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Boca Raton, Armed Forces, Hawaii, Camelia bowls set
The latest on the college football playoffs, bowl matchups and other news on selection Sunday (all times EST).
5:18 p.m.
BOCA RATON BOWL: Temple and Toledo will meet in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.
And don't expect a whole lot of points in this one.
Temple (10-3) led the American Athletic Conference, allowing only 19.2 points per game. Toledo (9-2) led the Mid-American Conference and was nearly just as stingy, giving up 21.1 points per contest.
Toledo is looking for its first 10-win season since 2001. Temple is in a bowl game for only the fifth time, joining trips after the 1934, 1979, 2009 and 2011 seasons.
Marshall beat Northern Illinois in last year's inaugural edition of the game.
5:18 p.m.
ARMED FORCES BOWL: Air Force and Cal will square off in the Armed Forces Bowl.
It'll be a rematch of the 2007 bowl game in Fort Worth, when the Golden Bears rallied with 28 second-half points to stun the Falcons 42-36.
Air Force went 8-5 and 6-2 in the Mountain West in the regular season, losing to San Diego State in the league title game.
Cal is 7-5, and beat Arizona State 48-46 in its regular season finale.
The game is Dec. 29 in Fort Worth, Texas.
5:18 p.m.
HAWAII BOWL: Mountain West Conference champion San Diego State will play Cincinnati in the Hawaii Bowl.
The Aztecs (11-2) edged Air Force 27-24 for the conference title. San Diego State has won nine straight games, one shy of the school record.
The Bearcats (7-4) bounced back from a 65-27 loss to South Florida with a 19-16 victory over East Carolina in their regular season finale on a 42-yard field goal by Andrew Glantz as the game ended.
The game will be played Dec. 24 in Honolulu.
5:18 p.m.
FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Akron will face Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Akron (7-5) finished the regular season with four straight victories and finished third in the East Division of the Mid-American Conference.
Utah State (6-6) will make its third appearance in the Boise, Idaho, game since 2011. The Utes will appear in a school record fifth straight blwo games.
The game will be played Dec. 22 on the blue field of Boise State University.
5:18 p.m.
CAMELIA BOWL: Fledgling FBS team Appalachian State is making its bowl debut against Ohio in the Camelia Bowl on Dec. 19.
The Mountaineers (10-2) joined the Sun Belt Conference last season, when the Camelia Bowl also debuted in Montgomery, Alabama. They're only the second Sun Belt team to reach double digits in wins during the regular season and fourth overall.
Three-time FCS national champion Appalachian State finished second in the Sun Belt.
Ohio (8-4) finished in a tie for second place in the MAC Eastern Division. This is the Bobcats' sixth bowl appearance in the last seven seasons.
5:10 p.m.
LAS VEGAS BOWL: BYU and Utah, with campuses just 43 miles apart, will face each other in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The teams did not meet in the regular season.
This will be the farewell game for Bronco Mendenhall as BYU's coach. He will take over the as coach at Virginia after the game. Mendenhall spent 11 seasons with the Cougars, winning 70 percent of his games.
BYU (9-3) won nine games despite losing quarterback Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal Williams to injuries for most of the season.
Utah (9-3) won its first six games and was as high as No. 4 in the Top 25 but went 3-3 after that, with losses to USC, UCLA and Arizona. The Utes lost standout running back Devontae Booker with a torn meniscus in the Arizona game.
5:06 p.m.
PINSTRIPE BOWL: Indiana's long bowl drought is over. The Hoosiers will play Duke in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 26.
The Hoosiers (6-6), who are in their first bowl since 2007, had been tied with Colorado for most years without a postseason appearance. Duke (7-5) is in a bowl for the fourth straight year.
The teams will be meeting for the first time since the 1984 season opener, a 31-24 Duke victory. The Hoosiers and Blue Devils had one common opponent this season, with both beating Wake Forest.
4:53 p.m.
OUTBACK BOWL: Two teams riding five-game winning streaks will meet in the Outback Bowl.
No. 12 Northwestern (10-2, No. 13 CFP) and Tennessee (8-4, No. 23 CFP) will play for the second time on New Year's Day. The Volunteers won the previous meeting in 1997.
Four of the Wildcats' five straight wins have been decided by seven points of less.
Tennessee's four losses have come by a combined 17 points to teams with a combined record of 39-8, including two of the four College Football Playoff teams (Alabama, Oklahoma).
Northwestern is making its 12th bowl appearance and second straight in Florida. Northwestern's last trip to the Sunshine State came in the 2013 TaxSlayer Bowl and resulted in the program's first postseason victory since 1949.
4:45 p.m.
