New Year’s Six Bowl Projections: Week 7
Remember, the College Football Playoff committee wants to put together the most attractive matchups possible. Also, all Power Five conferences get one team in no matter what, along with the top ranked Group of Five team if it’s not in the College Football Playoff.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 7:00 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Kentucky vs NC State
Last Year: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
The SEC will get a few teams in, and the most attractive and highest-ranked of the bunch will go to the Sugar – assuming the champion is in the College Football Playoff.
The call is the Kentucky wins out to get here at 11-1, or even slips in with the SEC’s third-best record at 10-2. Flip a coin between NC State and Pitt here, with Wake Forest also in the mix.
Playstation Fiesta Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 1:00 pm
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Bowl Tie-Ins: At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Notre Dame
Last Year: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
Welcome to the College Football Playoff committee’s dream New Year’s Six matchup. If the top Group of Five champion isn’t in the CFP it’ll be here, but the call is Notre Dame finds its way here at 11-1 – or 10-2 at worst – and Michigan slips in past Penn State and Michigan State.
Rose Bowl Game
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Iowa vs Oregon
Last Year: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
Oregon will lose once more along the way, but it rises up to win yet another Pac-12 Championship. Iowa bounces back after the Purdue loss to find its way into the Big Ten Championship … and loses. The Rose Bowl is hardly a bad consolation prize.
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 8:45 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big 12 vs. SEC
Bowl Projection: Oklahoma State vs Alabama
Last Year: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
There will be a whole lot of debate over whether or not a two-loss Alabama is one of the four best teams in college football after losing a classic to Georgia in the SEC Championship – this could be Kentucky here from the SEC. Oklahoma State or Iowa State will get to the Big 12 title game and lose to Oklahoma.