Bowl Projections 2022: CFP Predictions, Postseason Outlook Heading into Week 12

Georgia won the national championship last season, and it's been the best college football team in the country this season. Now, the Bulldogs are closing in on an undefeated regular season, an SEC championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

To close out the regular season, they will play at Kentucky this Saturday and then at home against Georgia Tech the following week. Neither should be difficult games. Then, they will take on LSU for the SEC title on Dec. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

It seems likely Georgia will win that game as well. And at that point, it will be an easy decision for the CFP selection committee to give the Bulldogs the top seed.

Georgia still has to make this happen, though. And a number of other teams will be playing critical games over the next several weeks that could impact the playoff landscape.

Here's a prediction for how the CFP picture will shake out after conference championship weekend.

New Year's Six Bowl Predictions

AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File

FILE - The College Football Playoff logo is shown on the field at AT&T Stadium before the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Alabama in Arlington, Texas, Jan. 1, 2021. The most positive development at the latest meeting on expanding the College Football Playoff was that the people involved agreed to keep talking. There is no firm date for the next meeting, but there is one regularly schedule for January around the College Football Playoff championship game. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman, File)

College Football Playoff

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Tennessee

Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 TCU

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Rest of New Year's Six Bowls

Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. USC

Cotton Bowl: Oregon vs. UCF

Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Kansas State

Orange Bowl: Clemson vs. Alabama

Top 4 Teams Control Their Own Destinies

AP Photo/Paul Vernon

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud passes against Indiana during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State won 56-14. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU are the only four undefeated FBS teams remaining in the country. As such, they are currently slotted into the top four spots in the college football rankings.

It also means each of those teams controls its own destiny. If any of them win out the rest of the way, they'll be an unbeaten Power Five conference champion, and there's no way they could be left out of the CFP at that point.

However, it's impossible for all four of those teams to do that. Ohio State and Michigan are both in the Big Ten, and the two schools are set to play in the final week of the regular season on Nov. 26 at Ohio Stadium. Assuming both win this week (as expected), then the winner of that matchup would finish first in the Big Ten West and move on to the conference championship game.

There's a solid chance the loser will get left out of the playoff. So, the stakes for that contest will be huge, and not only because it will likely be a battle of undefeated teams. It will also greatly help shape this year's playoff field.

Tennessee Still in Prime Position to Reach CFP

AP Photo/John Bazemore

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) throws a pass against Georgia during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

When Tennessee lost for the first time this season at Georgia on Nov. 5, it dropped to No. 5 in the CFP rankings and on the wrong side of the College Football Playoff bubble. Yet, the Vols appear to be in a great spot to reach the playoff for the first time in program history.

It's highly likely Tennessee will win its final two games (road contests against South Carolina and Vanderbilt) to finish 11-1. The Vols don't get to play for the SEC championship, so they'll then have to wait on the CFP selection committee to make their decisions.

But there's a good chance Tennessee will jump ahead of the Ohio State-Michigan loser. That's because the Vols have built an impressive resume with wins over No. 6 LSU and No. 8 Alabama and their only loss coming against the No. 1 team in the country.

Tennessee may get a chance to avenge that loss in a CFP semifinal, though. If that's the case, it will be intriguing to see whether the Vols can fare better against the Bulldogs.

Could USC Still Play Its Way into Playoff?

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (13) in the first half during an NCAA college football game against Arizona, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

The Pac-12 hasn't sent a team to the College Football Playoff since the 2016 season, and USC has never made it. But if the conference is going to be represented in the upcoming CFP, the Trojans are likely its last hope.

It remains a long shot, though, as USC (No. 7 in the CFP rankings) will likely need some of the teams ahead of it to get upset over the next few weeks.

The Trojans still have to take care of business as well, and they have challenging matchups the next two weeks against No. 16 UCLA and No. 18 Notre Dame. They also seem likely to reach the Pac-12 championship game.

If USC wins out, it will greatly strengthen its resume. But will that be enough to convince the CFP selection committee to include the Trojans if none of the teams ahead of them lose along the way?

Probably not, but USC is still alive in the hunt. And anything can happen in the final few weeks of the season.