Bowl Predictions 2019: Projecting College Football Playoff Field After Week 7

With Alabama in its conference, Georgia was always going to have a tough path to the College Football Playoff. And if the Bulldogs don't start playing better than they did Saturday, they could be in some trouble this season.

Georgia lost 20-17 in double overtime at home to South Carolina, a surprising defeat against an unranked conference opponent. It's a loss that could affect not only how the SEC plays out this season, but also the decisions made by the College Football Playoff selection committee later in the year.

Now that seven weeks of the college football season are complete, here's a look at which schools could be playing in this season's College Football Playoff as well as the other New Year's Six bowls.

Bowl Projections

College Football Playoff

Peach Bowl (Dec. 28): Alabama vs. Ohio State

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 28): Clemson vs. Oklahoma

New Year's Six

Cotton Bowl (Dec. 28): Notre Dame vs. Boise State

Orange Bowl (Dec. 30): Georgia vs. Virginia

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1): LSU vs. Texas

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Oregon vs. Wisconsin

There are several teams in the SEC that could be deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff, but it's possible that only one of them will make it.

Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma all have the potential to be undefeated conference champions. It's possible some upsets along the way prevent that from happening. But at this point, those three teams should be in control of their own destiny.

LSU is a Top Five team in the country, but its path to the College Football Playoff may require a win over No. 1 Alabama. It's possible the Tigers could lose to the Crimson Tide, not make it to the SEC championship game and still reach the CFP if the rest of their resume is worthy, but that's a tough decision the committee may have to make.

Georgia could also have the potential to get back in the conversation despite its loss to South Carolina. The Bulldogs still have challenging matchups against Florida and Auburn, which could get them a pair of quality wins. They also still have a chance to win the SEC East and play a team such as Alabama or LSU in the conference title game.

But the Bulldogs likely won't get in unless they win out and knock off a powerhouse team like Alabama or LSU to win the SEC title.

Like many years, Alabama is in control in not only the SEC but also the College Football Playoff picture. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1, and they still have the opportunity to earn quality victories against LSU, Auburn and potentially the SEC East champion in the conference title game.

Alabama's offense is rolling, as it has scored at least 42 points in each of its first six games. And the Crimson Tide aren't going anywhere in the next couple of weeks with home matchups against Tennessee and Arkansas coming up.

In the Crimson Tide's first game since earning the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll on Saturday, they beat their first ranked opponent of the season, topping No. 24 Texas A&M 47-28.

"You just revert back to your training. I've experienced playing at a place like Tennessee, then going to LSU, Ole Miss. ... Everyone wants to beat Alabama," said Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw four touchdown passes, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "We're not done yet. As a team we have to continue to grow."

And if they do, that's bad news for many of the other teams in the College Football Playoff picture.