Bowl Predictions 2015: College Football Playoff Outlook Heading into Week 6

We're still a month away from the first College Football Playoff rankings being released on November 3, but it's never too early to look ahead.

Multiple teams have already had devastating losses, which severely hindered their playoff hopes. Others have pulled off signature victories that will be key pieces of their résumé at season's end. 

This year's College Football Playoff consists of the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl as the sites of the semifinal games. 

Here are the current predictions for the College Football Playoff matchups, as well as the selections for the other New Year's Six bowls: the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl.

Per the rules set forth by the committee, the highest-ranked non-contract school (Houston, in this projection) is listed among the 11 other Power Five conference teams.

Game	Matchup	Prediction
Rose Bowl	USC vs Michigan	USC wins, 28-21
Sugar Bowl	TCU vs LSU	LSU wins, 31-24
Peach Bowl	Texas A&M vs Notre Dame	Notre Dame wins, 35-21
Fiesta Bowl	Houston vs Ole Miss	Ole Miss wins, 42-28
Cotton Bowl/CFP Semifinal	Alabama vs Clemson	Alabama wins, 27-21
Orange Bowl/CFP Semifinal	Ohio State vs Baylor	Ohio State wins, 38-28

College Football Playoff Projections

Orange Bowl: Ohio State vs. Baylor

Ohio State's early-season struggles have been well-documented, but it's hard to pick against Urban Meyer's crew given the Buckeyes schedule. 

While the Buckeyes will eventually be tested by Michigan and Michigan State in the final two weeks of the season, Meyer has five more games to prepare them for their two toughest tests of the season. 

With the talent on the Buckeyes roster and Meyer's track record, it's hard to imagine this team not being ready when the time comes to step up.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, in terms of early-season results, is Baylor, which has cruised through the first five weeks. 

The Bears continue to gain style points with the committee, putting up 56 or more points in each contest. But, like the Buckeyes, Baylor doesn't get another test until a November visit from Oklahoma. 

"

It was not all that long ago when TCU and Utah were BCS-busting hopefuls and Baylor couldn’t win anything. Now playoff favorites. Amazing.

— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) October 4, 2015"

While Baylor should be considered a strong candidate to go undefeated and wrap up a playoff berth, the committee was clear as to its view on the Big 12's lack of a championship game last season when it left both Baylor and TCU out of the playoffs. 

With that in mind, the Bears probably don't have the luxury of suffering an upset loss—and maybe not even some too-close-for-comfort wins. 

Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson

Alabama was in a tough spot after losing to Ole Miss, but things changed dramatically in Week 5. 

After a convincing win at Georgia by the Crimson Tide, and an Ole Miss loss to Florida, Alabama now appears to be back in the driver's seat in the SEC.

While LSU and Texas A&M are still undefeated, and reside in Alabama's division, the Crimson Tide will get their opportunity against both. And perhaps most importantly, Alabama gets Leonard Fournette and LSU at home on November 7.

Clemson took a major step forward in its quest for a playoff berth by knocking off Notre Dame on Saturday. 

"

Clemson is the only team both @Mark_Schlabach and @McMurphyESPN have projected to make the College Football Playoff. http://t.co/hRHPQqdrKK

— Aaron Brenner (@Aaron_Brenner) October 5, 2015"

The typical ACC schedule probably isn't enough to sneak a team into the playoffs, but with a quality nonconference win on the résumé, Clemson should be considered a lock if it runs the table. 

Florida State is the only currently ranked team remaining on the Tigers schedule, and it will be in Clemson this year, on November 7. The Tigers have won five of their last six at home against Florida State, with the lone loss coming during the Seminoles' championship campaign in 2013.