Bowl Predictions 2019: Playoff Projections Heading into Week 9

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Nov. 5, but there's still plenty that could change the playoff picture before then, with two more weekends of games to help the selection committee rank the teams for the first time this season.

The top six teams in the AP Top 25 poll are all undefeated, and it's possible they could all remain that way the next two weeks. However, there's also the potential for some upsets that could cause some major shakeups in the rankings.

All six of those teams will be in action Saturday, but No. 3 Ohio State will be the only one facing a ranked opponent. The Buckeyes are set to host No. 13 Wisconsin in a pivotal Big Ten clash.

Heading into the majority of the Week 9 slate, here's a look at how the College Football Playoff picture stands.

Bowl Projections

College Football Playoff

Peach Bowl (Dec. 28): Alabama vs. Clemson

Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 28): Ohio State vs. Oklahoma

New Year's Six

Cotton Bowl (Dec. 28): Notre Dame vs. SMU

Orange Bowl (Dec. 30): Georgia vs. Wake Forest

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1): LSU vs. Baylor

Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Oregon vs. Penn State

College Football Playoff Picture

LSU is the No. 2 team in the country, and how it performs in its next two games will go a long way in determining its College Football Playoff fate.

On Saturday, the Tigers are hosting No. 9 Auburn. If they win that game, it sets up a huge SEC showdown on Nov. 9, when LSU travels to take on No. 1 Alabama. That matchup alone could prove the Tigers are worthy of a CFP spot and be a deciding factor for the selection committee.

If LSU beats Auburn and Alabama, then it will likely win the SEC West and have a chance to play for the conference championship. So, while the Tigers aren't currently projected to be in the College Football Playoff—due to their challenging upcoming schedule and there potentially being four undefeated conference champions this season—they could quickly change that.

Of course, Alabama also needs to win Saturday to make that LSU matchup a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game. And even without star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (high ankle sprain), the Crimson Tide should have no trouble improving to 8-0 with a home win over Arkansas.

As long as Tagovailoa is back for the LSU game, which he is expected to be, then that should be one of the best matchups in college football this season.

The other three teams projected to be in the CFP along with Alabama—Ohio State, Oklahoma and Clemson—should hold their spots as long as they win out and capture their respective conference's championship.

On Saturday, Ohio State has the most difficult game of the three, as the No. 3 Buckeyes are hosting No. 13 Wisconsin. The Badgers suffered their first loss of the season last week, a surprising road defeat at Illinois, and will be looking to stay in the College Football Playoff chase themselves.

Ohio State has some key Big Ten games coming up, as it will face No. 6 Penn State and No. 19 Michigan in late November. The Nittany Lions are also undefeated, so that could be another crucial game for the CFP landscape.

Oklahoma (at Kansas State) and Clemson (vs. Boston College) have less challenging games on Saturday. But as Wisconsin's loss last week proved, anything can happen in college football, and there will likely be surprising upsets before the regular season is over.

The Sooners' most challenging remaining games will be against No. 14 Baylor and No. 23 Iowa State, while the Tigers' will be at home against No. 25 Wake Forest. But both of these teams are in good position, as Oklahoma appears to be the best team in the Big 12 and Clemson is clearly the top one in the ACC.