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Preseason Bowl Projections: TCU and Notre Dame top media picks for Camping World Bowl

College football season is underway, and the countdown to the 2018 Camping World Bowl has begun in Orlando.

We’re still four months from kickoff, but it’s never too early to start predicting which ACC and Big 12 teams might be headed to Orlando. Here’s a round-up of preseason projections from around the college football media world.

Mitch Sherman (ESPN): Boston College vs. Texas
Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): Miami vs. TCU
Jerry Palm (CBSSports.com): Notre Dame vs. TCU
Bill Bender (Sporting News): West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
Kenny Miller (Bleacher Report): Florida State vs. West Virginia
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): Notre Dame vs. TCU
Steve Lassan (Athlon Sports): Florida State vs. Texas
CollegeFootballNews.com: Miami vs. Oklahoma State
247Sports: Notre Dame vs. TCU
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic): Notre Dame vs. West Virginia

  • Four of 10 media members polled projected a Notre Dame return to Orlando this bowl season. Last year, the Fighting Irish won the 2017 Citrus Bowl, beating LSU 21-17 on New Year’s Day.
    • Three of the four projections featuring the Fighting Irish had them squaring off against TCU. Notre Dame and TCU have only met once before, in 1972, with the Fighting Irish leaving victorious.
  • TCU earned the most Camping World Bowl projections among Big 12 schools, with four. The game would not only be the Horned Frogs’ first Camping World Bowl, but also their first bowl in the state of Florida since the 1942 Orange Bowl.
  • West Virginia received a spot in three preseason media projections. It would mark the Mountaineers’ fifth appearance in the Camping World Bowl. Despite making four appearances the West Virginia has never won the Camping World Bowl and last appeared in 2016 (the game was known as the Russell Athletic Bowl at the time), losing 31-14 to Miami.
  • Miami received a spot in two projections, one pitting them against TCU and the other Oklahoma State. With five previous trips to Orlando, Miami is tied with NC State for most appearances in Camping World Bowl history. In those five appearances Miami has posted a 3-2 record.
  • Florida State also found itself in two projections, squaring off against West Virginia in one and Texas in the other. The Seminoles have played West Virginia three times in the past and have never lost to the Mountaineers. An FSU-Texas matchup would be the first ever matchup between the two programs.
  • Texas was also included in two projections, one pitting them against Florida State and the other against Boston College. Texas has never made an appearance in either the Camping World Bowl or the Citrus Bowl.
  • Boston College, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State each appeared in one bowl projection.
    • Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech squared off in the 2017 Camping World Bowl. The Cowboys beat the Hokies 30-21.
    • Boston College has played in the game two previous times and are undefeated in their two appearances.
    • North Carolina has appeared in the game twice before, while Notre Dame has only participated in the bowl once.