Bowl Predictions 2021: Latest College Football Playoff Projections Before Week 8

As recently as October 16, Iowa was the No. 2 team in the country and was one of the four teams projected to reach the College Football Playoff. Then the Hawkeyes were upset by Purdue at home and consequently find themselves ranked No. 11 and needing a lot of help to get into the CFP.

That's how quickly things can change in the college football world, especially at the top. One loss is enough to knock a team out of College Football Playoff contention, especially if it comes in a game it was expected to win handily.

Heading into Week 8, Georgia remains the No. 1 team in the country, which isn't going to change. The Bulldogs have a bye and have solidified their spot at the top of the rankings. However, No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Ohio State will all be in action, aiming to avoid missteps against an unranked opponents.

Here's a look at the College Football Playoff landscape entering Week 8.

New Year's Six Bowl Predictions

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College Football Playoff Semifinals

Orange Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Cincinnati

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Ohio State

Rest of New Year's Six

Peach Bowl: Penn State vs. Wake Forest

Fiesta Bowl: Michigan vs. Notre Dame

Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Oregon

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma State

Cincinnati Needs to Keep Dominating in AAC

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It's much harder for Group of Five teams to convince the CFP selection committee that they are deserving of inclusion than it is for Power Five programs. For the most part, Group of Five schools play easier schedules, so they have to record a statement win or two and enjoy mostly dominant performances.

Easier said than done considering no Group of Five team has reached the CFP, which was introduced in the 2014 season. But Cincinnati is 6-0 this season and looks worthy of a historic Playoff berth.

The Bearcats have an impressive win (a 24-13 victory at Notre Dame on Oct. 2), and they have had no trouble since starting AAC play, outscoring Temple and UCF by a combined score of 108-24 in their past two games. They will look to keep dominating when they play at Navy on Saturday afternoon.

On paper, Cincinnati's remaining regular-season schedule doesn't look tough. Five of its six remaining games are against unranked teams, with the only exception being a home matchup against No. 21 SMU on Nov. 20.

As long as Cincinnati stays undefeated, it should have a strong enough argument to get into the CFP. But one loss could knock the Bearcats from contention.

Ohio State Will Face Plenty of Challenges Down Stretch

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Ohio State is the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten after surpassing Iowa and Penn State, each of whom took a loss over the past two weeks. Now, the Buckeyes can control their own destiny. If they win out and capture the conference championship, they will easily make the Playoff. But they are going to face some tough tests along the way.

On Saturday, Ohio State should win on the road against unranked Indiana. However, four of the Buckeyes' final five regular-season opponents are in the Top 25: No. 6 Michigan, No. 7 Penn State, No. 9 Michigan State and No. 25 Purdue.

Ryan Day has had no trouble leading Ohio State to success since becoming head coach in 2019. The Buckeyes reached the College Football Playoff in each of Day's first two seasons in charge, and they have lost only three games with him at the helm.

So while Ohio State has challenges on the horizon, it may handle them just fine with Day's leadership. But the other top teams in the Big Ten all have their sights on knocking off the Buckeyes. Regardless of what unfolds, it should be exciting to watch.

Back on Track, Alabama Still Has CFP Path

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Even though Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the country, it faces a difficult path to the CFP. Not because of its remaining regular-season schedule—it should win its next five games to improve to 11-1. Rather, it's because of who will likely be awaiting the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.

Alabama and Georgia seem to be heading toward a matchup for the conference title. And unless the Bulldogs lose at some point along the way, the Crimson Tide will likely need to win that game in order to reach the CFP. Otherwise, they would be a two-loss team without a conference championship, which isn't a strong resume.

After losing at Texas A&M on Oct. 9, Alabama bounced back in Week 7 with a win at Mississippi State. It now plays its next four games at home, beginning with Saturday's matchup against Tennessee, which offers Nick Saban's team an opportunity to rebuild its momentum.

While Georgia will be tough to beat, Alabama's Playoff fate is in its own hands. If the Crimson Tide win out, they will have likely played well enough to reach the CFP for the seventh time in eight seasons.