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Editor’s note: This article was originally published by USA TODAY Sports and has been republished in its entirety below.
It’s only the first week of October, but he decisive game in the College Football Playoff chase is shaping up to be the annual Georgia-Florida showdown coming early next month.
Both the Bulldogs and Gators are likely to stay at near the top of the Amway Coaches Poll before their grudge match in Jacksonville with the winner in position to reach the SEC title game. Even a projected loss to Alabama in Atlanta wouldn’t be a devastating blow given the status of the Big 12 and the limited Pac-12 schedule. Florida still looks stronger than Georgia, despite the Bulldogs looking impressive against Auburn.
There’s some minor changes to the New Year’s Six this week as Cincinnati replaces Central Florida after the Knights lost to Tulsa and Brigham Young grabs a spot. The Cougars continue to roll toward an unbeaten season and the addition of Boise State and San Diego State should make their schedule strong enough to ascend into the top 12 of the committee’s final ranking.
The rest of the postseason is becoming clearer. The NCAA likely will waive the win requirement for bowls later this month, meaning each conference should be able to place teams in their affiliated games. There will be losing teams selected, but that’s part of the new-look 2020 season.
Three bowls have been canceled with the Bahamas and Hawaii dropping out last week due to travel concerns during the pandemic. It’s uncertain if any others will follow. For now, we’ll plan for the remaining 39 bowls plus the College Football Playoff championship game and forecast accordingly.
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