Bowl Predictions 2018: Projecting CFP Playoff Field After Week 11 Games

It was a drama-free gameweek in the college football world, but perhaps this is just the calm before the storm. Every team slotted in a playoff position won Saturday, and they did so with relative ease.

The path to the College Football Playoff for each of the top four teams is clear, as they all appear to control their own destinies. For the teams on the outside looking in, however, the path is a bit muddier. Among the teams not in the playoff positions, only Georgia appears to have a guaranteed path to the postseason if it wins out.

Based on Saturday's results, here's a breakdown of how the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowls could shake out.

College Football Playoff Projections

Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan

Orange Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

There shouldn't be much drama when the latest rankings are revealed, as every top-10 team cruised to victory in Week 11. The four playoff teams should remain the same, and all four will likely be favored in every remaining game they have.

For these top teams, the most significant outcome of Week 11 was Clemson's victory over Boston College, as it likely represented the final test on the Tigers' schedule. Duke and South Carolina, neither of which is ranked, are Clemson's only remaining opponents in the regular season.

Notre Dame also doesn't face much resistance in its remaining schedule. However, it will faced a ranked opponent next time out in Syracuse. The Orange will be just the second team the Fighting Irish have faced that is ranked in the committee's Top 25.

The Irish should be heavy favorites, but if they did lose to Syracuse, it would likely eliminate Notre Dame from the playoff conversation. If the Irish's only quality win is a Week 1 victory over Michigan, the committee would have a hard time justifying a one-loss Notre Dame in the top four.

Other New Year's Six Bowl Projections

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Washington State

Fiesta Bowl: Florida vs. UCF

Peach Bowl: LSU vs. West Virginia

Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Georgia

Washington State handled Colorado with ease on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 31-7 victory, and it remains in the driver's seat in the Pac-12. However, even if the Cougars win out, they won't control their playoff destiny.

With six undefeated or one-loss teams ahead of Washington State, it appears likely that a Pac-12 championship would send the Cougars to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 2002 season.

In the Rose Bowl, Washington State would likely meet up with the loser of the Ohio State-Michigan game. The winner of that rivalry matchup will advance to the Big Ten Championship Game, wherein it will be heavily favored to win and advance to the playoff; the loser would likely remain the next-highest-ranked team in the conference and head to Pasadena.

There's still a chance the Big Ten winner gets left out of the playoff—especially if it's any team other than Michigan. In that case, the Rose Bowl could feature the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions for the first time since 2013—the year before the College Football Playoff was created.

Another fascinating potential matchup is the projected battle between Florida and UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. Should this scenario play out, it would be the first time the schools meet since 2006, long before the Knights had established themselves as one of the premier Group of Five programs.

UCF took care of business against Navy on Saturday and also benefited from Fresno State's loss at Boise State on Friday night. The highest-ranked Group of Five school is guaranteed a spot in a New Year's Six bowl, and Fresno State was the only other Group of Five school ranked by the committee ahead of Week 11.

Because of Fresno State's loss, UCF has full control of its path to a major bowl and may even be able to survive a loss along the way.