Bowl Projections 2018: Predictions for CFP Championship and Biggest Matchups

The start of college football's bowl season is at hand. After Saturday's college football conference championship games are decided, the College Football Playoff committee will resume their discussions on which teams should be in the top four spots and have a chance to play for this year's national championship.

It seems certain that that Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame will be three of the four teams involved in the playoffs. Alabama has been the No. 1 team all year and has dominated opponents behind the explosive play of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammates.

The Crimson Tide plays No. 4 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game Saturday, and it seems likely that Nick Saban's team will remain in the playoff structure even if it loses the game. That's an unlikely scenario, since Alabama has won all of its games by a minimum of 22 points.

Clemson is a 27.5-point favorite over Pittsburgh in the ACC title game, and the Tigers are likely to roll. Notre Dame concluded its season last week with its road victory over USC.

The Bulldogs have the unenviable task of facing Alabama, and it doesn't seem likely they will be able to hold on to their No. 4 spot if they lose. We don't see that happening, and the Oklahoma Sooners have the best chance of moving inside the playoff structure.

Ohio State and UCF may argue, but the Sooners have a powerful offense that could present a major challenge for Alabama.

Here's a look at the current rankings, along with our predictions for the top bowl games, including the national semifinals and national championship game. There's also further detail on two of the New Year's Six bowl games.

College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Alabama (12-0)
2. Clemson (12-0)
3. Notre Dame (12-0)
4. Georgia (11-1)

5. Oklahoma (11-1)
6. Ohio State (11-1)
7. Michigan (10-2)
8. UCF (11-0)
9. Florida (9-3)
10. LSU (9-3)

11. Washington (10-3)
12. Penn State (9-3)
13. Washington State (10-2)
14. Texas (9-3)
15. Kentucky (9-3)
16. West Virginia (8-3)
17. Utah (9-4)
18. Mississippi State (8-4)
19. Texas A&M (8-4)
20. Syracuse (9-3)
21. Northwestern (8-4)
22. Boise State (10-2)
23. Iowa State (7-4)
24. Missouri  (8-4)
25. Fresno State (10-2)

Predicted Major Bowl Games and Outcomes

College Football Playoff

Parenthetical numbers denote CFP rankings.

Dec. 29

National Semifinal, Cotton Bowl, Arlington, Texas: Alabama (1) vs. Oklahoma (5), Alabama 49, Oklahoma 38

National Semifinal, Orange Bowl, Miami: Clemson (2) vs. Notre Dame (3), Notre Dame 24, Clemson 23

Peach Bowl, Atlanta: Florida (9) vs. Michigan (7), Michigan 30, Florida 21

Jan. 1

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans: Georgia (4) vs. Texas (14), Georgia 37, Texas 26

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California: Ohio State (6) vs. Washington (11), Washington 28, Ohio State 27

Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona: LSU (10) vs. UCF (8), LSU 38, UCF 24

Jan. 7

National Championship, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California: Alabama (1) vs. Notre Dame (4), Alabama 35, Notre Dame 22

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Rose Bowl

Ohio State vs. Washington

The Buckeyes will be in the Rose Bowl if they can beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game Saturday, and they are not inside the top four of the CFP rankings.

Washington clinched its spot in the Pasadena, California bowl game with its 10-3 victory over the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 title game Friday night.

Ohio State has had a difficult season even though they come into the conference title game with an 11-1 record. The Buckeyes lost badly to Purdue, were challenged in several other games by teams like Nebraska (4-8) and Maryland (5-7) before playing its best game against archrival Michigan and coming away with a 62-39 victory.

The Buckeyes have a powerful offense led by Dwayne Haskins, who has had a sensational season. Haskins has completed 314 of 455 passes for 4,081 yards with 42 touchdowns. The days of Ohio State being a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust team are long over, and Haskins has propelled their passing game to a new level.

He has a pair of superior receivers in Parris Campbell and K.J Hill. Campbell scored on a 78-yard run against the Wolverines in which he showed off his explosive speed, and he has caught 72 passes for 903 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hill has caught 66 passes for 823 yards and six touchdowns.

The running game has been good enough to take some of the pressure off of Haskins. J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber have been combined to run for 1,768 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Huskies earned their spot in the Rose Bowl after beating Washington State in the regular-season finale and Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Quarterback Jake Browning does not have the same kind of statistics that Haskins put up, but he is an excellent quarterback who has the ability to make big plays and come up with a victory.

He has completed 217 of 334 passes for 2,879 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Browning is not a dominating runner, but he can buy time in the pocket and use that ability to find open receivers. He has rushed for 141 yards and four touchdowns.

Running back Myles Gaskin anchors the ground attack and has gained 1,147 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He scored three touchdowns in the win over the Cougars, including an 80-yard knockout blow in the snow in the fourth quarter.

Salvon Ahmed has also been solid in the running game with 604 yards and seven touchdowns. Aaron Fuller, Andre Baccellia and Ty Jones are Browning's best receivers, and they combined for 121 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

Defense has been key for the Huskies, and Jason Shelley's 66-yard interception return was the only touchdown in the win over the Utes. 

The Huskies have more to offer on the defensive side than the Buckeyes and will gain a narrow victory.

Fiesta Bowl

LSU vs. UCF

The Tigers registered a huge win over the Georgia Bulldogs during the regular season, and that game propelled LSU into the discussion as one of the best teams in the nation.

The Tigers had lost a previous game against Florida, but their 36-16 triumph over the Bulldogs was an eye-opening performance. However, when they were blanked 29-0 at home by Alabama, that basically ended LSU's chances of playing in the College Football Playoffs.

UCF is undefeated for the second year in a row, but it seems unlikely the Knights will be in the playoffs. They might have had a stronger case if quarterback McKenzie Milton had not suffered a devastating leg injury, but this relatively unheralded team is likely to be overlooked by the CFP committee once again.

The Knights will face Memphis Saturday in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, and the Knights are a three-point favorite in that game.

They could go to the Fiesta Bowl if they can beat the Tigers.

UCF will turn to Darriel Mack Jr. under center, and he has thrown for 174 yards in limited action. Running back Greg McCrae has rushed for 895 yards and eight touchdowns, while Gabriel Davis has caught 44 passes for 655 yards.

LSU has a big advantage at quarterback with Joe Burrow leading the attack. Burrow has thrown for 2,500 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he is also a threat on the ground with 375 yards and seven touchdowns.

Running back Nick Brossette has run for 922 yards and has scored 14 touchdowns. Justin Jefferson leads the crew of wide receivers with 50 receptions for 788 yards and four touchdowns, and the Tigers have four other pass catchers who have caught 20 passes.

The injury to Milton will hang over UCF and keep them from completing another undefeated season. LSU wins this game by double digits.