Bowl Predictions 2018 CFP Projections with Conference Championships on Horizon
November 26, 2018
The only topic you'll hear in college football conversations ahead of Week 14 is the College Football Playoff.
After a few weeks of status quo at the top of the rankings, Ohio State's win over Michigan handed us a debate that will continue throughout the next seven days.
Although neither Oklahoma nor Ohio State will end up in the playoff positions when Tuesday's rankings come out, one of them will slide into the final four if Georgia loses the SEC Championship to Alabama.
As if that wasn't enough to make your head spin, an Alabama loss would open up the debate to three teams, with the Crimson Tide joining the conversation involving the Sooners and Buckeyes.
Bowl Projections
College Football Playoff
Cotton Bowl (December 29): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Orange Bowl (December 29): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
New Year's Six
Peach Bowl (December 29): Michigan vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl (January 1): UCF vs. Washington State
Rose Bowl (January 1): Ohio State vs. Washington
Sugar Bowl (January 1): Texas vs. Georgia
Other Bowls
New Mexico Bowl (December 15): Fresno State vs. North Texas
Cure Bowl (December 15): Tulane vs. Georgia Southern
Las Vegas Bowl (December 15): Boise State vs. Arizona State
Camellia Bowl (December 15): Western Michigan vs. Louisiana
New Orleans Bowl (December 15): Marshall vs. Appalachian State
Boca Raton Bowl (December 18): South Florida vs. Middle Tennessee State
Frisco Bowl (December 19): Eastern Michigan vs. Southern Miss
Gasparilla Bowl (December 20): Memphis vs. UAB
Bahamas Bowl (December 21): Toledo vs. Florida International
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (December 21): Utah State vs. Ohio
Birmingham Bowl (December 22): Cincinnati vs. BYU
Armed Forces Bowl (December 22): Temple vs. Baylor
Dollar General Bowl (December 22): Buffalo vs. Troy
Hawaii Bowl (December 22): Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
First Responder Bowl (December 26): Wake Forest vs. Army
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26): Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech
Cheez-It Bowl (December 26): Nevada vs. Northern Illinois
Independence Bowl (December 27): Miami vs. Missouri
Pinstripe Bowl (December 27): Purdue vs. Duke
Texas Bowl (December 27): TCU vs. Vanderbilt
Music City Bowl (December 28): NC State vs. Auburn
Camping World Bowl (December 28): Syracuse vs. Iowa State
Alamo Bowl (December 28): West Virginia vs. Utah
Belk Bowl (December 29): Pittsburgh vs. South Carolina
Arizona Bowl (December 29): San Diego State vs. Arkansas State
Military Bowl (December 31): Boston College vs. Houston
Sun Bowl (December 31): California vs. Virginia
Redbox Bowl (December 31): Michigan State vs. Stanford
Liberty Bowl (December 31): Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi State
Holiday Bowl (December 31): Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Gator Bowl (December 31): Iowa vs. Texas A&M
Outback Bowl (January 1): LSU vs. Penn State
Citrus Bowl (January 1): Kentucky vs. Northwestern
Playoff Projections
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
How Oklahoma ends up in a matchup with Alabama will be controversial in the eyes of some if the Sooners get into the playoff over Ohio State.
However, the potential of the two Heisman Trophy favorites squaring off against each other on the sport's biggest stage would force everyone to tune in.
Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa, who is seen by many as the top candidate to earn the Heisman in two weeks, has thrown for 3,189 yards and 36 touchdowns while only turning the ball over twice on a pair of interceptions.

The Crimson Tide didn't exactly have a gaping need at quarterback, but Tagovailoa's strengthened the position to a point where Alabama's offense is borderline unstoppable.
Stopping Tagovailoa would be a difficult task for an Oklahoma defense that gave up 40 points to Kansas two weeks ago, but the Sooners would have a shot to keep up with the Tide because of Kyler Murray.
Murray has 3,674 yards and 37 touchdowns through the air and an additional 853 yards and 11 touchdowns in the running game.
The versatility of Murray is the main reason he's considered as the other top contender for the Heisman, but unless Tagovailoa stumbles through the SEC Championship, he'll likely finish second in voting for the prestigious honor.
A matchup with Alabama's seventh-best defense that gives up 13.8 points per game would be the ultimate test of Murray's ability, and it's one well worth the price of admission if it comes to fruition.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
The only sure thing about the College Football Playoff is the presence of Notre Dame.
The 12-0 Fighting Irish locked up a spot in the national semifinals with a victory over USC in Week 13.

While Brian Kelly's team watches from home, Clemson will secure one of the three remaining playoff berths with a dominant showing against Pittsburgh.
By Clemson's standards, the 56-35 win over South Carolina wasn't good enough from a defensive perspective, as the Tigers held their previous four opponents to a combined 40 points.
Clemson is similar to Alabama, as it has a young quarterback leading the charge on offense with an impressive defense backing him up.
The Tigers have given up 0.2 points per game more than Alabama, and they'll receive a chance to flex their defensive muscle against a five-loss Pittsburgh team that's entering the ACC Championship off a defeat at the hands of Miami in which it mustered three points.
A meeting between Clemson and Notre Dame would occur if Alabama wins, as the seeds would reshuffle if Georgia triumphs in the SEC Championship.
One of the most intriguing battles in the matchup involving the ACC champion and Notre Dame comes in the trenches, as Dexter Williams, who is 59 yards away from the 1,000-yard mark, goes up against Clemson's defensive line chock full of NFL prospects.
Although we've paid much more attention to Clemson's defense, Notre Dame boasts a strong unit as well, and the Irish could pose a challenge for freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, as they've given up 198 passing yards and 17.3 points per game.
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