Last week it was the Florida State Seminoles who found their way into the College Football Playoffs according to the first bowl projections of the season. This time around, it is another legendary program making the cut.
The [autotag]Texas Longhorns[/autotag] haven’t made the field of four teams in the CFP since we moved from the BCS model to the four-team playoff. The Longhorns are getting plenty of love after Quinn Ewers led the team to the 34-24 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
If the projections held true then we would see a rematch of the 2005 Rose Bowl between the Longhorns and the Michigan Wolverines. It was an entertaining game that ended with a 38-37 Texas victory. It was also the beginning of a magical run back to the Rose Bowl for the Longhorns, who defeated USC 41-38 for the BCS national championship. Michigan and Texas are also set to meet on Sept. 7 in Ann Arbor in 2024.
Erick Smith has released his latest bowl projections. Our focus is on the New Years Six and College Football Playoffs.
| Bowl Game | Affiliations | Matchup |
| CFP title game | Semifinal winners | Georgia vs Michigan |
| Sugar Bowl | CFP semifinals | Georgia vs. Florida State |
| Rose Bowl | CFP semifinals | Michigan vs. Texas |
| Fiesta Bowl | At-large vs. At-large | Washington vs. Ohio State |
| Orange Bowl | ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC | Clemson vs. Penn State |
| Peach Bowl | At-large vs. At-large | Alabama vs. Tulane |
| Cotton Bowl | At-large vs. At-large | Kansas State vs. Notre Dame |
For the rest of the bowl matchup projections, check out Erick Smith’s list.