m. CT, Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla. (ABC)

Holiday Bowl: No. 16 Iowa vs. No. 22 USC, 7 p.m. CT, Dec. 27, San Diego (Fox Sports 1)

Full Big 12 and Big Ten lists to come, along with school confirmations.

2:14 p.m.

Auburn vs. Minnesota in the Outback Bowl, as expected. Not confirmed yet, but Iowa will be in the Holiday Bowl. Pack your bags to San Diego, Hawkeyes fans.

Process of elimination.

I'll post official-official confirmations here as soon as we have them.

2:10 p.m.

Brett McMurphy also reports Iowa State to the Camping World Bowl in Orlando against ... Notre Dame.

Oh yes, Cyclones fans. Giddy the hell up.

2:07 p.m.

Brett McMurphy of Stadium reports Alabama-Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. That almost assures Iowa of a Holiday Bowl berth. 

2:02 p.m.

New Year's Six bowls:

Rose Bowl: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 8 Wisconsin, 4 p.m., Jan. 1 (ESPN)

Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 7 Baylor, 7:45 p.m. Jan. 1 (ESPN)

Orange Bowl: No. 9 Florida vs. No. 24 Virginia, 7 p.m., Dec. 30 (ESPN)

Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 17 Memphis, 11 a.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)

2 p.m.

OK, the New Year's Six announcements are here in to ESPN. Fast and furious it's gonna come.

1:30 p.m.

OK, with a half-hour before we start getting New Year's Six teams and the avalanche begins, here's a last look at what other experts are saying.

Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Iowa State vs. SMU in Liberty Bowl; Iowa vs. USC in Holiday Bowl

Brett McMurphy, Stadium: Iowa State vs. Notre Dame in Camping World Bowl; Iowa vs. USC in Holiday Bowl

Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Iowa State vs. Texas A&M in Texas Bowl; Iowa vs. Alabama in Citrus Bowl

Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Iowa State vs. Navy in Liberty Bowl; Iowa vs. USC in Holiday Bowl

Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Iowa State vs. Navy in Liberty Bowl; Iowa vs. USC in Holiday Bowl

To summarize:

  • Iowa State: 3 Liberty Bowls, 1 Camping World Bowl, 1 Texas Bowl
  • Iowa: 4 Holiday Bowls, 1 Citrus Bowl

12:30 p.m.

Now, to set the stage for the Big 12 and Big Ten Conference's "regular" bowl affiliations and where Iowa and Iowa State are going to fit. Games are listed in order of when the bowls get to make their selections.

Big Ten Conference

  • Citrus: vs. SEC, noon, Jan. 1, Orlando, Fla. (ABC)
  • Outback: vs. SEC, noon, Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla. (ESPN)
  • Holiday: vs. Pac-12, 7 p.m., Dec. 27, San Diego (Fox Sports 1)
  • Gator: vs. SEC, 6 p.m., Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla. (ESPN)
  • Pinstripe: vs. ACC, 2:20 p.m., Dec. 27, New York (ESPN)
  • Redbox: vs. Pac-12, 3 p.m., Dec. 30, Santa Clara, Calif. (Fox)
  • Quick Lane: vs. at-large, 7 p.m., Dec. 26, Detroit (ESPN)

Big 12 Conference

  • Alamo: vs. Pac-12, 6:30 p.m., Dec. 31, San Antonio (ESPN)
  • Camping World: vs. ACC/Notre Dame, 11 a.m., Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla. (ABC)
  • Texas: vs. SEC, 5:45 p.m., Dec. 27, Houston (ESPN)
  • Liberty: vs. SEC/at-large, 2:45 p.m., Dec. 31, Memphis, Tenn. (ESPN)
  • *Cheez-It: vs. Pac-12/at-large, 9:15 p.m., Dec. 27 (ESPN)

* — The Big 12 does have enough bowl-eligible teams this season to fill a spot in the Cheez-It Bowl. 

Big Ten: I exhaustively detailed why the best-case scenario for Iowa yesterday was for LSU to beat Georgia, and for Wisconsin to look competitive against Ohio State.

Consider that 2-for-2 for the Hawkeyes. What does that mean? To me, I think we'll see three teams in the New Year's Six, thus opening up Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota for the top-three non-NY6 spots available.

