ESPN’s updated College Football Playoff predictions leave out Florida

On Sunday, ESPN released updated playoff and New Year’s Six Bowl predictions to reflect the Big Ten’s return leaving Florida out of the race

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The Big Ten came back into the fold this week, as it reversed its decision to postpone the fall college football season. Now, the league is eying a start date of Oct. 24, with the conference championship game scheduled for Dec. 19.

Presumably, this would be in time for the conference’s champion to be considered for a position in the College Football Playoff.

On Sunday, ESPN released updated playoff and New Year’s Six Bowl predictions to reflect the Big Ten’s return.

With the league back in contention, ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach no longer are predicting a Florida run to the playoffs. Now, though their seeding is different, they agree on a CFP field consisting of Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State, each the favorite to win their respective conference.

College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff National Championship
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Jan. 11, ESPN
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Alabama

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Jan. 1, ESPN
Bonagura: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Oklahoma

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Jan. 1, ESPN
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: Alabama vs. Ohio State

They also both agree on the Gators’ new postseason destination: a return trip to the Orange Bowl to face off against Notre Dame, who is competing in the ACC this year. UF defeated Virginia in 2019’s Orange Bowl 36-28.

Here are the full New Year’s Six predictions.

Cotton, Peach, Fiesta and Orange Bowls

Goodyear Cotton Bowl
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Bonagura: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: Texas vs. Texas A&M

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Bonagura: UCF vs. Wisconsin
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Wisconsin

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Texas
Schlabach: Penn State vs. Cincinnati

Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Bonagura: Notre Dame vs. Florida
Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Florida

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