New Year’s Six Bowl Projections: Week 8
– The College Football Playoff committee wants to create the best matchups possible. Geography will matter a wee bit.
– All Power Five conferences get a team into either the New Year’s Six or the College Football Playoff. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC all get a top team into one of the big games, and the top-ranked Group of Five champion is in, too.
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 Iowa
Last Year: Georgia 24, Cincinnati 21
While the SEC West will keep beating itself up, Kentucky should keep on rolling through a relatively easy finishing kick. It should be at worst 10-2, but it could be 11-1 and more in the College Football Playoff discussion than it might seem.
Iowa doesn’t have a bad final five games. As long as the defense can start forcing takeaways, it should get by Wisconsin and Nebraska to take the West and get to the Big Ten Championship.
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: Pitt vs Notre Dame
Last Year: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
The Fiesta Bowl would LOVE to get a Big Ten team vs. Notre Dame, but the ACC champion vs. Notre Dame would work, too. An SEC team will almost certainly get into the Peach, and then it comes down to how good the matchups might look. If Iowa gets to the Rose Bowl, Michigan vs. Notre Dame would be massive.
Rose Bowl Game
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Bowl Tie-Ins: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs Oregon
Last Year: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
The call is that Michigan loses once – to Ohio State. That’s enough to get the Wolverines to the Rose – not a horrible consolation prize – against the Pac-12 champion. Oregon will probably drop one more game but still get to the conference title game. However, if the Ducks are the 12-1 Pac-12 champions, they’re in the College Football Playoff.
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
If Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC Championship, they’re both in the College Football Playoff – at least as they’re both 12-1. Oklahoma State might have lost this weekend to Iowa, State, but it still has the right path to get to the Big 12 Championship, likely against Oklahoma.