FOSTER FARMS BOWL: Nebraska will take its 5-7 record to Santa Clara, California to play UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
The Cornhuskers were bowl eligible because there weren't enough 6-6 teams to fill out the bowl schedule.
Nebraska, in its first season under coach Mike Riley, won two of its last three, including a 39-38 win over Michigan State.
UCLA (8-4) had a chance to play in the Rose Bowl but lost to rival USC. The Bruins were 5-4 in the conference, one game behind the Pac-12 South champion Trojans.
Nebraska is one of three 5-7 teams to receive a bowl invitation.
4:38 p.m.
CITRUS BOWL: Jim Harbaugh gets to coach in a bowl game when Michigan takes on Florida in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Florida.
The school are meeting for the third time, with the Wolverines (9-3, No. 14 CFP) winning the first two. Michigan beat the Gators in the 2003 Outback Bowl and in the 2008 Capital One Bowl.
Florida (10-3, No. 19 CFP) dropped its last two games, scoring just one offensive touchdown in losses to Florida State and Alabama.
The Gators have won seven of their last nine bowl games. Michigan has won just three of its last 11 bowl games.
4:30 p.m.
RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL: Baylor and North Carolina play for the first time when the teams meet in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29 in Orlando, Florida.
Though the Bears (9-3, No. 17 CFP) and Tar Heels (11-2, No. 10 CFP) are still in a fairly high-profile bowl, recent losses have put a damper on promising seasons.
Baylor started 8-0, but lost three out of its past four games, including 23-17 o Texas on Saturday. The Bears have been hurt by injuries - they were down to their fourth-string quarterback Lynx Hawthorne during the Texas loss.
North Carolina won 11 straight before falling to Clemson in the ACC championship game on Saturday.
4:25 p.m.
SUGAR BOWL: Mississippi and Oklahoma State get to renew their recent postseason rivalry in the Sugar Bowl.
This will be the third time since 2004 that the Rebels (9-3, No. 12 CFP) and Cowboys (10-2, No. 16 CFP) meet in the postseason. The first two meetings were at the Cotton Bowl and Ole Miss won both - 31-28 on Jan. 2, 2004 and 21-7 on Jan. 2, 2010.
Now they will play in the Superdome on Jan. 1 at 8:30 p.m.
Ole Miss returns to a New Year's Six bowl for the second straight season.
The Cowboys won their first 10 games of the season before back-to-back losses to Baylor and Oklahoma.
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4:19 p.m.
ROSE BOWL: A perfect season ended in the final seconds in the Big Ten title game, Iowa's consolation prize is a spot in the Rose Bowl against Pac-12 champion Stanford on Jan. 1.
The Hawkeyes (12-1, No. 5 CFP) beat out Ohio State to earn their first trip to Pasadena since Jan. 1, 1991.
Iowa put together a surprising 12-0 regular season before falling agonizingly short of the four-team playoff, losing to Michigan State on Saturday night.
While the Hawkeyes haven't made the Rose Bowl in a generation, Pasadena has become a second home for Stanford.
The Cardinal (11-2, No. 6 CFP) earned their third Rose Bowl berth in four years by beating Southern California on Saturday night.
4:11 p.m.
SUN BOWL: Miami and Washington State are headed to the Southwest for the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 26.
The Hurricanes closed out a tumultuous season with an 8-4 record after firing coach Al Golden after a 58-0 loss to Clemson, and recently hiring former Georgia coach Mark Richt as their new coach.
The Cougars are a surprising 8-4 and are in their second bowl in the last three seasons under coach Mike Leach.
Washington State is led by sophomore quarterback Luke Falk, who averages 387.8 yards passing per game - tops in the country. Falk missed the Cougars' final game of the regular season with a concussion.
3:57 p.m.
PEACH BOWL: Houston and its high-scoring offense will take on Florida State on New Year's Eve in the Peach Bowl.
The Seminoles (10-2, No. 9 CFP) won the national championship two years ago and reached the college football playoffs last season, losing to Oregon in the semifinals.
Coach Jimbo Fisher's team lost to Georgia Tech and No. 1 Clemson.
Houston (12-1, No. 18 CFP) claimed a spot in a major bowl as the top-ranked team from the Group of Five conferences. The Cougars won the American Athletic Conference.
3:50 p.m.
ST. PETERSBURG BOWL: Marshall and Connecticut are going to the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26.
Marshall (9-3) is looking for its third bowl win in as many seasons, and brings coach Doc Holliday back to Florida - a place where he's recruited well. The Herd won the Boca Raton Bowl last year.
Connecticut (6-6) was 3-5 at one point, then finished with three wins in its last four games. The Huskies also knocked off Houston, probably the biggest reason why they ended up bowl-bound for the first time since their Fiesta Bowl run to end the 2010 season.
