College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six Bowl Projections Week 11

These projections are NOT if the season ended today, they are projected ahead to the end of the season

GoodYear Cotton Bowl Classic

December 30th, 7:15 PM ET, ESPN
Arlington, TX
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs. BYU

BYU will finish the year unbeaten, and they should receive a NY6 slot for that effort. The Cougars slide in nicely against a Wisconsin team that does control their own destiny to the CFP, but it seems like a tough task to get by Ohio State.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

January 1st, 12:30 PM ET, ESPN
Atlanta, GA
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Cincinnati vs. Florida

Florida controls their own destiny to the Playoff, but I don’t see them getting through Alabama. The Gators will have to settle for the highest ranking G5 champion, which seems virtually guaranteed to be Cincinnati

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

January 2nd, 4 PM ET, ESPN
Glendale, AZ
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Indiana vs. Oklahoma

As a P5 conference, the Big 12 champ, which I still expect to be Oklahoma, will get a slot in the NY6. They’ll face Indiana, who will likely drop games to Wisconsin and Ohio State, but does have an opportunity against the Big Ten West’s #2 during the conference’s championship week.

Capital One Orange Bowl

January 2nd, 8 PM ET, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
ACC vs. Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Projection: Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M

This is the only NY6 game this year with tie-ins, as an ACC team must face a team from the Big Ten or SEC. The loser of the ACC Title game will likely slot in here, as will Texas A&M, which I expect to be the second highest rated team out of the SEC.

Rose Bowl (Semifinal)

January 1st, 5 PM ET, ESPN
Pasadena, CA
CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs. Clemson

Both of these teams will be significant favorites in each of their remaining games before facing tough competition in their respective title games. I expect each to get through unscathed.

Allstate Sugar Bowl (Semifinal)

January 1st, 8:45 PM ET, ESPN
New Orleans, LA
CFP vs. CFP
Projection: Alabama vs. Oregon

Watching another week of Pac-12 football has made it very clear that Oregon is likely to go undefeated and win the conference, and I can’t see the committee leaving out an unbeaten P5 champ.

College Football Playoff National Championship

January 11th, 8 PM ET, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
Projection: Ohio State vs. Alabama
Pick: Alabama