Bowl Projections 2020: Predictions for Florida, USC and Top Teams

The Florida Gators have been lurking on the fringe of the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings for the last few weeks.

And Dan Mullen's side has one more week to wait for its highly anticipated clash with the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. 

At minimum, the Gators are in line for a New Year's Six bowl berth as one of the best non-playoff qualifiers in the CFP rankings, and a loss to Alabama shouldn't drop them too far from their current No. 6 position. 

While Florida's ranking has been stuck in neutral lately, the USC Trojans have made a push up to No. 15 through their undefeated start. 

USC is now the favorite to win the Pac-12, and if it continues to play at a high level, it should land a spot in the Fiesta Bowl since the Rose Bowl is being used as a national semifinal. 

The rest of the bowl picture is starting to shake out with clear tiers in each of the top conferences and the best Group of Five teams rising to the top. 

When it comes to the Group of Five teams, they could be paired by the best possible matchups because of how the bowl affiliations are aligned. 

Bowl Projections

Al Goldis/Associated Press

College Football Playoff

Sugar Bowl (January 1): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame

Rose Bowl (January 1): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State

New Years’ Six

Cotton Bowl (December 30): Iowa State vs. Texas A&M 

Peach Bowl (January 1): Cincinnati vs. Georgia

Fiesta Bowl (January 2): USC vs. Indiana

Orange Bowl (January 2): Miami vs. Florida 

Other Bowls

Frisco Bowl (December 19): Houston vs. UTSA

Myrtle Beach Bowl (December 21): Georgia State vs. Florida Atlantic

Boca Raton Bowl (December 22): Pittsburgh vs. UCF 

Idaho Potato Bowl (December 22): Nevada vs. Western Michigan 

Montgomery Bowl (December 23): Tulsa vs. Kent State 

New Orleans Bowl (December 23): Louisiana vs. Louisiana Tech 

New Mexico Bowl (December 24): San Jose State vs. BYU 

Camellia Bowl (December 25): Buffalo vs. Appalachian State

Gasparilla Bowl (December 26): Wake Forest vs. SMU 

Guaranteed Rate Bowl (December 26): West Virginia vs. Minnesota

Independence Bowl (December 26): Oregon vs. Army 

First Responder Bowl (December 26): Kansas State vs. Memphis

Cure Bowl (December 26): Marshall vs. Coastal Carolina

LendingTree Bowl (December 26): Troy vs. San Diego State

Military Bowl (December 28): Virginia vs. Navy 

Cheez-It Bowl (December 29): Texas vs. North Carolina 

Alamo Bowl (December 29): Oklahoma vs. Colorado 

Music City Bowl (December 30): Maryland vs. Ole Miss

Duke’s Mayo Bowl (December 30): Boston College vs. Wisconsin

Arizona Bowl (December 31): Boise State vs. Ball State 

Armed Forces Bowl (December 31): Washington vs. Tennessee

Liberty Bowl (December 31): TCU vs. Mississippi State 

Texas Bowl (December 31): Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas 

Birmingham Bowl (January 1): LSU vs. Tulane

Citrus Bowl (January 1): Northwestern vs. Missouri

Gator Bowl (January 2): NC State vs. Kentucky 

Outback Bowl (January 2): Iowa vs. Auburn 

Orange Bowl: Miami vs. Florida

John Raoux/Associated Press

Florida's ceiling is the playoff and its floor is a New Years' Six berth. 

The selection committee should not penalize the Gators with a large drop in the CFP rankings if they lose to Alabama.

Florida owns a head-to-head win over the Georgia Bulldogs, so it shouldn't tumble further than wherever Georgia sits in the final rankings. Kirby Smart's team is currently No. 9. 

If Alabama wins the SEC Championship Game, the SEC could place three teams in the New Year's Six. Texas A&M appears to be a lock at No. 5 and Georgia could remain in the Top 10 as well. 

If Florida loses to Alabama, it could remain close to home to play in the Orange Bowl, a game that could also host the Miami Hurricanes.

Miami sits at No. 10 and should secure a New Year's Six spot with a win over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. 

The obvious storyline in this matchup would be the renewal of an in-state rivalry. The quarterback showdown between potential Heisman Trophy winner Kyle Trask and D'Eriq King would be one of the most intriguing matchups of bowl season. 

Trask has torn apart opposing defenses through his aerial connection with Kyle Pitts, while King tortures defenses with his arms and legs. 

A win over Miami would be a sweet finish to the season for Florida if it can't make the playoff, since it has two wins over the Hurricanes in their last nine meetings. That stretch dates back to 1986.

Fiesta Bowl: USC vs. Indiana

Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

If USC played a few more games, it may have pushed itself to the fringe of the playoff discussion.

Instead, the undefeated Trojans are fighting for the Pac-12 title and the conference's most prestigious bowl berth. That will be the Fiesta Bowl this season, with the Rose Bowl hosting a playoff semifinal.

Clay Helton's team strung together three straight wins with 30 or more points and demolished the Washington State Cougars on Sunday night, 38-13. 

USC faces a tricky matchup against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday before it can play for the conference crown and a New Year's Six berth. 

Both defenses have improved over the last few games, as they held their last two opponents under 20 points. 

A year ago, Kedon Slovis posted 515 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 52-35 victory against UCLA. If he puts up similar totals and the USC defense contains Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the Trojans should advance to the Pac-12 Championship Game, where they would face a one-or-two loss team from the Pac-12 North. 

USC will likely face a Big Ten team in the Fiesta Bowl, which would be the Indiana Hoosiers at the moment. 

Indiana's lone loss is to the Ohio State Buckeyes, and depending what happens with the Big Ten schedule this week, it could be a championship game participant. 

There is a scenario in which Indiana wins the Big Ten Championship Game, but Ohio State represents the conference in the playoff because of its undefeated mark and higher ranking.

Indiana showed great resolve in Week 14 when it beat the Wisconsin Badgers, 14-6, in its first game without injured quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

If the Hoosiers' defense can contain Slovis in this potential matchup, Indiana would have a chance to pull off one of the most incredible wins in program history.

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Statistics obtained from ESPN.com