Bowl Predictions 2017: Projections for College Football Playoff Before Week 8

The number of undefeated teams is beginning to dwindle as the 2017 college football season passes the halfway mark. Last week's upsets, highlighted by Syracuse over Clemson, have made an already crowded College Football Playoff picture even more murky.

Alabama is in a strong position thanks to its undefeated record and favorable schedule. The other three spots are up for grabs because there are numerous teams, especially from the Big Ten and Big 12, that could end up knocking each other out over the next few months.

To borrow a phrase from college basketball, the situation makes the CFP "bubble" quite large. Perhaps that will start to change in Week 8. So let's check out bowl predictions for the top teams as things stand and take a look at a few contenders who could be in danger this weekend.

Bowl Projections for AP Top 10

1. Alabama – Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)

2. Penn State – Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal)

3. Georgia – Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal)

4. TCU – Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal)

5. Wisconsin – Cotton Bowl

6. Ohio State – Orange Bowl

7. Clemson – Fiesta Bowl

8. Miami – Orange Bowl

9. Oklahoma – Cotton Bowl

10. Oklahoma State – Fiesta Bowl

Playoff Contenders on Upset Alert

Penn State (vs. Michigan)

The Nittany Lions trying to remain undefeated is one of two marquee matchups on this week's schedule. The other is USC traveling to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Both games will have a sizable impact on the CFP outlook, regardless of which of the playoff hopefuls come out on top.

It's a dangerous spot for second-ranked Penn State on multiple levels. Not only does it have road games against Ohio State and Michigan State looming over the next two weeks, but the Michigan defense represents a major challenge for star running back Saquon Barkley and Co.

Nick Baumgardner of the Detroit Free Press noted Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh praised the unit, which entered the week leading the nation in yards allowed per game.

"You start to stack up some of the things they've done in terms of total yards (allowed), there's a stat there that we're one of, I think, 10 teams who have allowed 280-some yards or less in our first six ball games since 2000," he said. "We have the most punts against us of any team in college football this year. The most three-and-outs. We're doing some really great things on defense."

Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley has completed 67 percent of his throws with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions this season in large part due to lesser opponents stacking the box against Barkley. He'll likely see fewer one-on-one outside coverage against Michigan, which could pose a problem.

Although the Nittany Lions are the more well-rounded team, the Wolverines' defense has a good chance to make Saturday's clash a low-scoring affair that's not decided until late in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma State (at Texas)

This is a prototypical trap game for the Cowboys. They are coming off a blowout victory over Baylor with crucial games against West Virginia and rival Oklahoma up next. A trip to face Texas, which played the Sooners tough in a five-point loss last week, won't be a cake walk.

The Longhorns nearly upset USC earlier in the campaign, too, losing by a field goal in double overtime. They scored a combined 48 points while tallying 794 total yards in those two near upsets. That's a concern for an Oklahoma State defense that's allowed 94 points over its last three games.

Cowboys quarterback Mason Rudolph downplayed the idea the team could be looking past Texas, though.

"I'm a confident player; I think our team and our offense is very confident every single week," he told reporters. "That's not going to change, but you never want to get too complacent after a big victory, and we've always done a great job of having that urgency, that mindset of coming back hungry every single Sunday and starting fresh."

Rudolph, who enters the contest with 25 total touchdowns through six games, is going to need another strong showing to keep one-loss Oklahoma State in the CFP mix in what figures to become a shootout.

Michigan State (vs. Indiana)

The Spartans aren't getting much attention in the playoff conversation because they are ranked all the way down in 18th. The elements are there for them to make a charge toward the top if everything falls into place over the next couple months, though.

Michigan State has four highly winnable games (Indiana, Northwestern, Maryland and Rutgers) sandwiched around high-profile meetings with Penn State and Ohio State. So it still controls its own destiny, though winning out is surely a long shot at this stage.

Beating the Hoosiers would be the first step in the right direction. Indiana is only 3-3, but that's partly due to a tough schedule with losses to Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan.

"I look at where we are at in our schedule and we are the only Big Ten team that in our first seven games is playing four Top 20 teams," head coach Tom Allen said, per Fox Sports. "That's been a great challenge for us and a great opportunity to compete against really good programs right out of the gate. It has really been good for our guys to be locked in and focused."

The Spartans must find a way to slow down running back Morgan Ellison early. He's averaging over five yards per carry this season, and the Hoosiers will lean heavily on him as they attempt to establish a ball-control attack in the first half.

If Michigan State stuffs the run game, it should cruise. But if Ellison gets rolling, Sparty's hopes of making that surge up the rankings could reach a premature conclusion Saturday.