Another Saturday is in the books, and well, it seem as though the picture in college football is starting to get clearer. Alabama and Georgia - at their best - are still the class of the SEC, and so too are Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten. Clemson, to its credit, appears to be in the midst of a nice bounce back season, after last year's "down season" of 10-3.
So with the picture starting to get clear, let's do what we do every Monday, and rip through some bowl projections.
Here is how all the major outlets have this year's bowl picture shaping up.
College Football Playoff:
Peach Bowl, December 31st (Atlanta, GA): No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl, December 31st (Glendale, AZ): No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Other New Year's Six Games:
Orange Bowl: December 30th (Miami, FL): Clemson vs. Ole Miss
Sugar Bowl: December 31st (New Orleans): Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee
Cotton Bowl: January 2nd, Dallas, TX: Utah vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 2nd (Pasadena, CA): USC vs. Penn State
College Football Playoff:
Peach Bowl, December 31st (Atlanta, GA): No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 1 Alabama
Fiesta Bowl, December 31st (Glendale, AZ): No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Other New Year's Six Games:
Orange Bowl: December 30th (Miami, FL): Wake Forest vs. Penn State
Sugar Bowl: December 31st (New Orleans): Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee
Cotton Bowl: January 2nd, Dallas, TX: Oregon vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 2nd (Pasadena, CA): Michigan vs. USC
College Football Playoff:
Peach Bowl, December 31st (Atlanta, GA): No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia
Fiesta Bowl, December 31st (Glendale, AZ): No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Other New Year's Six Games:
Orange Bowl: December 30th (Miami, FL): Wake Forest vs. Penn State
Sugar Bowl: December 31st (New Orleans): Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee
Cotton Bowl: January 2nd, Dallas, TX: TCU vs. Cincinnati
Rose Bowl, January 2nd (Pasadena, CA): Michigan vs. USC
College Football Playoff:
Peach Bowl, December 31st (Atlanta, GA): No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia
Fiesta Bowl, December 31st (Glendale, AZ): No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 2 Ohio State
Other New Year's Six Games:
Orange Bowl: December 30th (Miami, FL): NC State vs. Penn State
Sugar Bowl: December 31st (New Orleans): Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee
Cotton Bowl: January 2nd, Dallas, TX: Oregon vs. Coastal Carolina
Rose Bowl, January 2nd (Pasadena, CA): Utah vs. Michigan
The thing that is most striking is how similar just about all the playoff predictions are. Of the four, three have the same field (Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama and Clemson) with only one, replacing Clemson with Michigan in the final four.
The good thing is, we know crazy stuff is still yet to come, and our guess is the picture looks a lot different a few weeks from now than it does at this moment.
Beyond that, there's a lot to peel back.
First off, Oklahoma State appears to have entrenched itself as the favorite in the Big 12 in the eyes of the experts, with all four sending them to New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl. The question becomes who will join them there, with Tennessee and Ole Miss both getting slotted for New Orleans.
There seems to be love - although plenty of division - in the Pac-12, where both Utah and USC have been slotted into the Rose Bowl, with the Utes and Oregon also potentially sliding into a New Year's Six spot at the Cotton Bowl. Could we see two Pac-12 squads in the final few spots.
Finally, it will be interesting to see what happens in the Orange Bowl, if Clemson makes the playoff. The highest-ranked ACC school is guaranteed that spot, so could it go to NC State, Wake Forest or someone else?
Time will tell, but the bowl picture is starting to get clearer.
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