Bowl projections: Will two SEC teams make the College Football Playoff?
Welcome to the first round of our bowl projections. With most teams halfway through their 2021 seasons, it's a great time to start trying to figure out where bowl-eligible teams will play this postseason.
These projections are a combination of future forecasting and teams' current position in the standings. Our picks will probably change significantly over the course of the rest of the season, especially if some of the teams that are currently 3-3 finish the season 5-7.
Bowl season kicks off Dec. 17 and ends with the national championship game on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis. The first CFP rankings will be released on Nov. 2.
College Football Playoff semifinals
Orange Bowl (Dec. 31)
Georgia vs. Cincinnati
Right now we're going with Georgia as the top seed in the College Football Playoff and Cincy as the No. 4 seed pending how the committee views the Bearcats. Remember, the committee has traditionally been less bullish on Group of Five undefeated teams than others.
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 31)
Alabama vs. Ohio State
If Alabama loses a close game to Georgia in the SEC championship game then we can easily see the committee putting a two-loss team in the playoff for the first time. Ohio State gets the edge over Oklahoma for the other spot, though this is a toss-up at this point. Both teams have tough schedules over the second half.
New Year's Six games
Peach Bowl (Dec. 30)
Pitt (ACC champion) vs. Ole Miss (at-large)
The Panthers are our pick for the ACC since they're favored to beat Clemson on Saturday as 3-point BetMGM favorites. If Clemson wins that game, we may have to put the Tigers in this spot next week.
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1)
Iowa (at-large) vs. Notre Dame (at-large)
Iowa doesn't have any ranked teams left on its schedule and will be favored to win out on the way to the Big Ten title game. Notre Dame doesn't have any ranked teams on its schedule either. The Irish could finish the season 11-1.
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Michigan (Big Ten) vs. Utah (Pac-12)
Michigan would get this spot as the No. 2 team from the Big Ten and we have Utah as the projected Pac-12 champion at the moment. The Pac-12 seems up for grabs, especially as Oregon enters Saturday's game at UCLA as an underdog.
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1)
Oklahoma (Big 12) vs. Kentucky (SEC)
The Big 12 champion heads to New Orleans if it doesn't make the playoff. Will the Sooners run the table with Caleb Williams at quarterback? Kentucky is currently 6-1 and has a manageable schedule the rest of the season with games at Mississippi State and Louisville penciled in as the toughest left to go.
Other bowl games
Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 17)
Charlotte vs. Ball State
Cure Bowl (Dec. 17)
Buffalo vs. Boise State
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 18)
Wyoming vs. Florida Atlantic
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 18)
UTEP vs. Air Force
Independence Bowl (Dec. 18)
BYU vs. UTSA
LendingTree Bowl (Dec. 18)
South Alabama vs. Kent State
L.A. Bowl (Dec. 18)
Oregon vs. San Diego State
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 18)
Marshall vs. Louisiana
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 20)
App State vs. Tulsa
Potato Bowl (Dec. 21)
Nevada vs. Miami (Ohio)
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 21)
SMU vs. Coastal Carolina
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 22)
Army vs. Washington State
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 23)
Temple vs. UAB
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24)
Fresno State vs. UCF
Camellia Bowl (Dec. 25)
Troy vs. Eastern Michigan
Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 27)
Northwestern vs. Western Michigan
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Memphis vs. Virginia Tech
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 28)
East Carolina vs. Liberty
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 28)
TCU vs. Northern Illinois
Liberty Bowl (Dec. 28)
Baylor vs. Tennessee
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28)
Virginia vs. USC
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Dec. 28)
Texas Tech vs. Maryland
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 29)
Houston vs. N.C. State
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 29)
Boston College vs. Minnesota
Cheez-It Bowl (Dec. 29)
Wake Forest vs. Iowa State
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona State
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 30)
Clemson vs. Arkansas
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Mississippi State vs. Wisconsin
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 30)
Purdue vs. UCLA
Gator Bowl (Dec. 31)
North Carolina vs. Florida
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Louisville vs. Oregon State
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 31)
Utah State vs. Central Michigan
Outback Bowl (Jan. 1)
Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1)
Michigan State vs. Auburn
Texas Bowl (Jan. 4)
Texas vs. LSU