Bowl Predictions 2015: Projections for College Football Playoff

Surprise teams such as Utah, Florida, Northwestern and Michigan have shaken up the NCAA football rankings this year and will likely find themselves in respectable bowl games.

The No. 5 Utes have seven first-place votes in the latest Associated Press poll, though, and have a clearer path to the College Football Playoff. It's still approximately a month before the first CFP poll of the year is released, but Utah looks to be in prime position to get inside the Top Four by year's end.

In terms of which three other teams yours truly currently projects to join Utah, a lot of it depends on conference, strength of schedule and where marquee games are played.

Find out whom the Utes figure to take on as the prospective fourth playoff seed, along with the other predicted matchup in the second edition of the College Football Playoff.

Orange Bowl: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Utah

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

The way is paved for the Utes to claim the Pac-12 South title. They host California at home this weekend and also welcome UCLA in their penultimate regular-season game.

USC on the road is the only big hurdle for Utah to clear on the remainder of its slate. That comes on October 24. As Michigan continues to thrive, that season-opening win looks even better for the Utes and ought to compensate for the mere fringe Top 25 opponents left on the schedule.

Joel Klatt of Fox Sports referenced a key element to what's helped Utah rise among NCAA football's elite—and could serve as a problem to even its most formidable impending foes:

Speaking of soft schedules, no one has had a much easier path than the reigning national champions, yet Ohio State hasn't looked like the juggernaut that peaked at the perfect time last year. Returning loads of NFL-caliber talent, coach Urban Meyer's powerhouse has looked rather ordinary.

It's hard to blame such a talented team for getting at least a bit complacent. OSU defied the odds and expectations by winning it all last year and are now getting every opponent's best shot. The team has lacked energy and must not slip up before closing 2015 with Michigan State at home and bitter rival Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Ohio State has so much talent on offense that Meyer doesn't seem to know what to do with it. That's what led to the quarterback dilemma between Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett in the first place. Jones and OSU no longer have the chip on their shoulder like they did in 2014. Now they're being hunted.

CBSSports.com's Dane Brugler alluded to one severe problem that's plagued the Buckeyes in the early going of 2015:

A lot of overthinking appears to be occurring in Columbus, particularly on Jones' end. By the time the playoffs roll around, provided the Buckeyes are still undefeated, they are bound to figure out how to jell. They're simply too stacked at every spot on the roster to not come together in time.

Defensive end Joey Bosa, linebacker Darron Lee and a strong secondary give Ohio State real teeth on defense. Utah's Travis Wilson doesn't throw the ball well enough deep down the field (6.84 yards per attempt) to divert the Buckeyes from selling out versus the run.

Speaking of which, Ezekiel Elliott is a legitimate challenger to Leonard Fournette as the best running back in the country. Elliott scored touchdowns on runs of 55, 65 and 75 yards to help the Buckeyes escape with a road win over Indiana.

The Utes concede 4.15 yards per carry to Ohio State's 3.04. That would be the difference in a compelling matchup where Utah would put up a strong fight as the underdog but wouldn't be able to overcome the Buckeyes' depth and determination to repeat as champions.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Utah 20

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 3 TCU

The SEC West is a most competitive division, but Texas A&M seems to have all the goods to make it to the College Football Playoff ahead of teams like LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss.

Aggies defensive coordinator John Chavis has helped transform what's been a putrid defense into an outfit good enough to complement the offense. Pass-rushing extraordinaire Myles Garrett is the catalyst, leading the charge for his side that averages 3.8 sacks per contest—tied for fourth-most in the country.

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman highlights the production from Garrett and Daeshon Hall already:

At the all-important QB position, Texas A&M—unlike Ohio State—has done an exemplary job handling its dilemma of having two quality signal-callers. Kyle Allen is the man under center for now, but true freshman Kyler Murray is advanced to the point that he's still pushing for playing time.

This is in spite of the fact that through five games, Allen has 13 TD tosses to only two picks. The sophomore learned on the field in his first year in College Station and is translating that experience well to make a considerable jump in year two.

"You've seen his play elevate in tough times and crucial situations," said play-caller Jake Spavital of Allen's progress, per ESPN.com's Sam Khan Jr. "In the fourth quarter and in overtime [against Arkansas] he was making such mature decisions that he probably wouldn't get to last year, but the experience that he's had got him in that situation."

Home-field advantage against Baylor in its regular-season closer will aid TCU's cause to make one of the CFP contests an all-Lone Star State affair. The Horned Frogs are led by a capable QB in his own right in Trevone Boykin, who's a definite Heisman candidate.

What makes the difference in this matchup and gives the Aggies the edge is Chavis. His immense experience during his lengthy tenure at LSU saw him shut down numerous dual-threat field generals, such as A&M's own Johnny Manziel. Chavis ought to figure something out to stymie Boykin and his top weapon in Josh Doctson.

Allen has a plethora of receiving options at his disposal, whereas Boykin relies chiefly on Doctson. With the likes of Garrett chasing him down and Chavis scheming to confine Boykin to the pocket, Texas A&M has all the tools to defeat TCU in a hypothetical intrastate postseason showdown.

Prediction: Texas A&M 38, TCU 28

Note: Stats courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise indicated.