Bowl Predictions 2018: Projections for College Football Playoff Contenders
Entering Week 8, it looked like the College Football Playoff field was safely locked in. Four undefeated teams stood atop on the rankings, and if those four won out, the committee would have an easy decision.
Of course, in college football, nothing is ever that easy.
This week the upset bug bit Ohio State, as the Buckeyes fell 49-20 on the road at Purdue, opening up a slot in the playoff.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The first of five College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until October 30, but here's a preview of how the committee may rank the teams through Week 8, along with projections for the other New Year's Six bowls.
College Football Playoff Projections
Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan
Orange Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
It's hard to make a case for anyone other than Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame in the top three. Alabama and Clemson are the only remaining undefeated teams from Power Five conferences, and Notre Dame, while not technically in a Power Five conference, plays a comparable schedule.
It's safe to assume each of those three schools controls its own destiny to reach the College Football Playoff.
The No. 4 slot, however, will be the topic of serious debate this week.
Ohio State was a lock to be included in this mix prior to Saturday's blowout loss at Purdue. And while the Buckeyes may still have a chance to climb back into the playoff picture with a win against Michigan and a Big Ten Championship, Ohio State is clearly on the outside looking in right now.
The two teams with the strongest argument for the No. 4 position are Michigan and LSU. Both have deserving resumes, but since Michigan is currently the front-runner in the Big Ten, it gets the edge for now.
Michigan took an important step toward the College Football Playoff on Saturday, knocking off Michigan State in dominating fashion. The Wolverines held the Spartans to just 94 yards of offense.
With that game out of the way, head coach Jim Harbaugh has a chance to lead his Wolverines to wins over both Michigan State and Ohio State in the same year since 2003.
Even though LSU appears to have a more impressive resume than Michigan at the moment, the committee would likely not pass over a Big Ten champion with just one close loss on the road at Notre Dame.
LSU fans have nothing to worry about, however. The Tigers host Alabama in Week 10 and will be a lock to enter the Top Four if they knock off the Crimson Tide.
Other New Year's Six Bowl Projections
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington
Fiesta Bowl: Florida vs. UCF
Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Oklahoma
Sugar Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia
After getting rolled by Purdue, Ohio State's playoff hopes have nearly been crushed, but a Rose Bowl berth is still within reach. If Michigan wins the Big Ten and advances to the College Football Playoff, Ohio State would likely take the Big Ten's slot in the Rose Bowl to square off against the Pac-12 winner. Ohio State hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since Terrelle Pryor's sophomore year in 2009.
Oklahoma made a statement on Saturday, cruising to a 52-27 victory over TCU. The Horned Frogs are now 3-4, so that victory doesn't mean as much as it would in previous years, but it was one of the few remaining tests on Oklahoma's schedule. The Sooners likely won't face another ranked opponent until their regular-season finale against West Virginia.
UCF also stayed on course for a second consecutive berth in a New Year's Six Bowl, knocking off East Carolina 37-10. The Knights won despite being without starting quarterback Mckenzie Milton, who was held out because of injury.
Getting Milton back to full health will be critical to UCF's stretch run, which features tough games against Temple, Cincinnati and a season finale on the road against undefeated South Florida.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
