Bowl Predictions 2018: Projections for College Football Playoff Before Week 8
As the number of bowl-eligible teams continues to rise, the bowl picture itself becomes tougher to figure out.
Due to the fluctuation of teams in and out of the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowls, some potential bowl matchups have been hard to lock down through seven weeks.
The SEC still has the best chance to put three teams into the most-coveted bowl games, but the Big Ten can make a compelling case for the same to happen to it.
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If you look further into the bowl picture, a few teams who were on the path to the final four a few weeks ago are now looking at postseason games before the playoff begins.
Bowl Projections
College Football Playoff
Cotton Bowl (December 29): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Clemson
Orange Bowl (December 29): No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
New Year's Six
Peach Bowl (December 29): UCF vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl (January 1): Oklahoma vs. Washington
Rose Bowl (January 1): Michigan vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl (January 1): Texas vs. LSU
Other Bowls
New Mexico Bowl (December 15): San Diego State vs. Louisiana Tech
Cure Bowl (December 15): Army vs. Arkansas State
Las Vegas Bowl (December 15): Fresno State vs. Utah
Camellia Bowl (December 15): Toledo vs. Georgia Southern
New Orleans Bowl (December 15): North Texas vs. Western Michigan
Boca Raton Bowl (December 18): Temple vs. Marshall
Frisco Bowl (December 19): Houston vs. BYU
Gasparilla Bowl (December 20): Memphis vs. UAB
Bahamas Bowl (December 21): Ohio vs. Florida International
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (December 21): Boise State vs. Northern Illinois
Birmingham Bowl (December 22): South Florida vs. Vanderbilt
Armed Forces Bowl (December 22): Navy vs. Baylor
Dollar General Bowl (December 22): Buffalo vs. Appalachian State
Hawaii Bowl (December 22): Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee State
First Responder Bowl (December 26): Indiana vs. Pittsburgh
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26): Virginia vs. Purdue
Cheez-It Bowl (December 26): Texas Tech vs. California
Independence Bowl (December 27): Florida State vs. South Carolina
Pinstripe Bowl (December 27): Maryland vs. Boston College
Texas Bowl (December 27): Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
Music City Bowl (December 28): Syracuse vs. Tennessee
Camping World Bowl (December 28): NC State vs. TCU
Arizona Bowl (December 28): Utah State vs. Troy
Alamo Bowl (December 28): West Virginia vs. USC
Belk Bowl (December 29): Virginia Tech vs. Auburn
Military Bowl (December 31): Duke vs. Cincinnati
Sun Bowl (December 31): Colorado vs. Miami
Redbox Bowl (December 31): Northwestern vs. Washington State
Liberty Bowl (December 31): Iowa State vs. Mississippi State
Holiday Bowl (December 31): Stanford vs. Iowa
Gator Bowl (December 31): Wisconsin vs. Texas A&M
Outback Bowl (January 1): Kentucky vs. Penn State
Citrus Bowl (January 1): Georgia vs. Michigan State
Playoff Outlook
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Clemson
The latest showdown between Alabama and Clemson will occur because of the Crimson Tide's dominance and the Tigers' poor strength of schedule.
Clemson sits third in the AP Top 25, but Saturday's clash with NC State is its only matchup against a ranked opponent.
That could change in the coming weeks if Boston College and Duke boost themselves back into the Top 25, but even then wins over those two programs won't be seen as monumental.
The ACC Coastal Division isn't doing the Tigers any favors, either, as every team except for Duke has at least two losses.
When the resumes of the four playoff teams are compared in December, Clemson's will be deemed the weakest, which will put it in the unenviable position of playing Alabama yet again.
On the other hand, Alabama has two ranked teams on its schedule to start November, one of which is No. 5 LSU.
The Crimson Tide might face a test from Tennessee for a half in Week 8, but they are expected to cruise into the bye week with an unblemished record.
As long as Nick Saban's team runs the table in the regular season and knocks off either Georgia, Florida or Kentucky in the SEC Championship Game, it will retain the No. 1 seed and contend for its second straight title.
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Two of the most prestigious programs in the nation are on track to square off in the other playoff matchup if form holds.
Ohio State plays three of its next four games on the road, and it faces a potentially tricky test at Purdue Saturday night, but the game that really matters to the Buckeyes is scheduled for November 24 at home against Michigan.
A win over the Wolverines would allow the Buckeyes to clinch the Big Ten East title and head into the Big Ten Championship Game as the favorite against a foe from the weaker Big Ten West.
Urban Meyer's team already has wins over TCU and Penn State on its resume, and if it remains undefeated, victories over Michigan State and Michigan will be added to the quality wins category.
Notre Dame navigated through the difficult part of its schedule with wins over Michigan, Stanford and Virginia Tech, which should be enough to impress the selection committee, even though the Cardinal and Hokies have dropped out of the AP Top 25 since.
Navy, Northwestern, Florida State, Syracuse and USC aren't exactly the toughest opponents to close out the season with, but the Fighting Irish must come ready to play, or they could be upended by one of those five teams.
A loss at this point in the 2018 campaign would deem the season a disappointment given what's ahead of the Fighting Irish.
Another factor playing in Notre Dame's favor is the Pac-12 and Big 12 champions will have at least one loss, and depending on which teams emerge as victors in each conference, Brian Kelly's team could hold a two-game advantage in the loss column.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
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