Bowl Projections 2015: CFP Predictions, Postseason Outlook Heading into Week 12
Just two weeks remain in the college football regular season, and the pressure is starting to build. The top-five teams remained in their Week 11 spots, while there was plenty of movement beneath them.
Here are the current rankings:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 4 Notre Dame is bound to be hearing footsteps behind them as Iowa, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are building momentum and making impressive cases as to why they should be in the Top Four. This is where the strength of schedule comes into effect and benefits the Oklahoman schools and hurts the Irish, who do not have a conference championship game to play.
Which is what is making my current bowl predictions a difficult task as things will surely change in the next few weeks. But this is what I anticipate each postseason matchup to look like and who will win:
| Gildan New Mexico | Saturday Dec. 19, 2 p.m. | San Jose State | Old Dominion | San Jose State |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas | Saturday Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. | Colorado State | Arizona State | Arizona State |
| Raycom Media Camellia | Saturday Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m. | Western Michigan | Louisiana Lafayette | Louisiana Lafayette |
| AutoNation Cure | Saturday Dec. 19, 7 p.m. | Tulsa | South Alabama | South Alabama |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans | Saturday Dec. 19, 9 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Georgia Southern | Georgia Southern |
| Miami Beach | Monday Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. | Florida International | UConn | UConn |
| Famous Idaho Potato | Tuesday Dec. 22, 3:30 p.m. | Ohio | Utah State | Utah State |
| Boca Raton | Tuesday Dec. 22, 7 p.m. | Buffalo | Cincinnati | Cincinnati |
| San Diego County CU Poinsettia | Wednesday Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m. | Nevada | Bowling Green | Bowling Green |
| GoDaddy | Wednesday Dec. 23, 8 p.m. | Northern Illinois | Appalachian State | Northern Illinois |
| Popeyes Bahamas | Thursday Dec. 24, 12 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Toledo | Toledo |
| Hawai'i | Thursday Dec. 24, 8 p.m. | Temple | BYU | Temple |
| St. Petersburg | Saturday Dec. 26, 11 a.m. | Memphis | Southern Mississippi | Memphis |
| Hyundai Sun | Saturday Dec. 26, 2 p.m. | Miami | California | California |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas | Saturday Dec. 26, 2:20 p.m. | Iowa State | Western Kentucky | Western Kentucky |
| New Era Pinstripe | Saturday Dec. 26, 3:30 p.m. | NC State | Rutgers | NC State |
| Camping World Independence | Saturday Dec. 26, 5:45 p.m. | Virginia Tech | Auburn | Auburn |
| Foster Farms | Saturday Dec. 26, 9:15 p.m. | Illinois | Washington State | Washington State |
| Military Bowl | Monday Dec. 28, 2:30 p.m. | Pittsburgh | Navy | Navy |
| Quick Lane | Monday Dec. 28, 5 p.m. | Louisville | Indiana | Louisville |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces | Tuesday Dec. 29, 2 p.m. | San Diego State | Minnesota | San Diego State |
| Russell Athletic | Tuesday Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. | Duke | West Virginia | Duke |
| Nova Home Loans Arizona | Tuesday Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m. | Marshall | Boise State | Marshall |
| AdvoCare V100 Texas | Tuesday Dec. 29, 9 p.m. | Texas | Arkansas | Arkansas |
| Birmingham | Wednesday Dec. 30, 12 p.m. | Houston | Missouri | Houston |
| Belk | Wednesday Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m. | Mississippi State | North Carolina | Mississippi State |
| Franklin American Music City | Wednesday Dec. 30, 7 p.m. | Texas A&M | Florida State | Texas A&M |
| National University Holiday | Wednesday Dec. 30, 10:30 p.m. | Northwestern | USC | USC |
| Chick-fil-A Peach | Thursday Dec. 31, 12 p.m. | Notre Dame | Michigan State | Notre Dame |
| Goodyear Cotton | Thursday Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. | Ohio State | Oklahoma State | Ohio State |
| Capital One Orange | Thursday Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m. | Clemson | Alabama | Alabama |
| Outback | Friday Jan. 1, 12 p.m. | Penn State | Ole Miss | Ole Miss |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus | Friday Jan. 1, 1 p.m. | Michigan | LSU | LSU |
| Fiesta Bowl | Friday Jan. 1, 1 p.m. | Baylor | Utah | Baylor |
| Rose Bowl | Friday Jan. 1, 5 p.m. | Iowa | Stanford | Iowa |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | Friday Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m. | Oklahoma | Florida | Oklahoma State |
| TaxSlayer | Saturday Jan. 2, 12 p.m. | Wisconsin | Georgia | Wisconsin |
| AutoZone Liberty | Saturday Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. | TCU | Tennessee | TCU |
| Valero Alamo | Saturday Jan. 2, 6:45 p.m. | Texas Tech | Oregon | Oregon |
| Cactus | Saturday Jan. 2, 10:15 p.m. | Kansas State | Arizona | Kansas State |
| National Championship | Monday Jan. 11, 8:30 p.m. | Ohio State | Alabama | Ohio State |
Notre Dame's biggest win of the season at the moment is Navy. That isn't playoff-worthy. With two games left, the Irish have to beat No. 11 Stanford in their finale, which isn't enough compared to what the teams behind them have coming up on their schedule.
No. 5 Iowa has a pair of easier games with Minnesota and Nebraska to end the regular season, but the Big 10 Championship could pit it against either No. 3 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan State or No. 12 Michigan.
Ohio State, though, looks to be too strong this season and should win the conference. It's the Big 12 teams in No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 6 Oklahoma State that will be Notre Dame's downfall. Fox Sports' Joel Klatt already thinks that the two schools should be in the running right now:
The Sooners have No. 18 TCU in Week 12 while the Cowboys take on No. 10 Baylor. If both schools win, then the last game of the regular season makes the Bedlam rivalry more important than ever.
Whoever wins that game should get the No. 4 spot but will run into a roadblock of Ohio State, who should get the No. 1 ranking if it goes on to sweep Michigan State, Michigan and the Big Ten Championship.
That would move Clemson down to No. 2 and Alabama to No. 3. When it comes to a semifinal game, though, Alabama has been playing too well as of late, and it should move past the Tigers, setting up a rematch of last year's semifinal in the national championship game.
The Buckeyes have beaten Alabama before, and they'll do it again if they face off in the national championship.
Prediction: Ohio States defeats Alabama 31-24 to win national championship
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
