Bowl Projections 2020: CFP Predictions Ahead of Saturday's Key Games
Notre Dame showed why it's a top College Football Playoff contender Friday at North Carolina. The No. 2 Fighting Irish improved to 9-0 with a 31-17 win over the No. 19 Tar Heels, moving another step closer to the ACC Championship Game.
It's possible that Notre Dame won't even need to win the ACC title to reach the playoff. If it is victorious in its next two games against Syracuse and Wake Forest and then loses to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, the Fighting Irish and Tigers could both make the CFP. Notre Dame beat Clemson 47-40 on Nov. 7.
However, it's possible that Clemson will need to win out and avenge its loss to Notre Dame to extend its College Football Playoff streak to six straight seasons. That may also depend on how the other top CFP contenders (most notably Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M and Florida) fare down the stretch.
While Notre Dame played Friday, many of the top CFP contenders will be in action Saturday. Here are the latest projections for the New Year's Six matchups.
New Year's Six Bowl Projections
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Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal): Alabama vs. Notre Dame
Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal): Ohio State vs. Clemson
Orange Bowl: Florida vs. Miami
Fiesta Bowl: BYU vs. Texas A&M
Peach Bowl: Northwestern vs. Cincinnati
Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Georgia
Can Alabama Stay Undefeated Without Saban?
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Alabama has been the most impressive team in the country this season. The Crimson Tide are 7-0 and have won every game by at least 17 points, which includes victories over Texas A&M and Georgia. They are likely to keep it going at home against No. 22 Auburn in Saturday's Iron Bowl matchup.
However, No. 1-ranked Alabama will be without a key member of its team: head coach Nick Saban. After falsely testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this season, Saban tested positive again this week and was showing symptoms, which will cause him to miss Saturday's game. That means offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will handle most of the head-coaching duties for the Crimson Tide.
It may not affect the outcome of the game, though. Alabama's offense is going to be difficult for Auburn to stop, as the Tide are averaging 555.2 total yards per game, which ranks sixth in the country and second in the SEC. Redshirt junior quarterback Mac Jones is playing at a high level leading the unit, and he will likely have another big day against the Tigers.
If Auburn could upset Alabama, then the playoff picture would be a lot murkier, especially because the Crimson Tide have a likely matchup against Florida in the SEC Championship Game, which could be a challenging contest. But even without Saban, Alabama should remain unbeaten and continue its march toward the SEC title game.
Lawrence Ready for Return in Potential Final Home Game
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For the first time since Oct. 24, Trevor Lawrence will take the field for Clemson on Saturday. It also could be the last time that the junior quarterback plays at Memorial Stadium.
Lawrence, who missed the Tigers' past two games because of a positive COVID-19 test, is likely going to be heading to the NFL next season. So Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh could mark the final home game of his impressive college career. He's also going to be trying to get Clemson back on track after it lost its most recent game against Notre Dame.
It's been a three-week layoff for the Tigers, but that's unlikely to matter against the Panthers, who opened the season with three straight wins but are now 5-4. Clemson last played Pittsburgh in 2018 (Lawrence's freshman year), winning 42-10. It's likely the result will be similar this year.
The Tigers are ranked No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but another loss could drop them out of the CFP, which they haven't missed since not being included in the inaugural playoff at the end of the 2014 season. Clemson should win its next two games against Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech to set up a likely rematch against Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game.
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Ohio State Looks to Keep Rolling During Short Season
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Although Ohio State has only played four games, it was still ranked No. 4 in the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. The Buckeyes are not only unbeaten, but they are also coming off their best win of the season, a 42-35 victory over Indiana.
There are only two games remaining on Ohio State's regular-season schedule, and it's hard to imagine it losing any of them. After Saturday's game at Illinois was cancelled because of positive COVID-19 tests within the program, Ohio State has a road matchup at Michigan State and a home contest against Michigan remaining.
The Buckeyes appear poised to return to the Big Ten Championship Game after winning the conference title the past three years. And as long as Ohio State wins out, it should make the CFP. However, any losses could put the Buckeyes in jeopardy of missing out, especially if they fell to Northwestern, which is also undefeated, in the conference championship game.
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