The conference has rules that bowl games are supposed to follow. If interested, click here. Not worth explaining again in full.

But the "rules" are supposed to prohibit both Michigan and Iowa from playing in the Outback, so Minnesota will almost certainly go there.

We spent the week leading up to today talking about whether Michigan or Iowa would be selected for the Holiday Bowl if it was a head-to-head matchup. Reading the tea leaves, such a scenario is now likely about who gets to go to the Citrus Bowl, and who goes to the Holiday. Especially if Alabama or Auburn is in Orlando, I don't know how you don't put the Michigan brand and Jim Harbaugh against either of those schools (no offense meant to Kirk Ferentz and Iowa). So Michigan to the Citrus, to me.

But hey, Hawkeyes fans have wanted to go to the Holiday Bowl for a while. It's been 28 years. I think Iowa to San Diego is a superb destination.

Big 12: Much tougher to project. The four-way tie for third place in the conference creates a mess for the four available spots among the league. There's no process to make sure that certain teams can't be repeat bowl selections, or that other teams can't be leapfrogged for brand purposes. So it's a bit of a free-for-all.

All this goes out the window if we go by the merits, in which I would say the order should be Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Iowa State.

Going by brand recognition and potential value, though, which I'd say trumps other considerations in this instance, I'll say the Alamo takes Texas. That's the biggest bang for their buck. The Camping World wanted Iowa State last year, and the company's CEO is tweeting hints about Notre Dame and the Cyclones. I wouldn't have thought so until an hour ago, but I'm not ignoring that evidence. So Cyclones to Orlando?

At that point, let's put Oklahoma State in Houston. The Cowboys' have a slightly shorter distance to travel and were ranked higher to end the season. Kansas State to the Liberty Bowl would be someone of a slight in Chris Klieman's overachieving first season, but someone has to lose out in this game of musical chairs.

12 p.m.

My initial analysis on the game times for the playoff semifinals was correct. LSU-Oklahoma will be at 3 p.m. on Dec. 28, with Ohio State-Clemson to follow for the nighttime contest.

11:55 a.m.

We'll now be in more or less a 2½-hour waiting period for the other four New Year's Six matchups and final top-25 CFP rankings to be revealed. At that point, that's when the next bowls are revealed, although we know the placements for a couple them by virtual default:

Rose Bowl: Big Ten team vs. Oregon, 4 p.m., Jan. 1 (ESPN)

The Ducks have the Pac-12's automatic spot by beating Utah on Friday night. The debate for the selection committee is whether to put Wisconsin or Penn State in Pasadena. Conventional wisdom is that Wisconsin's praiseworthy effort Saturday night against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game would be enough to get the 10-3 West Division champions over the top against the Nittany Lions (10-2). Of note: Wisconsin won at Minnesota to close the regular season. Penn State couldn't get its victory in Minneapolis. That might be the resume-sealer.

Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. SEC team, 7:45 p.m., Jan. 1 (ESPN)

The Bears (11-2) are the only logical replacement here for Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion who is in the playoff. They're three wins clear of the next-best Big 12 team. That's a done deal.

The SEC must also find a replacement for LSU, its champion, also in the playoff. The logical choice here in Georgia (11-2), the East Division winner. But there is at least enough doubt to not lock that one in yet.

... But it'll be the Bulldogs. 

Orange Bowl: Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame vs. Virginia, 7 p.m., Dec. 30 (ESPN)

The replacement for Clemson, the ACC champion, will almost certainly be Virginia (9-4), the Tigers' foe in the conference championship game and the league's only other team in the most recent CFP Top 25 poll.

The other representative is the highest-ranked team from the above list not already assigned to another New Year's Six game. Conventional wisdom is that Florida (10-2), ranked ninth in the most recent CFP poll, will get a home-state assignment. But we have to see the final rankings first.

Cotton Bowl: At-large team vs. Group of Five, 11 a.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)

This matchup has the most wiggle room to it, just because the of the at-large nature. Basically, you're looking at the best remaining team in around the No. 10 spot in the playoff rankings to take that bid. Again, the prevailing logic here is that whichever of Penn State or Wisconsin is NOT selected to the Rose Bowl will land here.

