2021-22 college football bowl affiliations by conference
The college football bowl schedule will be largely announced on Sunday, with the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowl games going first, followed by the rest of the slate.
For the power conferences, the tie-ins are pretty squarely defined. For the Group of 5, it is less defined.
Here's how the bowl tie-ins and affiliations break down by conference.
NOTE: The highest-ranked conference champion from the non-Power 5 leagues will earn a bid to a New Year's Six bowl. Notre Dame can be selected for any ACC bowl.
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AAC
The bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Fenway Bowl vs. ACC
Military Bowl vs. AAC
Hawaii Bowl vs. Mountain West
AAC can also slot up to four teams (or more, depending on availability) into these bowls:
Myrtle Beach Bowl vs. MAC or Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl vs. At-large
First Responder Bowl vs. ACC, Big 12 or PAC-12
Birmingham Bowl vs. SEC
Cure Bowl vs. At-large
Frisco Bowl vs. At-Large
Gasparilla Bowl vs. ACC, PAC-12 or SEC
New Mexico Bowl vs. At-large
ACC
Notre Dame is eligible for any ACC bowl tie-in as long as it's within a game of the record of another bowl eligible team in the league.
College Football Playoff, if applicable
ACC Champion will play in a New Year's Six bowl game if not in the CFP.
The next tier of bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Cheez-It Bowl vs. Big 12
Gator Bowl vs. SEC
Holiday Bowl vs. PAC-12
Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. SEC
Sun Bowl vs. Pac-12
New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. Big Ten
Fenway Bowl vs. AAC
Military Bowl vs. AAC
These bowls will select after the above bowls make their choice.
Gasparilla Bowl vs. SEC, PAC-12 or AAC
Birmingham Bowl vs. SEC or AAC
First Responder Bowl vs. SEC, PAC-12 or AAC
Big Ten
College Football Playoff, if applicable
1. Rose Bowl vs. Pac-12
Any at-large New Year's Six berths can come after the Rose Bowl slot is filled. If Big Ten Champion is in CFP semifinals, the next highest-ranked Big Ten team would go to the Rose Bowl.
2. Citrus Bowl vs. SEC
3. Outback Bowl vs. SEC
4. Las Vegas Bowl vs. Pac-12
5. Music City Bowl vs. SEC
6. Pinstripe Bowl vs. ACC
7. Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Big 12
8. Redbox Bowl vs. Pac-12
9. Quick Lane Bowl vs. MAC
Big 12
College Football Playoff, if applicable
1. Sugar Bowl vs. SEC
Any at-large New Year's Six berths can come after the Sugar Bowl slot is filled. If Big 12 Champion is in CFP semifinals, the next highest-ranked Big 12 team would go to the Sugar Bowl.
2. Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Pac-12
3. Cheez-It Bowl vs. ACC
4. Texas Bowl vs. SEC
5. AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. SEC
6. Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Big Ten
Conference USA
The bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Bahamas Bowl vs. MAC
Independence Bowl vs. BYU or At-large
New Mexico Bowl vs. Mountain West
New Orleans Bowl vs. Sun Belt
C-USA can also slot teams into these bowls:
Myrtle Beach Bowl vs. AAC, MAC or Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl vs. At-large
First Responder Bowl vs. At-large
Birmingham Bowl vs. SEC or AAC
Cure Bowl vs. At-large
Frisco Bowl vs. At-Large
Gasparilla Bowl vs. ACC, AAC or SEC
Armed Forces Bowl vs. Big 12, PAC-12 or Army
Fenway Bowl vs. AAC or ACC
Camellia Bowl vs. MAC or Sun Belt
Independents
BYU has an agreement with ESPN to have a bowl slot somewhere in the schedule. In 2021, the Cougars have a direct tie-in with the Independence Bowl but could also make a New Year's Six bowl given their No. 13 ranking in the CFP.
Army and Liberty do not have direct tie-ins but will fill in the schedule as needed if eligible.
Notre Dame has an agreement with the ACC and its bowls.
MAC
The bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Bahamas Bowl vs. Conference USA
LendingTree Bowl vs. Sun Belt
Idaho Potato Bowl vs. Mountain West
Camellia Bowl vs. Sun Belt or AAC
Arizona Bowl vs. Mountain West
Quick Lane Bowl vs. Big Ten
MAC can also fill spots in these bowls, if available. (In 2021, MAC appears to have two available bowl eligible teams for these spots.)
Cure Bowl vs. At-large
Frisco Bowl vs. At-Large
Boca Raton Bowl vs. At-large
Myrtle Beach Bowl vs. AAC or Sun Belt
New Mexico Bowl vs. At-large
Mountain West
The bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Idaho Potato Bowl vs. MAC
New Mexico Bowl vs. Conference USA
Hawai’i Bowl vs. AAC
Arizona Bowl vs. MAC
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl vs. PAC-12
Guaranteed Rate Bowl vs. Big Ten or Big 12
PAC-12
College Football Playoff, if applicable
1. Rose Bowl vs. Big Ten
Any at-large New Year's Six berths can come after the Rose Bowl slot is filled.
The rest of the bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Big 12
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl vs. ACC
Las Vegas Bowl vs. Big Ten
Sun Bowl vs. ACC
Redbox Bowl vs. Big Ten
Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl vs. Mountain West
SEC
College Football Playoff, if applicable
1. Sugar Bowl vs. Big 12
Any at-large New Year's Six berths can come after the Sugar Bowl slot is filled.
2. Citrus Bowl vs. Big Ten
The next six bowls have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Outback Bowl vs. Big Ten
Gator Bowl vs. ACC
Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. ACC
Music City Bowl vs. Big Ten
Liberty Bowl vs. Big 12
Texas Bowl vs. Big 12
The next tier of games will be picked after the tier above. They have no selection order; teams are selected based on proximity, matchups and other factors.
Birmingham Bowl vs. AAC
Gasparilla Bowl vs. ACC, AAC or PAC-12
Sun Belt
Bowl tie-ins have gotten more complicated to explain over the last decade, and the Sun Belt may be the hardest to follow.
ESPN Events will get the Nos. 1, 3 and 4 picks of Sun Belt teams. Those teams will go to one of these bowls:
Myrtle Beach Bowl vs. MAC or Sun Belt
Boca Raton Bowl vs. At-large
First Responder Bowl vs. ACC, Big 12 or PAC-12
Cure Bowl vs. At-large
Frisco Bowl vs. At-Large
Camellia Bowl vs. C-USA or MAC
Idaho Potato Bowl vs. MAC or Mountain West
New Mexico Bowl vs. C-USA or Mountain West
The Nos. 2 and 5 selections will be made by these bowls
2. New Orleans Bowl vs. Conference USA
5. LendingTree Bowl vs. MAC
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What bowl game can my team go to? 2021-22 College Football bowl tie-ins