Bowl Predictions 2023: Projections for College Football Playoff Teams
There are still several crucial decisions to be made and games to be played, but following the Week 13 slate of matchups, there is a bit more clarity on the tight race for the College Football Playoff.
No. 3 Michigan basically put one foot in the door of the playoff with a huge win over rival Ohio State at The Big House. By ending the Buckeyes' perfect season, the Wolverines punched their ticket to the Big Ten championship game and guaranteed themselves at least the No. 2 seed in the committee's next ranking.
A win over No. 17 Iowa in the conference championship will put a nice bow on what has been a tremendous regular season that included plenty of adversity.
The rest of the Top Four all came out on top. No. 1 Georgia easily dispatched Georgia Tech, while No. 4 Washington and Heisman Trophy hopeful Michael Penix Jr. managed to hold off Washington State in a wild final edition of the Apple Cup.
No. 5 Florida State still looms large following a win over Florida. But being without star quarterback Jordan Travis for the rest of the season doesn't inspire much confidence as it heads into the ACC championship game.
Any outside shot that No. 10 Louisville may have had at the playoff came crashing down in a loss against in-state rival Kentucky in an explosive matchup. Its New Year's Six bowl hopes are also in jeopardy.
Arguably the biggest game remaining this year will be the Pac-12 championship between No. 4 Washington and No. 6 Oregon that can could potentially lead to an entire paradigm shift.
The last time the two teams matched up earlier in the year, it was one of the most electric games of the season, with the Huskies coming out on top with a 36-33 victory.
The Ducks have only gotten better since then, however, and they will have a chance to punch their ticket to their playoff with a Pac-12 title.
Both teams could wind up making it if certain things fall into place—namely Oregon winning the championship game over the Huskies. After all, it's not rare to see a couple of one-loss teams from the same conference make the playoff—i.e. the SEC.
Bowl Predictions
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Rose Bowl (January 1): No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Washington
Sugar Bowl (January 1): No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Oregon
New Years' Six Bowls
Cotton Bowl (December 29): Alabama vs. Penn State
Orange Bowl (December 30): Florida State vs. Ohio State
Peach Bowl (December 30): Ole Miss vs. Tulane
Fiesta Bowl: (January 1): Texas vs. Missouri
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Washington
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Following another flawless regular season, Georgia is now three wins away from making history.
Should the Bulldogs win the SEC championship and run the table in the playoffs, they'll become the first team to three-peat in college football since Minnesota did so from 1934-36.
Nothing that head coach Kirby Smart's squad has shown this season should give anyone reason to doubt their ability of accomplishing such a feat, as they have been dominant from the jump, although Saturday's game against Georgia Tech was a little tougher than it needed to be.
Gone are the days of Stetson Bennett and Co., but Carson Beck has been an admirable replacement in 2023. He has given the Bulldogs exactly what they need with his game management and timely playmaking.
And as always, Georgia's defense has been among the nation's elite. It is giving up just 15.75 points per game, ranked fifth in all of Division I.
But that defense will be on its toes if it ends up going against Washington and star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The senior signal-caller entered Saturday with the second-most passing yards this season with 3,695.
The Huskies also have a number of elite playmakers that could give the Bulldogs trouble like Rome Odunze and Dillon Johnson.
As good as that unit has been for Smart, it hasn't had to deal with an offense of Washington's caliber all year thanks to a weak strength of schedule.
Styles make fights, and this fight will be a fun one.
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Oregon
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Michigan may have a claim to the No. 1 overall seed following Saturday's huge performance over Ohio State. But considering Georgia's status as defending champions and its own respective dominance, the Bulldogs stay on top for now.
The Wolverines have been at the center of the college football world this season amid the NCAA's investigation into a sign-stealing scandal. The Big Ten even decided to suspend head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games due to the scandal.
Harbaugh was also suspended for the first three games of the season due to alleged violations during the COVID-19 pandemic that the NCAA was looking into.
Despite all of that, the Wolverines have remained unfazed, overcoming every obstacle in their way and putting an exclamation point on their season with a win over the Buckeyes.
As for Oregon, its inclusion in the playoff is based off the assumption that it beats Washington in the Pac-12 title game. If it manages to do so, Michigan will have its hands full.
Since their close loss to the Huskies back in October, there has arguably been no team more impressive than the Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Bo Nix.
Nix has 37 touchdowns and just two interceptions this season. The Wolverines' defense has been great, but they haven't faced a quarterback who serves up dimes like that.
So, it should be a great matchup as each squad attempts to punch its ticket to the national title game.
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