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