College Football Playoff 2020: Updated Rankings and Bowl Predictions
The first Power Five conference championship of the 2020 season was awarded Friday night, and it certainly went to a surprise team. Oregon beat USC to claim the Pac-12 title for the second straight year after it was a replacement for Washington, which couldn't play because of a COVID-19 spread that ended its season.
While the Ducks won't factor into the College Football Playoff picture, they could now be heading to a New Year's Six bowl, despite the fact they only went 4-2 this season. But their 31-24 victory over the Trojans was an impressive victory on a big stage.
The remaining four Power Five conference titles will be handed out Saturday, and those matchups could have a much bigger impact on the CFP. No. 1 Alabama is facing No. 7 Florida for the SEC title, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson are going head-to-head for the ACC title and No. 4 Ohio State is battling No. 14 Northwestern for the Big Ten title. Also, No. 6 Iowa State is playing No. 10 Oklahoma for the Big 12 title.
Heading into Saturday's action, here's a look at the latest College Football Playoff rankings and predictions for the matchups for this season's top bowls.
Latest College Football Playoff Rankings
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1. Alabama (10-0)
2. Notre Dame (10-0)
3. Clemson (9-1)
4. Ohio State (5-0)
5. Texas A&M (7-1)
6. Iowa State (8-2)
7. Florida (8-2)
8. Georgia (7-2)
9. Cincinnati (8-0)
10. Oklahoma (7-2)
11. Indiana (6-1)
12. Coastal Carolina (11-0)
13. USC (5-1)
14. Northwestern (6-1)
15. North Carolina (8-3)
16. Iowa (6-2)
17. BYU (10-1)
18. Miami (8-2)
19. Louisiana (9-1)
20. Texas (6-3)
21. Oklahoma State (7-3)
22. N.C. State (8-3)
23. Tulsa (6-1)
24. San Jose State (6-0)
25. Colorado (4-1)
College Football Playoff Predictions
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Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
There's a strong chance the four teams in the top spots hold on to their positions and advance to these College Football Playoff semifinal matchups.
Alabama is 10-0, having won every game thus far by at least 17 points. It's been the No. 1 team in every edition of the College Football Playoff rankings, and it's the favorite in the SEC Championship Game against Florida. The Crimson Tide are likely to beat the Gators, solidifying their top seed and returning to the CFP after missing out last season.
The ACC Championship Game will have a huge impact on Playoff seeding. Notre Dame is ranked No. 2 and Clemson is at No. 3. However, that will change if the Tigers can avenge their earlier loss to the Fighting Irish, a double-overtime defeat on Nov. 7 in which Clemson was without star quarterback Trevor Lawrence (who had tested positive for COVID-19).
If Notre Dame wins, it would be the No. 2 seed, while Clemson would either fall to the No. 4 seed or completely out of the CFP. But the prediction here is that the Tigers beat the Fighting Irish and move up to the No. 2 seed while making the Playoff for the sixth straight season.
In that scenario, Notre Dame would play Alabama in its second CFP appearance in program history. The Fighting Irish's only previous trip to the Playoff came in the 2018 season, when they lost to Clemson 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl. They'll be looking for better results this year.
As long as Ohio State beats Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game, it will make the CFP for the second year in a row. The Buckeyes would only be 6-0, but the CFP selection committee has shown a willingness to rank them high even if they're not playing as many games as the other top teams in the country.
If Clemson and Ohio State end up as the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds, it would set up a CFP semifinal rematch from last season. The Tigers beat the Buckeyes 29-23 in last year's Fiesta Bowl to advance to the CFP National Championship Game.
While there are slim chances that a team other than these four gets into the CFP, it's unlikely. This is probably going to be the Playoff field, even if the seeding slightly changes.
Other New Year's Six Bowl Predictions
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Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Iowa State
Orange Bowl: North Carolina vs. Texas A&M
Peach Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Georgia
Cotton Bowl: Florida vs. Oklahoma
The only game that has conference tie-ins this year is the Orange Bowl, which must feature an ACC team and a team from either the SEC or Big Ten. With Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame all likely to make the CFP, that will leave North Carolina (ACC) and Texas A&M (SEC) as the best available teams to play in this bowl.
The Aggies are 7-1 entering Saturday's regular-season finale at Tennessee. Their only loss was a 52-24 defeat at Alabama on Oct. 3, an early-season matchup that ended up deciding the SEC West. Texas A&M beat the other team in the SEC Championship Game, though, as it earned a 41-38 win against Florida on Oct. 10.
The Tar Heels are 8-3, but they ended the regular season with their most impressive win of the year—a 62-26 victory at Miami. North Carolina's only loss in its last five games came against Notre Dame on Nov. 27, and it only lost by 14 points.
A pair of conference champions could meet in the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon already secured the Pac-12 title with a win over USC on Friday night, while Iowa State is facing Oklahoma on Saturday. If the Cyclones can beat the Sooners for the second time this season to improve to 9-2, they may be heading for this potential matchup against the Ducks.
Cincinnati should be the lone Group of Five school to play in a New Year's Six bowl, assuming it beats Tulsa in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday. The Bearcats are 8-0, and it would be big for them to head to the Peach Bowl, where they could play a top SEC program in Georgia. The Bulldogs may not have reached the SEC Championship Game, but it went 7-2 and only lost to Alabama and Florida.
Florida (SEC) and Oklahoma (Big 12) are likely to lose its respective conference championship games on Saturday, leaving the two schools to play each other in a Cotton Bowl matchup.
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