Bowl Predictions 2020: Projections for Top Playoff Contenders Before Week 7

The College Football Playoff conversation comes into a more intense focus in Week 7.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs face off in the season's first top-five clash Saturday, and the winner will be the front-runner to reach the playoff out of the SEC.

Clemson fits that billing out of the ACC, and it is one of the three programs from the conference sitting in the top five of the AP Top 25. 

The list of potential playoff contenders participating in games will grow in Week 8 when the Big Ten takes the field for the first time. 

Ohio State and Penn State are expected to be the two best playoff contenders from the Big Ten, but they will be at a slight disadvantage since the ACC, SEC and Big 12 have been playing games for a few weeks. 

College Football Playoff Projections

New Year's Six

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Georgia

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Cotton Bowl: Florida vs. Oklahoma State 

Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Penn State

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. North Carolina

Peach Bowl: SMU vs. Miami

The four playoff participants could end up being familiar faces to the final four. 

Clemson and Ohio State advanced to the playoff last season and played each other in one of the two national semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl.

Alabama missed out on the playoff for the first time in its current iteration last season after falling to LSU.

With the Tigers dealing with some early-season struggles, the Crimson Tide are back on top of the SEC West with few potential challengers in sight. 

Even if Alabama loses at home to Georgia, it would still have a path to the playoff since the defeat would not come against a divisional foe. 

The Crimson Tide may not have to go through that scenario since they have beaten Georgia three times since 2015, with one of those victories occurring in the 2018 National Championship Game. 

The same sentence above regarding an Alabama loss applies to a potential Georgia defeat. The Bulldogs already beat Tennessee and have to play Florida later in the season. 

If Georgia loses to Alabama but takes care of its top SEC East threats, it could find itself in a rematch with the Crimson Tide in December. 

Clemson and Notre Dame could face a similar fate. The two sides meet November 7 and are viewed as the two best teams in the ACC above North Carolina at the moment. 

The Tar Heels sit at a disadvantage compared to Notre Dame since they do not face Clemson in the regular season. 

But that might not even matter if Clemson sweeps through the ACC as it did on its way to the title game last season. 

The ACC could make a case to put two teams in the playoff, but the conference may need Notre Dame or North Carolina to beat Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and for Georgia to have two losses for that to happen. 

There is even a possible scenario in which Georgia gets into the playoff with two losses—if they are both to Alabama. 

That could be dependent on what happens in the Big Ten and Pac-12 once they return to play. Ohio State can gain a significant early advantage in the Big Ten by beating Penn State October 31. 

Ohio State only has one other Top 25 matchup scheduled against Michigan, but the strength of the schedule may not matter if it is as dominant as previous seasons. 

The Pac-12 is typically at a disadvantage due to its overall strength, and the same can be said about the Big 12 at the moment. 

Oklahoma State is the only Big 12 team with an undefeated overall record, and just three teams have not suffered a conference defeat. 

Unless the Cowboys run the table, the Big 12 could be shut out of a playoff position at the expense of the ACC or SEC.

The Big 12 champion is likely bound for the New Year's Six, where it could play an SEC team since the conference should have one or two teams end up in the Top 10 beneath Alabama and Georgia by the end of the season. 

Cincinnati, SMU and BYU appear to be the best candidates to represent the Group of Five in the New Year's Six. 

SMU and BYU gained ground in that competition Friday with road victories. Cincinnati will not be in action in Week 7 due to a postponement.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.