Bowl Games 2021-22: TV Schedule and Predictions for Top Matchups
Either Alabama is going to win the national championship for the second year in a row, or another program is going to win its first title of the College Football Playoff era. But for the latter scenario to happen, somebody will need to knock off the Crimson Tide.
By winning the SEC championship, Alabama secured the No. 1 seed in the CFP for the 2021 season. It will now look to become the first team to repeat as national champions since it achieved the feat in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Michigan (No. 2 seed) and Cincinnati (No. 4) are both in the playoff for the first time, while Georgia (No. 3) is making its second CFP appearance and first since the 2017 season. The Bearcats will be looking to upset the Crimson Tide in the Cotton Bowl, while the Wolverines and Bulldogs will face off in the Orange Bowl.
Here's a look at the full schedule for the New Year's Six bowl matchups, along with predictions for each.
New Year's Six Schedule, Predictions
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College Football Playoff
Friday, Dec. 31
Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Orange Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Other New Year's Six Bowls
Thursday, Dec. 30
Peach Bowl: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 1
Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Rose Bowl: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Picks in bold
Ohio State Will Dominate in Rose Bowl
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Ohio State didn't want to be in the Rose Bowl when the season started, preferring to make the College Football Playoff instead. But its dreams of doing that ended when it lost to Michigan in its regular-season finale and missed out on the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Rose Bowl remains a prestigious game, though, and the Buckeyes can still end the season with a victory in a big-time bowl on New Year's Day. And that's exactly what will happen, because they should have no trouble beating Utah considering the talent and depth on their roster.
It can sometimes be tough for a team to get motivated to play in a bowl after being so close to the CFP and falling short. But as long as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day can get his players amped up, it should be a lopsided encounter against the Utes.
Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud is going to pose a ton of problems for a Utah defense that played well against its Pac-12 competition. However, the Ohio State offense, which leads the nation with 551.4 total yards per game, will be the best unit the Utes have gone up against. They won't have any answers for it.
Sugar Bowl Will Become an Exciting Shootout
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Ole Miss ranks fourth in the country with 506.7 total yards per game. And while Baylor may rank 42nd, it's still putting up 430.7 total yards per contest and has played its share of offensive shootouts against Big 12 rivals this season.
When the Rebels and Bears face off in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, there's the potential for a lot of points and plenty of offense. And it could end up being the most exciting New Year's Six matchup because of that.
Baylor enters with a good bit of momentum after winning four straight games, including an upset victory over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has also won four straight, having capped its regular season with an Egg Bowl victory over rival Mississippi State.
Although it should be close, expect the Rebels to pull out a victory.
It will be the final college game for junior quarterback Matt Corral, who has already stated he's planning to play in the matchup as long as he's healthy. And he should air it out and put up huge numbers while giving NFL scouts a final game's worth of tape to review over the next few months.
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Alabama, Georgia Will Win CFP Semifinal Contests
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Who doesn't want to see Alabama and Georgia face off one more time this season? Especially because everybody knows what happened the last time the two programs met for the national championship.
At the end of the 2017 season, Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime to win the title in one of the best games of the College Football Playoff era. There would be so many storylines for a rematch between the two teams, and it would also offer great entertainment.
Georgia hasn't defeated Alabama since 2007, and Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart has never beaten his mentor, Nick Saban. That includes this season's SEC Championship Game, which the Bulldogs lost 41-24 after winning their first 12 games of the year in dominant fashion.
Alabama should roll past Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl, while Georgia's defense will get back on track and lead it to victory over Michigan in the Orange Bowl. Then, the two best teams in the SEC (and the country) will go head-to-head one more time to decide a national champion.
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