We're now through five weeks of college football, a time in the calendar when we're finally starting to get a feel for which college football teams are good, and which ones aren't.
Because of it, for the rest of the season going forward, every Monday morning we'll take a quick look at all the major bowl projections going forward, to give you thoughts on where the playoff picture and other major bowl games stand.
As a quick refresher, this year the two college football semifinals will be played at the Orange Bowl (Miami) and Cotton Bowl (Arlington) with the rest of the games going on as scheduled. The title game will be played in Indianapolis a week later.
Here is the latest update, on Monday, October 4th from all the major outlets:
The Athletic/Stewart Mandel:
College Football Playoff:
Cotton Bowl, December 31st (Arlington, Texas): No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1 Alabama
Orange Bowl, December 31st (Miami, FL): No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 2 Georgia
Other New Year's Six Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th (Atlanta, GA): Wake Forest vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl, January 1st (Glendale, AZ): Oklahoma vs. BYU
Rose Bowl, January 1st (Pasadena, CA): Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl, January 1st (New Orleans, LA): Kentucky vs. Texas
The Action Network/Brett McMurphy
College Football Playoff:
Cotton Bowl, December 31st (Arlington, Texas): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama
Orange Bowl, December 31st (Miami, FL): No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 2 Georgia
Other New Year's Six Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th (Atlanta, GA): Michigan vs. NC State
Fiesta Bowl, January 1st (Glendale, AZ): BYU vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 1st (Pasadena, CA): Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl, January 1st (New Orleans, LA): Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas
College Football Playoff:
Cotton Bowl, December 31st (Arlington, Texas): No. 4 Iowa vs. No. 1 Alabama
Orange Bowl, December 31st (Miami, FL): No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Georgia
Other New Year's Six Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th (Atlanta, GA): Wake Forest vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl, January 1st (Glendale, AZ): Arizona State vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 1st (Pasadena, CA): Penn State vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl, January 1st (New Orleans, LA): Ole Miss vs. Texas
College Football Playoff:
Cotton Bowl, December 31st (Arlington, Texas): No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 3 Penn State
Orange Bowl, December 31st (Miami, FL): No. 4 Cincinnati vs. No. 1Alabama
Other New Year's Six Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th (Atlanta, GA): Oklahoma State vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl, January 1st (Glendale, AZ): Coastal Carolina vs. Wake Forest
Rose Bowl, January 1st (Pasadena, CA): Iowa vs. Arizona State
Sugar Bowl, January 1st (New Orleans, LA): Kentucky vs. Oklahoma
College Football Playoff:
Cotton Bowl, December 31st (Arlington, Texas): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama
Orange Bowl, December 31st (Miami, FL): No. 3 Iowa vs. No. 2 Georgia
Other New Year's Six Games:
Peach Bowl, December 30th (Atlanta, GA): Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame
Fiesta Bowl, January 1st (Glendale, AZ): Ohio State vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 1st (Pasadena, CA): Penn State vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl, January 1st (New Orleans, LA): Arkansas vs. Texas
Some quick reaction to what we see today, after what was the craziest Saturday of the college football season so far.
Dating back to last week, all the experts seemed to pretty much have a consensus playoff: Bama, Georgia, Oregon and either Penn State or Iowa out of the Big Ten. But with Oregon's loss, it has shaken up the playoff picture, with three experts believing Oklahoma will get the final spot, and two giving to Cincinnati.
Along with Alabama and Georgia, the winner of the Iowa-Penn State (presumably) gets the fourth spot in all these rankings, in addition to either Oklahoma or Cincinnati.
Then there is everything else, and with the shake-up in the playoff it makes for craziness everywhere else.
With Clemson faltering in the ACC, the experts have three different teams winning the ACC (Wake Forest, NC State or Virginia Tech) and representing the league in bowl season. In the Big Ten meanwhile, with the loser of Iowa-Penn State going to the Rose Bowl, it means that there will likely be one more at-large berth for the next best team in the league, in either the Fiesta or Peach Bowl. Four have Ohio State getting that nod, while Brett McMurphy has Michigan making an appearance in the New Year's Six bowls for the first time.
Finally, there's the Sugar, which is always an SEC vs. Big 12 matchup when not part of the playoff rotation. The experts have three different teams representing the Big 12 (Oklahoma, Texas and Oklahoma State), with three potential SEC teams making it as well. Last week, the votes were split between Arkansas and Ole Miss. This week, Kentucky gets consideration for the first time.
For more college football, make sure to listen to today's Aaron Torres Podcast - where Aaron talks about Alabama and Georgia separating from the pack, Coach O's hot seat, why its time to appreciate Mark Stoops and whether Michigan is actually good or not. Oh, and Cincy's playoff push too