Bowl projections: Six projectors still see UAB in a bowl game, but Saturday against Charlotte feels like a must-win

One game at a time, Blazer Nation.

Diehard Sports Network projects UAB to play Georgia Southern in the Puerto Rico Bowl on Dec. 22 in Bayamon. Six of eight national projectors have the Blazers playing in December — up from four a week ago, as CBS Sports' Brad Crawford and College Football News' Pete Fiutak added UAB to their boards. Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan and ESPN's Kyle Bonagura are the two who do not project the Blazers. UAB is 4-4 overall, 2-2 in the American and two wins from bowl eligibility with four games remaining.

After a stretch that included Memphis, East Carolina and South Florida, UAB now faces 1-7 Charlotte on Saturday. On the surface, that looks easy, but the 49ers have been improving of late, having beaten Temple and pushed Tulane to overtime.

Where the bowl projections have UAB

Projector | Bowl | Date | TV | Matchup

Brett McMurphy (On3) | Frisco Bowl | Dec. 23 | ESPN | UAB vs. Miami (Ohio)

Brad Crawford (CBS Sports) | Salute to Veterans | Dec. 15 | ESPN | UAB vs. Miami (Ohio)

Bryan Fischer (SI.com) | Salute to Veterans | Dec. 15 | ESPN | UAB vs. MTSU

Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) | — | — | — | Not projected

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Mark Schlabach (ESPN) | 68 Ventures | Dec. 26 | ESPN | UAB vs. Miami (Ohio)

Pete Fiutak (CFN) | Hawaii | Dec. 24 | ESPN | UAB vs. Wyoming

Tim Stephens (Diehard) | Puerto Rico | Dec. 22 | ESPN | UAB vs. Georgia Southern

Five different bowls across six projectors. On3's Brett McMurphy has the Frisco Bowl in Frisco on Dec. 23 against Miami (Ohio). CBS Sports' Brad Crawford and SI.com's Bryan Fischer both project the Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery on Dec. 15 — Crawford has Miami (Ohio) as the opponent, Fischer has MTSU. ESPN's Mark Schlabach projects the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile on Dec. 26 against Miami (Ohio). College Football News' Pete Fiutak projects the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu on Christmas Eve against Wyoming. Diehard is the only projector with the Puerto Rico Bowl. Three of the six who project UAB have Miami (Ohio) as the opponent, each in a different bowl.

Where they stand

UAB is 2-2 in the American after a loss at South Florida. UTSA and North Texas lead the conference at 4-0 in league play. Memphis is 4-1. Army is 4-2. The Blazers are in the middle of the standings with four games remaining.

Remaining schedule

UAB needs two wins from four remaining games to reach bowl eligibility.

• Nov. 7 — Charlotte (1-7, 1-3 American)
• Nov. 14 — at Temple (2-6, 1-3 American)
• Nov. 21 — UTSA (7-1, 4-0 American)
• Nov. 28 — at North Texas (6-2, 4-0 American)

Charlotte at home and Temple on the road are the two most winnable games. After that, the Blazers face back-to-back games against the current American co-leaders: UTSA at home and North Texas on the road to close the season. UAB is 2-23 in road games since Bill Clark stepped down after the 2021 season, which makes the Temple trip more difficult than the record alone suggests. The final two games against the league leaders would be difficult under any circumstances. Saturday's game against Charlotte feels like a must-win — the path only gets harder from here.