The College Football Playoff got a huge shakeup on Saturday when Michigan finally toppled Ohio State. The Wolverines are staring at their first CFP bid while the Buckeyes are on the outside looking in. To see where OSU may land now, let’s check the latest college football bowl projections.
College Football Bowl Projections | Week 14
The college football bowl projections got a huge shakeup not just with Ohio State losing but also Oklahoma dropping their Bedlam game to Oklahoma State. Here’s how everything projects now.
Bowl Projections
Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. Mississippi State
Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Texas A&M
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
Arizona Bowl: Utah State vs. Northern Illinois
Sun Bowl: Miami (FL) vs. Washington State
Gator Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Arkansas
Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State vs. Purdue
Music City Bowl: Minnesota vs. Tennessee
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Virginia vs. South Carolina
Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Utah
Cheez-It Bowl: Clemson vs. Iowa State
Pinstripe Bowl: Louisville vs. Penn State
Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. Memphis
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Maryland
Holiday Bowl: NC State vs. UCLA
More Bowl Projections
Liberty Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Auburn
First Responder Bowl: San Diego State vs. Houston
Birmingham Bowl: UCF vs. LSU
Military Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina
Quick Lane Bowl: Missouri vs. Toledo
Camellia Bowl: Liberty vs. Eastern Michigan
Hawaii Bowl: Wyoming vs. Tulsa
Gasparilla Bowl: North Carolina vs. Western Kentucky
Armed Forces Bowl: SMU vs. Air Force
Frisco Bowl: Marshall vs. Kent State
Remaining Bowl Projections
Idaho Potato Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Boise State
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Army
New Orleans Bowl: UTSA vs. Louisiana
Los Angeles Bowl: Fresno State vs. Oregon State
Lending Tree Bowl: Old Dominion vs. Georgia State
Independence Bowl: UAB vs. BYU
New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. UTEP
Boca Raton Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee
Cure Bowl: Florida vs. Appalachian State
Bahamas Bowl: North Texas vs. Miami (OH)
Analyzing the College Football Bowl Projections
Buried inside some of the college football bowl projections are incredible player vs. player matchups. Some interesting teams take center stage all the same. West Virginia matching up with former Big East foe Maryland strikes up memories of old as well.
All in all, some of the “smaller-school” matchups are most interesting.
UAB taking on BYU in the Independence Bowl could potentially push UAB into the Top 25 before next season with a victory. A Cougars victory, however, would showcase to the College Football Playoff selection committee that this BYU team is ready for the jump.
Another Group of Five matchup for the ages would be 11-1 UTSA vs. 11-1 and potential Sun Belt Champion Louisiana. Stylistically, this would be a tremendous matchup of next-level talent, ascending head coaches, and terrific culture programs.
College Football’s New Year’s Six and Playoff Projections
Cotton Bowl: Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Orange Bowl: Georgia vs. Oklahoma State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Baylor
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: Michigan State vs. Notre Dame
Peach Bowl: Mississippi vs. Pittsburgh
Analyzing the New Year’s Bowl Projections
Here we are with two newcomers to the College Football Playoff: Michigan and Oklahoma State. As potentially interesting as Michigan vs. Cincinnati seem right now, it’s imperative to note that the Wolverines have to defeat Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game and Cincinnati has to defeat Houston in the AAC Championship Game for this to happen. Houston has won 11 straight ahead of their game against Cincinnati for the AAC title.
Similarly, Oklahoma State makes their first appearance with a potential matchup against Georgia. This projects the Cowboys to defeat Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game as well as Georgia knocking off Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Those two results would vault Oklahoma State above a one-loss Notre Dame team and give Mike Gundy his first playoff appearance.
Buckeyes in an interesting dilemma
As far as the other New Year’s Six Bowls, Alabama looks victim to a projected loss to Georgia. Ohio State backs into the Rose Bowl following the loss to Michigan. OSU could even get kicked out of the Rose Bowl if Iowa were to defeat Michigan, marking for an interesting dilemma for Buckeyes fans nationwide.
Do you cheer for Michigan to make the playoffs and secure your Rose Bowl spot? As sacrilegious as that may sound, a Rose Bowl appearance would be much better than a Florida December (Citrus, Outback) or Fiesta Bowl appearance this season.
Also interestingly enough, the current bowl projections give Oregon an edge to win the Pac-12 Championship Game over Utah in Week 14. The Ducks were dominated by the Utes in Week 12, so current odds projecting them to upset the Utes makes for interesting pregame fodder.
Notre Dame and Ole Miss getting at-large bids sparks thoughts of their final College Football Playoff rankings. Pittsburgh’s appearance in the Peach Bowl indicates they’ll be the favorite over Wake Forest to win the ACC. You can bet Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett would guarantee himself a ticket to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony with an ACC Championship.