Post-spring college football bowl, CFP projections: Miami, Texas, Oregon, Notre Dame lead 12-team bracket

Onto our picks for the 82 total bowl teams and where they'll play this season (for now!) ...

• Hawaii Bowl: South Florida vs. Hawaii
• Cure Bowl: East Carolina vs. Kentucky
• Armed Forces: North Dakota State vs. James Madison
• Salute to Veterans Bowl: Ohio vs. Coastal Carolina
• 68Ventures Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisiana Tech
• Xbox Bowl: Delaware vs. Georgia Southern
• Myrtle Beach Bowl: Akron vs. Western Michigan
• Boca Raton Bowl: Tulane vs. Jacksonville State
• Potato Bowl: San Diego State vs. Miami (Ohio)
• Frisco Bowl: North Texas vs. Missouri State
• New Orleans Bowl: Old Dominion vs. Kennesaw State
• New Mexico Bowl: Boise State vs. FIU
• Arizona Bowl: Fresno State vs. Buffalo
• Puerto Rico Bowl: Minnesota vs. Central Michigan
• First Responder Bowl: Cincinnati vs. North Carolina
• Gasparilla Bowl: Auburn vs. Virginia
• Rate Bowl: Kansas State vs. Wisconsin
• Poinsettia Bowl: Memphis vs. New Mexico
• Fenway Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Tulane
• Pinstripe Bowl: NC State vs. Nebraska
• Military Bowl: Navy vs. Pittsburgh
• Texas Bowl: Utah vs. South Carolina
• Independence Bowl: Arizona vs. Army
• Birmingham Bowl: Duke vs. Vanderbilt
• Sun Bowl: TCU vs. Utah State
• Duke's Mayo Bowl: Illinois vs. Florida State
• Liberty Bowl: Florida vs. Oklahoma State
• Music City Bowl: Missouri vs. Iowa
• Holiday Bowl: Arizona State vs. Virginia Tech
• Alamo Bowl: BYU vs. Washington
• Las Vegas Bowl: USC vs. Tennessee
• Gator Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Clemson
• ReliaQuest Bowl: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
• Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan
• Pop-Tarts Bowl: Houston vs. Louisville

A few points about a couple of these pre-CFP matchups involving several teams that will have a say in the selection committee's final rankings down the stretch this season:

• Louisville's season opener against Ole Miss in Nashville is one of the most important of the campaign for both teams and certainly an underrated contest in Week 1. And while we hate to call the first game a must-win for either team, the schedule's considerably tougher the rest of the way for the Rebels and first-year coach Pete Golding. A victory for the Cardinals would be Jeff Brohm's arrival moment nationally despite winning 28 games since his arrival three seasons ago.
• Can Mike Norvell extend his tenure at Florida State and get the Seminoles to bowl eligibility this season? That will largely depend on how his team fares in three Friday night games this fall against Louisville, Pitt and Florida. One of those matchups comes on Oct. 9, the week before the Seminoles travel to Miami, when his future may be teetering.
• USC is one of the "first teams out" of our post-spring CFP projection simply due to a treacherous slate. No Big Ten team has a more difficult home schedule this season, one that includes Oregon, Washington and Ohio State.
• Dabo Swinney vs. Brent Venables in Jacksonville? Organizers at the Gator Bowl would love to get the Sooners and Tigers on Dec. 27, pitting the two-time national champion against his former apprentice. Both coaches have their eyes on a CFP appearance -- not here, however.

College Football Playoff picks

First round

On the heels of three straight national titles, the Big Ten will produce three of the top eight selections overall per this projection, but it's the SEC with four invites that leads the country in CFP representatives. For the second time since expansion, the ACC will put a pair of teams in the bracket with the projected, multi-loss Big 12 champion and UNLV rounding out the top 12. Texas Tech's projected seed goes from No. 5 to No. 7 in our post-spring update, given the availability question surrounding prized portal acquisition Brendan Sorsby at quarterback after his gambling admission.

11th-seed Ole Miss will play six games against opponents potentially ranked inside the top 25, beginning with Louisville in the opener and ending with Georgia and Oklahoma in November. This is the scenario in which a three-loss SEC team could get to the bracket as the "last team in," given the strength of schedule after Texas failed to do so last season.

Memphis was previously our early pick to come out of the Group of Six ranks this season, but we're bigger believers in UNLV exiting spring upon closer inspection and intel. Dan Mullen signed the No. 66 recruiting class nationally -- tops outside the Power Four -- and acquired 19 transfers this cycle, compared to 53 at Memphis under first-year coach Charles Huff. The two teams face off in the season opener at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Aug. 29, which could determine the early frontrunner to reach the CFP. Former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold, now on his third team in three years, will be UNLV's starting quarterback.

Quarterfinals

Our projected champions of the ACC, SEC and Big Ten garner three of the top four seeds along with Notre Dame, whose schedule is conducive to high-end success this season under Marcus Freeman. As long as the Fighting Irish finish within the top 12 of the selection committee's final vote, they have a spot earmarked in the bracket.

After reloading in the transfer portal with several elite signings, including Duke quarterback Darian Mensah and former Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II, Miami could have its best team overall in the CFP era. The Hurricanes' showdown at Notre Dame on Nov. 7 is the only matchup in which Mario Cristobal's squad might be an underdog this fall.

Out of respect for Curt Cignetti's proven ability to evaluate, sign and develop, Indiana was the initial call to repeat as Big Ten champions and get back to the Rose Bowl. But the Ducks now have a slight edge coming out of spring. Ohio State, USC, Michigan and Washington are the others within the conference capable of becoming extreme noisemakers near the top of the polls, however.