Bowl Projections: Camellia Bowl Preseason Prediction, Breakdown, History

Before the season gets underway, what's the first guess on what the 2024 Camellia Bowl might be? Why did we make this call, who else should be in the mix, and what's the history of the bowl?

This will all change throughout the season with its twists and turns, but in the preseason, the Camellia Bowl projection is ...

Camellia Bowl Projection

Saturday, December 14
9:00, ESPN
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
Bowl Affiliations : CUSA, MAC, Sun Belt
Last Season: Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19
Preseason Bowl Projection (with predicted final regular season records)
Central Michigan (6-6) vs South Alabama (7-5)

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Why this is the preseason Camellia Bowl Projection

The Camellia is one of the more interesting bowls in terms of fits.

You'd think Troy and South Alabama should be deep in the mix considering the Alabama location, but neither one has made it since USA played in the inaugural version in 2014.

Go ahead and pick just about any MAC or Sun Belt team that should finish outside of the top two in the respective conferences, and you might have it. Central Michigan or Bowling Green or ... go ahead with any of the MAC teams outside of Toledo and Miami University.

The Sun Belt is even more interesting. Once again, most teams in the conference should be in the bowl mix, so this should be a bit more about geographic location this time around.

There have been four different MAC and Sun Belt teams each in the last four bowl games, and the Camellia Bowl is about to make it 5-for-5.

5 teams also in the mix for the Camellia Bowl

1. Bowling Green
2. Jacksonville State
3. Ohio
4. Troy
5. Western Michigan

Camellia Bowl History

Dec 23, 2023, Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19
Dec 27, 2022 Buffalo 23, Georgia Southern 21
Dec 25, 2021 Georgia State 51, Ball State 20
Dec. 25, 2020 Buffalo 17, Marshall 10
Dec. 21, 2019 Arkansas State 34, FIU 26
Dec. 15, 2018 Georgia Southern 23, Eastern Michigan 21
Dec. 16, 2017 Middle Tennessee 35, Arkansas State 30
Dec. 17, 2016 Appalachian State 31, Toledo 28
Dec. 19, 2015 Appalachian State 31, Ohio 29
Dec. 20, 2014 Bowling Green 33, South Alabama 28

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