CFP Bowl Projections 2020: Predicting Playoff, New Year's Games

How many times is a game-winning touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter to beat your archrival not the biggest storyline of a college football Saturday? Well, USC's last-gasp strike to upset UCLA was quickly overshadowed by No. 6 Florida and defensive back Marco Wilson quite literally throwing away any hopes the team had at making the College Football Playoff.

On the game's final drive, Wilson picked up an LSU player's cleat and tossed it some 20 yards downfield, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and keeping the Tigers' drive alive.

LSU kicked the game-winning 57-yard field goal six plays later, and despite moving down to the Tigers' 33-yard line on the ensuing drive, Gators kicker Evan McPherson missed a 51-yard field goal that would have tied things. Instead, LSU escaped with its biggest win of the year, and Florida, which will face No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, lost any chance it had at moving into the playoff with a win over the Tide.

Here's where our New Year's Six and College Football Playoff predictions stand after another wacky college football weekend.

New Year's Six Bowl Games

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Iowa State vs. Texas A&M

Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl: Georgia vs. North Carolina

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: USC vs. Indiana

Capital One Orange Bowl: Florida vs. Cincinnati

Florida's aforementioned faux pas will be the biggest storyline of the weekend—and rightfully so—but a handful of upsets and a lack of one in the Pac-12 has shaken up the New Year's Six bowl games.

North Carolina's demolition of No. 10 Miami puts the Tar Heels in prime position for their first New Year's Six bowl game—as long as neither Clemson nor Notre Dame falls out of the top four.

USC, which sealed a Pac-12 South division title with Colorado's loss to Utah earlier in the day, survived a scare from crosstown rival UCLA with a last-second scoring drive to sneak out with a 43-38 win and keep their NY6 hopes alive. Waiting for them in the Pac-12 title game will be Washington, which will have its own designs on upsetting the Trojans and spoiling their New Year's hopes.

As for the Big 12, with Week 15's cancellations, the championship tilt between Iowa State and Oklahoma next weekend will decide whether the Sooners again return to the NY6 or if Matt Campbell's squad plays in arguably the biggest game in Iowa State football's recent history.

College Football Playoff

Ken Ruinard/Associated Press

Allstate Sugar Bowl: 1. Alabama vs. 4. Notre Dame

Rose Bowl Game: 2. Clemson vs. 3. Ohio State

Heading into championship weekend, the top four teams in college football have remained the same that they have been for most of this season. Each of the four will participate in its conference championship game, though all eyes will be on Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Notre Dame-Clemson rematch.

The Fighting Irish pulled off a stunning 47-40 overtime upset in Week 10 while the Tigers were without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but Clemson is expected to be at full strength for the title game.

If the Tigers win a close game, both teams will almost certainly make it into the playoff field. If Clemson wins handily, Texas A&M could make a strong argument for the No. 4 spot. However, its thumping at the hands of Alabama might prove to be too big to overcome. If the Irish win again, they would cement the No. 2 spot and knock the Tigers out of the playoff, likely making room for the Aggies to slide in.

Up in Columbus, Ohio, the big news  was the Big Ten schools opting to waive the rule they implemented at the beginning of this shortened season that required teams to play six conference games to qualify for the league's title game. After the Buckeyes' regular-season finale against Michigan was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Wolverines program, the Big Ten relented to allow the Buckeyes to play in Indianapolis at 5-0. They will meet Northwestern, which finished the season 7-1 and beat both Iowa and Wisconsin.

Alabama, meanwhile, will meet Florida in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. The Tide will be in the playoff regardless, but the Gators would punch their ticket into the CFP with an upset win over the Tide, whose last loss in the title game came all the way back in 2008.

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.