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Bowl Predictions 2018: Complete CFP Projections Following Week 10
November 4, 2018
The path to the College Football Playoff is clear for the top four programs.
Alabama reinforced its No. 1 ranking with a Week 10 victory over LSU, and when December rolls around, the more intriguing SEC storyline could be how many teams from the conference qualify for the New Year's Six bowls given the mediocrity of the programs beneath the Top 10.
Clemson appears to be the only team capable of challenging the Crimson Tide, but if the Tigers keep on their current trajectory, they'll have to wait until the National Championship for a rematch with Alabama.
Notre Dame and Michigan are next in line for the playoff, and if they pass the handful of tests left on their respective schedules, they'll slot into the final two positions.
Given the amount of ranked teams that have fallen through 10 weeks, there's a chance one of the four playoff contenders slip up, but we don't see it happening.
Bowl Projections
College Football Playoff
Cotton Bowl (December 29): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan
Orange Bowl (December 29): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
New Year's Six
Peach Bowl (December 29): UCF vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (January 1): Oklahoma vs. Kentucky
Rose Bowl (January 1): Ohio State vs. Washington State
Sugar Bowl (January 1): West Virginia vs. LSU
Other Bowls
New Mexico Bowl (December 15): San Diego State vs. North Texas
Cure Bowl (December 15): Akron vs. Arkansas State
Las Vegas Bowl (December 15): Fresno State vs. USC
Camellia Bowl (December 15): Western Michigan vs. Coastal Carolina
New Orleans Bowl (December 15): Marshall vs. UL-Monroe
Boca Raton Bowl (December 18): South Florida vs. Florida International
Frisco Bowl (December 19): Nevada vs. Toledo
Gasparilla Bowl (December 20): Memphis vs. Miami
Bahamas Bowl (December 21): Ohio vs. Middle Tennessee State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (December 21): Boise State vs. Northern Illinois
Birmingham Bowl (December 22): Cincinnati vs. California
Armed Forces Bowl (December 22): Temple vs. Appalachian State
Dollar General Bowl (December 22): Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern
Hawaii Bowl (December 22): Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
First Responder Bowl (December 26): BYU vs. Georgia Tech
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26): Army vs. UAB
Cheez-It Bowl (December 26): Baylor vs. Colorado
Independence Bowl (December 27): Virginia Tech vs. Oregon
Pinstripe Bowl (December 27): Iowa vs. Duke
Texas Bowl (December 27): Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
Music City Bowl (December 28): NC State vs. Arizona State
Camping World Bowl (December 28): Syracuse vs. Texas Tech
Alamo Bowl (December 28): Texas vs. Arizona
Belk Bowl (December 29): Boston College vs. South Carolina
Arizona Bowl (December 29): Utah State vs. Troy
Military Bowl (December 31): Virginia vs. Houston
Sun Bowl (December 31): Stanford vs. Pittsburgh
Redbox Bowl (December 31): Purdue vs. Washington
Liberty Bowl (December 31): Iowa State vs. Texas A&M
Holiday Bowl (December 31): Utah vs. Wisconsin
Gator Bowl (December 31): Northwestern vs. Florida
Outback Bowl (January 1): Mississippi State vs. Penn State
Citrus Bowl (January 1): Auburn vs. Michigan State
Playoff Outlook
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan
Even if you didn't watch a second of Alabama's thumping of LSU, all you have to do is look at the final score to see how dominant the Crimson Tide were Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
With the victory, Nick Saban's team clinched the SEC West title and a date with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.
From now until December 4, the goal for Tua Tagovailoa and Co. is to improve the smallest facets of their game in order to show no weaknesses during December and January.
The Crimson Tide have Mississippi State, The Citadel and Auburn left on their regular-season schedule, and they will be overwhelming favorites in each game.
Even if Mississippi State or Auburn keeps Alabama within striking distance, neither team has shown it can consistently move the ball down the field.
While we were busy fawning over Alabama, Michigan's blowout of Penn State flew a bit under the radar.
With LSU dropping out of the playoff positions, the Wolverines will slide into the No. 4 spot, as they continue to prove Jim Harbaugh's doubters wrong.
The dominant victories over Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State won't matter if Michigan can't beat Ohio State on Thanksgiving weekend with the Big Ten East title on the line.
The Wolverines should be able to get to November 24 at 10-1 since they have Rutgers and Indiana coming up in their next two games.
Since the Buckeyes conceded 25 or more points in four of their past five games, we don't have much trust in their defense silencing a Michigan offense that has outscored opponents 219-75 in conference play.
As long as Michigan knocks off its biggest rival, it should be able to handle whichever team emerges from the mess in the Big Ten West, which is the 5-4 Northwestern.
Michigan won't suffer a letdown against the Wildcats for the second time this season and will be prepared to come out on top with a playoff berth in its sight.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Clemson has an opportunity to make a statement different to the one it made by trouncing Louisville in Week 10.
The Tigers won't put up 77 points on Boston College, but they will be able to prove they can win in a hostile environment on the road.
Saturday's trip to Boston College marks the first significant road test the Tigers have had since Week 2 at Texas A&M, and it's the final road game of their regular-season slate.
Dabo Swinney's team not only will have an eye on the College Football Playoff, but it will also look to lock up the ACC Atlantic Division title by knocking the Eagles into the two-loss column in conference play.
As long as the Tigers get through Week 11, they should cruise into the playoff, with Duke and South Carolina at home and a team with eight or nine wins from the ACC Coastal awaiting in the ACC Championship.
Notre Dame survived its second-to-last road challenge Saturday by beating Northwestern by 10 points.
The Fighting Irish's focus shifts to Florida State and a neutral-site game versus Syracuse at Yankee Stadium.
Getting past the struggling Seminoles at home should be an easy task, but the Orange could provide a tough matchup.
Even if they are involved in a tight game, the Fighting Irish proved they can win one-possession games against Michigan, Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh.
Brian Kelly made the right decision to go with Ian Book at quarterback, as he's thrown for at least 250 yards in each of his six starts.
In a projected matchup with Clemson, Book would square off with Trevor Lawrence, who also started the regular season on the bench.
However, Lawrence has only thrown for 300 yards twice because of how one-sided the majority of Clemson's games have been.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.