Tropicana Field - home of baseball's Tampa Bay Rays - is the game site.
3:41 p.m.
The Fiesta Bowl gets another marquee matchup.
The New Year's Day bowl will feature Ohio State and Notre Dame, two teams in the college football playoff mix until late in the season.
The defending champion Buckeyes (11-1) lost their only game to Michigan State and needed help to get into college football's final four. They didn't get it and wind up No. 7 in the final CFP ranking.
Notre Dame (10-2) fought through a slew of injuries to finish four points shy of a perfect record. The Fighting Irish are No. 8 in the final rankings.
3:37 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech will meet for the first time since 1998 when they play in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 19.
Arkansas State (9-3) won the Sun Belt Conference after a dominant 55-17 win over Texas State on Saturday.
Louisiana Tech (8-4) finished second in Conference USA's Western Division. The Bulldogs are led by former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel, who transferred during the offseason and has thrown for 3,575 yards and 24 touchdowns.
3:26 p.m.
MIAMI BEACH BOWL: Western Kentucky and South Florida are heading to the Miami Beach Bowl on Dec. 21.
Western Kentucky (11-2) won the Conference USA title and features quarterback Brandon Doughty, who leads the nation with 45 touchdown passes this season.
South Florida (8-4) finished on a four-game winning streak, and has a chance for its first nine-win season since 2007. USF has won the last four meetings between the schools, the last of those coming in 2010.
The game is played at Marlins Park - about a 15-minute drive from Miami Beach. Last season, the bowl debuted with Memphis topping BYU 55-48.
3:17 p.m.
And the bowl matchups are rolling in:
As expected, it will be Iowa vs. Stanford in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, featuring the Big Ten Conference runner-up against the Pac 12-champion Cardinal and their Heisman contender Christian McCaffrey.
Also on Jan. 1, the Sugar Bowl will match Mississippi against Oklahoma State and the Fiesta Bowl has Notre Dame against Ohio State.
On Dec. 31, the Peach Bowl pits AAC champion Houston against Florida State.
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3:04 p.m.
Pizza for 20,000!
A huge pizza party is taking place at Death Valley to celebrate Clemson's unbeaten season and college playoff berth to play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.
Coach Dabo Swinney is making good on his promise for a postseason pizza shindig at Memorial Stadium. About a month ago, the coach said it'd be pizza for everyone it the Tigers made the playoffs.
Swinney told crowd, ''I know I open my mouth sometimes, but this is incredible.''
Swinney had wide grin on his face most of the time, and raised both fists in the air, pumping them to the fans' applause when Clemson was announced as the top seed.
Fans dressed in purple and orange filled half the lower bowl at the 81,000-seat stadium.
2:39 p.m.
The starting times for the college football playoff games are set, according to ESPN. No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma starts at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl; and No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State starts at 8 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the Cotton Bowl.
2:11 p.m.
On bowl selection day, Georgia chose a coach.
The Bulldogs hired Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart on Sunday, hoping he can accomplish what has been routine for the Crimson Tide but eluded Mark Richt during his 15 years between the hedges: Win a national title.
Smart was formally approved as Richt's successor during a meeting by the Georgia athletic association executive committee.
Smart played at Georgia in the 1990s and has been Nick Saban's defensive coordinator at Alabama since 2008.
Smart was expected to remain at Alabama through the playoffs, though Saban would surely carve out time for him to handle some of his new duties at Georgia.
1:59 p.m.
Heisman Trophy contender Baker Mayfield and coach Bob Stoops were out of town. Dabo Swinney was making good on his pizza party promise. Alabama players were allowed to sleep in.
That's what was happening when the college football playoff pairings were announced on Sunday, matching No. 1 Clemson against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31 and No. 2 Alabama against No. 4 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31
In Norman, Oklahoma, assistant coaches, players and fans attended a watch party while quarterback and coach were traveling.
In Clemson, South Carolina, thousands were in attendance to feast on the Tigers' success and a whole lot of pizza pies.
In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the Tide is preparing for a second straight playoff appearance, it was just another Sunday. So players were allowed to sleep in.
1:26 p.m.
BAHAMAS BOWL: Western Michigan will face Middle Tennessee on Dec. 24 in the Bahamas Bowl at Nassau's Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
The Broncos (7-5) earned a share of the Mid-American Conference West title and are in their second straight bowl after winning six of their past eight. They have the top receiving duo in the country in Daniel Braverman and Corey Davis.
Middle Tennessee (7-5) of Conference USA takes a four-game win streak to the Bahamas for their first bowl since 2013. The Blue Raiders are led by a pair of freshmen in QB Brent Stockstill and receiver Richie James.
