Independence Bowl 2026 Predictions Halfway Through The Season

The college football season is officially heading into Week 9 of the 2026 season...that means we've reached the halfway point of the schedule. However, even though half the season has been played, the picture remains unclear regarding what teams will be traveling to Shreveport for the postseason...

This years Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is scheduled for December 22nd at Independence Stadium. At this point, most college bowl games have "primary tie-ins" with conferences, but a lot of them have been blown up by conference realignment. Right now, the staff of the Independence Bowl is working on a plan to welcome a Big 12 team facing a Pac 12 "legacy" school (programs that are no longer in the Pac 12, but where when the Independence Bowl contract was signed) to Shreveport this December.

So Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, and Washington State will all be eligible for the Independence Bowl this year based on the 'legacy' rule for the Pac 12 teams. For any of those teams to earn their way to Shreveport, they have got to get to the 6 win minimum for bowl eligibility.

The Big 12 part seems easy this year, but the Pac 12 and their legacy could be messy.

National Projections for Independence Bowl Teams

National analysts are looking over their models (or dartboards) every week based on conference standings, and recent upsets, as we coast into the halfway point of the season. Industry experts have gathered the most recent projections from across the college football landscape to evaluate who might be headed to Louisiana...

These predictions are subject to change as conference title races narrow down throughout November. Here are the current national predictions for the Shreveport game...

Publication: ESPN
Writer: Kyle Bonagura
Teams: UConn vs. West Virginia

Publication: ESPN
Writer: Mark Schlabach
Teams: Washington vs. West Virginia

Publication: College Football News
Writer: Pete Fiutak
Teams: West Virginia vs Oregon State

Publication: Athlon Sports
Writer: Steven Lassan
Teams: Texas A&M vs. UCF

Publication: CBS Sports
Writer: Brad Crawford
Teams: West Virginia vs. California

What We Think The Game Will Look Like

There are some teams being projected that we've seen a few times now. Including West Virginia, who multiple national voices think will be coming to Shreveport. But they still have work to do, and it might be an uphill battle.

WV is 5-3 this year, and need one more win for bowl eligibility. The teams in front of them might not be the easiest to score that win against. Three of the last four teams they play are currently ranked, including their next opponent...Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are ranked 13th in the nation, and the game will be in Lubbock, Texas...so a looong trip too. Then Houston (ranked 18th right now) and Utah (ranked 6th right now) are also on the schedule. The only unranked team West Virginia still has on the schedule is Kansas...and they've still got bowl hopes alive too. If West Virginia can snag one more win, Shreveport might be a great landing spot for their bowl game.

Teams like Cal and Washington have been suggested all year too, but one of the real interesting suggestions this week is Texas A&M...and SEC school.

If you remember what we said about the conference tie-ins, the SEC isn't involved at all. But what would happen if the College Football Playoffs didn't have as many SEC teams participating as we might expect? What if Alabama, Texas, and Kentucky slip down the stretch? If Georgia is the only team that gets in, and the rest is filled with Big Ten and Big 12 teams? You'd have 9 or 10 SEC teams to fill out bowl games, and maybe not enough dance partners. So if a like Texas A&M (who would need to find 2 more wins in a tough final 4 games) is a 6 win SEC team looking for a bowl, the Independence Bowl would be a strong player if the negotiations can be had.

That Texas A&M thing is probably too kooky to seriously consider.

So how about this for our halfway pick in the season:

Washington vs. UCF

Sure, both teams still needs to find a couple of wins...but Washington AND UCF both have easier paths in their final games than a lot of the schools we've mentioned. If they can get 6 wins, we could be looking at a pretty strong game in Shreveport.

If this comes through, it could be a matchup of two former National Championship programs. Washington claims two National Championships, one in 1960 and one in 1991. Then you have UCF...who claims a National Championship in 2017.

You might roll your eyes at that UCF National Championship in 2017, since most people remember Alabama as the champion that year. But the official NCAA record books give us an actual "Split" National Championship like we used to have back in the day. They actually list both Alabama and UCF as the National Champions...

So, if we get this matchup, we'll have a pair of former National Championship programs squaring off in Shreveport.

Securing Seats for the Milestone Game

No matter who gets the call to play in their year's Independence Bowl, you should get tickets now to be a part in history. This December will serve as the 50th anniversary of the Independence Bowl, Shreveport's college bowl game.

Preparations are already underway for the celebration surrounding the game, with some events having already taken place. Fans can secure their spot for the anniversary event by purchasing tickets right now through the Independence Bowl site.