As for the "group of five" designation, the highest-ranked team from the collection of the American Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt is guaranteed a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game. Heading into conference championship weekend, Memphis (American) was at No. 17, a spot behind 16th-ranked Iowa.

The Tigers are now 12-1 after beating Cincinnati 29-24 in the league finale. It's fully expected that Memphis will be taking this spot come 2 p.m.

11:20 a.m.

The playoff teams were no surprise. Here are the matchups and dates for the national semifinals.

Peach Bowl: No. 1 LSU (13-0) vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1), 3 or 7 p.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN) 

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State (13-0) vs. No. 3 Clemson (13-0), 3 or 7 p.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)

Now, the times are official yet, but Ohio State-Clemson is the more intriguing matchup to me. I'd put that in prime time, and the Fiesta being in the West supports that.

As to the matchups themselves, I agree entirely with the rankings. Ohio State may have closed with a gauntlet, but LSU was tested by highly-ranked teams at several points throughout the season. Their September-to-December resume is a little stronger to me.

Buckeyes vs. the Dabo Dynasty, though? Heck yeah.

[NOON UPDATE: Times are now confirmed. LSU-Oklahoma at 3 p.m., Ohio State-Clemson at 7 p.m.]

11:08 a.m.

Clemson is eating pizza. Oklahoma's coach is on recruiting trips, not pins and needles. ... Really high drama for this top four. You can see why ESPN wants the debate.

11:02 a.m.

Good morning, everyone! Saturday went according to plan for the College Football Playoff committee, who have a relatively painless job this morning beyond determining a No. 1 seed. LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma should be the representatives.

But for Iowa and Iowa State, both teams got relatively good news. LSU defeated Georgia in the SEC Championship game, which should keep a Big Ten team from having to take the Orange Bowl slot unless there's a significant surprise. That helps the primary scenario in which Iowa heads to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego without much hand-wringing.

For the Cyclones, Oklahoma's likely spot in the playoff puts Baylor in the Sugar Bowl, which could open up Texas to be chosen for the Alamo Bowl. From there, the Camping World Bowl would have quite the dilemma between Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

Strap in.

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Here's the full bowl schedule, listed by College Football Playoff games, New Year's Six selections and then chronologically.

All times Central.

College Football Playoff

Semifinals

Dec. 28 — Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, ESPN, 7 p.m. 

Championship

Jan. 13 — College Football Playoff title game: Semifinal winners, ESPN, 7 p.m.

New Year's Six

Dec. 28 — Cotton Bowl: Penn State vs. Memphis, ESPN, 11 a.m.

Dec. 30 — Orange Bowl: Virginia vs. Florida, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Georgia, ESPN, 7:45 p.m.

Other bowl games

Dec. 20 — Bahamas Bowl: Charlotte vs. Buffalo, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Dec. 20 — Frisco Bowl: Kent State vs. Utah State, ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern, CBSSN, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU, ABC, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State, ESPN, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, ABC, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Orleans Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Appalachian State, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 23 — Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. Central Florida, ESPN, 1:30 p.m.

Dec. 24 — Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Dec. 26 — Independence Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Louisiana Tech, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Dec. 26 — Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Pittsburgh, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple, ESPN, 11 a.m.    

Dec. 27 — Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Michigan State, ESPN, 2:20 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, ESPN, 5:45 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Holiday Bowl: Iowa vs. Southern California, FS1, 7 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State, ESPN, 9:15 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State, ABC, 11 a.m.

Dec. 30 — First Responder Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky, ESPN, 11:30 a.m.

Dec. 30 — Redbox Bowl: Illinois vs. California, Fox, 3 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Music City Bowl: Louisville vs. Mississippi State, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky, ESPN, 11 a.m.

Dec. 31 — Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State, CBS, 1 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Navy, ESPN, 2:45 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State, CBSSN, 3:30 p.m. 

Dec. 31 — Alamo Bowl: Utah vs. Texas, ESPN, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan, ABC, noon

Jan. 1 — Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn, ESPN, noon

Jan. 2 — Birmingham Bowl: Boston College vs. Cincinnati, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee, ESPN, 6 p.m.

Jan. 3 — Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Nevada, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 4 — Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane, ESPN, 10:30 a.m.

Jan. 6 — Mobile Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, ESPN, 6:30 p.m.