1:15 p.m.
Alabama and Michigan State have been to the Cotton Bowl before, and not too long ago.
This time, the teams will be at AT&T Stadium to play each other in the college football playoff semifinals on Dec. 31.
The Big Ten champion Spartans completed last season on New Year's Day playing in their first Cotton Bowl. The SEC champion Crimson Tide opened this season with a victory over Wisconsin at the stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
The matchup is just the second between the teams. Alabama beat Michigan State 49-7 in the 2011 Capital One Bowl.
Alabama's Nick Saban was the coach at Michigan State from 1995-1999 before leaving for LSU, the Miami Dolphins and moving on to Tuscaloosa in 2007.
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1:01 p.m.
Jeff Long says the decision was easy to select the top four teams for the College Football Playoff, calling Clemson ''clearly the No. 1 team in the country.''
Long is the chairman of the CFP selection committee - a 12-person group that makes the final decisions.
The pairings announced Sunday will send unbeaten ACC champion Clemson (13-0) against Big 12 champion Oklahoma (11-1) in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, and SEC champion Alabama (12-1) against Big Ten champion Michigan State (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31
Perhaps the biggest debate was Michigan State finishing ahead of Oklahoma.
Long says the committee spent most of its time discussing Spartans-Sooners, mentioning that both teams are conference champs, have wins over Top 25 teams, and pointing out Michigan State has two wins over top 10 teams plus a win over the No. 4 team (Iowa) on Saturday night.
He says the Spartans' ''body of work was just slightly ahead of Oklahoma.''
12:46 p.m.
No. 1 Clemson meets No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, one of the two semifinal matchups in this season's College Football Playoff and a rematch of a bowl game from last season.
Only this time, the stakes will be a bit higher. Way higher, actually.
The Tigers are well-versed in how to get around Sun Life Stadium, and embarrassed Miami 58-0 earlier this season on the same field they'll see for the bowl game.
Oklahoma will be in the Orange for the 19th time, the most of any school. The Sooners were thought to be doomed by a midseason loss to Texas, but have won seven straight by a combined score of 364-136 to get into the CFP mix.
Clemson beat Oklahoma 40-6 in last season's Russell Athletic Bowl.
The winner of this game meets either Alabama or Michigan State for the CFP national championship.
12:34 p.m.
Finally, we have our playoff pairings!
And really, there can't be too many arguments, can there?
Clemson finishes No. 1 in the College Football Ranking and will play No. 4 Oklahoma in one playoff semifinal, the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.
Alabama finishes No. 2 in the final ranking, and will play No. 3 Michigan State in the other semifinal, the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
The winners will play for the national championship on Jan. 11 in Glendale, Arizona.
Alabama and Clemson won conference title games on Saturday night and held their ranking. Michigan State handed Iowa its first loss in the Big Ten title game to move into the playoffs, while Oklahoma had already completed its season and held on for the final playoff spot.
Clemson goes into the playoffs as the only undefeated team.
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Noon
Alcorn State will face North Carolina A&T in the inaugural Celebration Bowl.
The Celebration Bowl pits the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion against the Southwestern Athletic Conference winner. The game takes place Dec. 19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Alcorn State clinched its invite by winning the SWAC championship Saturday, 49-21 over Grambling State.
North Carolina A&T shared the MEAC title with Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central. North Carolina A&T got the bowl spot because of a higher Sagarin rating.
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11:46 a.m.
The final regular-season Top 25 is out and Michigan State has moved up two spots to No. 3 behind Clemson and Alabama.
The Associated Press' poll has been released before the College Football Playoff selection committee reveals the field for the national semifinals.
Playoff pairings will be announced at 12:30 p.m.
No. 1 Clemson receives 59 first-place votes, No. 2 Alabama has nine, and Michigan State one from the media panel.
The Spartans, who were No. 2 early in the season, edge up after beating Iowa 16-13 in the Big Ten championship game.
Oklahoma slips one spot to No. 4. Stanford moves up to No. 5 after winning the Pac-12 title. Iowa drops two spots to sixth after its first loss.
Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina round out the top 10.
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11:15 a.m.
The Associated Press plans to release its final regular-season Top 25 poll before the four-team college football playoffs and the rest of the bowl pairings are announced.
The college football playoffs show begins at noon on ESPN.
There could be a few changes near the top of the AP poll following Saturday night's conference title games. The biggest could come from the Big Ten championship game, where Michigan State handed Iowa its first loss of the year.
Going into the game, Iowa was No. 4 in the College Football Ranking, with Michigan State No. 5. The top two teams, Alabama and Clemson, won their conference title games, while No. 3 Oklahoma did not play.
The four teams in line for the playoffs appear to be Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan State.
