Here are the conference tie-ins for 2018’s 39 FBS college football bowls before the Playoff national title game. These are according to the Football Bowl Association, an outside advisory group that works with the bowls on game administration.

Note: From time to time, mid-major leagues disagree with the FBA on who gets dibs for some of the smaller bowls. Weird clauses in contracts can make bowl ties more confusing than they have to be.

Additionally, if a conference can’t fill a spot, a team from another conference can take it. Oh, and conferences can swap ties on Selection Sunday anyway.

So consider this a loose guide.

Cotton semifinal (Arlington, Texas): Just make the Playoff

Orange semifinal (Miami): See above

The rest of the New Year’s Six

Sugar (New Orleans): Big 12 vs. SEC

Rose (Pasadena, California): Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Peach (Atlanta): At-large vs. at-large

Fiesta (Glendale, Arizona): At-large vs. at-large (Either the Peach or Fiesta will include the top-ranked champ of a mid-major league)

Everything else, with a Notre Dame caveat

The caveat: Notre Dame has ties into the ACC’s bowls. If the Irish go to a non-New Year’s Six bowl, it’s one of those. Onward:

Citrus (Orlando): SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten

Outback (Tampa): Big Ten vs. SEC

Gator (Jacksonville): SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten

Holiday (San Diego): Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Liberty (Memphis): Big 12 vs. SEC

Military (Annapolis): ACC vs. American

Sun (El Paso): ACC vs. Pac-12

Belk (Charlotte): SEC vs. ACC

Alamo (San Antonio): Big 12 vs. Pac-12

Arizona (Tucson): Mountain West vs. Sun Belt

Camping World (Orlando): Big 12 vs. ACC

Music City (Nashville): SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten

Texas (Houston): Big 12 vs. SEC

Pinstripe (New York City): Big Ten vs. ACC

Independence (Shreveport, La.): SEC vs. ACC

Cactus (Tempe): Big 12 vs. Pac-12

Quick Lane (Detroit): Big Ten vs. ACC

Heart of Dallas: Big Ten vs. Conference USA

San Francisco: Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Hawaii: Mountain West vs. Conference USA

Dollar General (Mobile): MAC vs. Sun Belt

Armed Forces (Fort Worth): Big 12 vs. American

Birmingham: SEC vs. American

Potato (Boise): Mountain West vs. MAC

Bahamas: Conference USA vs. MAC

Gasparilla (Tampa): American vs. Conference USA

Frisco (Texas): American vs. at-large

Boca Raton: American vs. Conference USA

New Orleans: Sun Belt vs. Conference USA

Camellia (Montgomery, Ala.): Sun Belt vs. MAC

Las Vegas: Pac-12 vs. Mountain West

Cure (Orlando): American vs. Sun Belt

New Mexico (Albuquerque): Mountain West vs. Conference USA

A lot goes into making bowls the weird spectacles they are.

Conference ties are just the beginning — the guideposts that help determine where teams land when bowls are making their decisions on a Sunday in early December.

Other bowl basics: