College Football Playoff 2023: Full Bowl Predictions For Biggest Matchups

Who are the four teams who will compete for the College Football Playoff National Championship?

It is the question that will be answered definitively after Saturday's conference title games, with the top four teams in the country competing for the most coveted prize in the sport.

Will those who do not make the playoffs compete in the highly visible, still significant New Year's Six bowl games, kicking off December 29 and running through New Year's Day?

Find out with these predictions for the six most crucial bowl games of the season.

Non-Playoff New Year's Six Bowls

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 25: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies throws the ball during the third quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Husky Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. The Washington Huskies won 24-21. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Cotton Bowl (December 29): Oklahoma vs. Alabama

Peach Bowl (December 30): Penn State vs. Tulane

Orange Bowl (December 30): Ohio State vs. Missouri

Fiesta Bowl (January 1): Texas vs. Washington

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Oregon

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 25: Carson Beck #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs passes during the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Georgia Bulldogs will outlast the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship, dealing Nick Saban just his second loss in that title game and setting themselves up to become the first team since the 1934-36 Minnesota Golden Gophers to win three national titles in a row.

Their first test in the College Football Playoff will come courtesy of the Oregon Ducks, who will cash their ticket to the dance by way of a win over the previously defeated Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 title game.

The Oregon offense has been great, with Bo Nix solidifying himself as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner while leading the Ducks to a one-loss season as a fifth-year senior. Carson Beck, in his first year as the Bulldogs' starter, has been better than advertised.

A Sugar Bowl pitting those two teams against each other would likely feature big point totals and yardage, but defending champions have been the best team in the game all season and there is no reason to believe they would not either outduel or come up with a clutch defensive play to seal the game.

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Florida State

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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 25: Mike Sainristil #0 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

If Michigan and Florida State do manage to get together in the playoffs, expect a good, old-fashioned slobber knocker.

Both teams are defensively stout, with the Wolverines possessing the second-ranked defense in the country and the Seminoles rounding out the top 20.

The game would be a hard-hitting, theoretically low-scoring affair that would test the toughness of both teams.

The Seminoles lost their starting quarterback Jordan Travis and will play out the rest of their season with backup Tate Rodemaker. He has experience, having started 38 of 49 games, but asking him to realistically step in and challenge the second-best defense in the country is a tall task regardless of how many games he has played over his five years with the school.

Michigan has spent all year knocking down challenges and, though the Seminoles are good enough to pull off the upset, this is not likely to be any different.