CBS Sports updates College Football Playoff, full Bowl predictions ahead of Week 11
At this point in the college football season, the Playoff and bowl picture has taken shape. At the same time, there is still plenty of time for things to change, with teams making their late-season pushes for the CFP and various bowl games.
Week 10 was a statement weekend for the sport, with several major upsets. That included Oklahoma State knocking off Oklahoma, Alabama dealing LSU a third loss, and Clemson taking out Notre Dame. All of that, in turn, is going to have a pretty big impact on the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six Bowl race moving forward this season.
Ahead of the latest College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday night, CBS Sports released its latest projections for every single bowl game, from the Playoff through the earliest bowl games in December.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
Prior to November, the Georgia Bulldogs had a relatively easy schedule. That’s changing now, starting with their Week 10 game against the Missouri Tigers. It was a close game, but Georgia ultimately managed to win and now is turning its attention to the next two weeks, which will include ranked opponents in Ole Miss and Tennessee.
There is very little doubt that Georgia is talented enough to make the Playoff again, especially amid an attempt to win a third straight national championship. However, the field is incredibly crowded at this point in the season and tripping up in the coming weeks could be costly for the Bulldogs. So, to stay at the top, the Bulldogs do need to keep on winning.
2. Michigan Wolverines
If Michigan is distracted by the investigation into the program for stealing signs, they’re not showing it on the field. Most recently, the Wolverines dominated Purdue. So, even as the conversation becomes about whether or not the Big Ten will take action and how opposing coaches feel about Michigan, the Wolverines have kept on winning.
Now, the Wolverines are getting into a much more difficult stretch of games, though. That starts this Saturday when Michigan will head to Happy Valley for a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. The College Football Playoff says the investigation won’t impact its ranking of Michigan, but that game is definitely going to change where the Wolverines are ranked.
3. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State is likely on a collision course with Louisville in the ACC Championship Game. That’s going to be a must win for the Seminoles because the remaining schedule isn’t particularly tough. So, as far as Florida State’s resume is concerned, it won’t be getting any better. In fact, with teams like LSU and Clemson losing multiple games, those good wins are getting worse over time.
At the same time, the Seminoles are in a good position right now. The College Football Playoff Rankings are in the top four and Ohio State and Michigan still need to play one another. There is going to be at least one loss ahead of Florida State. So, it’s easy to project them as a Playoff team.
4. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns need to get Quinn Ewers back from injury to make a run at the College Football Playoff. Behind him, Maalik Murphy has shown flashes but has been too inconsistent overall. The most recent game, against Kansas State, went to overtime before the Wildcats came up just short of knocking off the Longhorns.
Ultimately, Texas will need to win the Big 12 to make it to the Playoff. However, with Oklahoma losing two games in a row, it seems unlikely that the Longhorns will be able to avenge their loss in Red River. Only time will tell how that impacts Texas.
Fiesta Bowl: Washington vs. Tulane
The Washington Huskies got a big win on the road against USC as their unbeaten season continued. At this point, the goal for Washington is still to make the Playoff. However, at this point, it seems like making the New Year’s Six is all but already guaranteed to the Huskies.
Meanwhile, Tulane got a boost from Air Force losing over the weekend. That put the Green Wave in the driver’s seat to earn the NY6 birth out of the Group of Five. Still, Tulane will need to be relatively perfect and win the AAC to get to that point, with a loss to Ole Miss already on the resume.
Orange Bowl: Louisville vs. Ohio State
There are very few teams as surprising this season as Louisville. In their first season under head coach Jeff Brohm, the Cardinals have put together a solid resume and only have one loss at this point in the season. Now, it looks like Louisville is heading to the ACC Championship Game against Florida State and still has a long shot at the College Football Playoff.
On the other side of this projection is Ohio State, a team with a better than long shot at the Playoff. The Buckeyes made it last season despite losing to Michigan. This year, in a competitive field, they’ll probably need to beat the Wolverines but Ohio State does control its own destiny moving forward.
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State
Ole Miss only has one SEC loss at this point in the season, to Alabama, and is still in position to make the SEC Championship Game if they can win out and if Alabama loses at some point. Of course, that probably won’t happen but it’s still been a great season in Oxford. Unless Ole Miss suffers a late season collapse, it looks like the NY6 is well within reach.
Penn State, meanwhile, has a massive game against Michigan on Saturday. A win would put the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten race again. A loss would all but eliminate Penn State. Still, win or lose, the NY6 looks well within reach.
Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Oregon
There is a chance that the 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide is head coach Nick Saban‘s best coaching job yet. Where this team is now, compared to where they were, is night and day. From struggling to figure out the quarterback position to beating LSU, the Crimson Tide have turned into a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
Another legitimate Playoff contender is Oregon. The Ducks dropped a close game to Washington but have been playing incredibly well since then. Some people even think Oregon is better than Washington, despite that head-to-head game. Come the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Ducks may even be able to get their revenge.
Remaining bowl game projections
SATURDAY, Dec. 16
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Troy vs. Toledo
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Liberty vs. James Madison
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Cure Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Ohio
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
New Mexico Bowl: Wyoming vs. New Mexico State
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
LA Bowl: Air Force vs. UCLA
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Iowa State vs. Mississippi State
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
MONDAY, Dec. 18
Bahamas Bowl: Jacksonville State vs. Northern Illinois
Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
TUESDAY, Dec. 19
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: SMU vs. Texas State
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
THURSDAY, Dec. 21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
FRIDAY, Dec. 22
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia State vs. Utah State
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
SATURDAY, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl: UCF vs. South Carolina
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App
Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Minnesota
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Boise State
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
68 Ventures Bowl: UTSA vs. Georgia Southern
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
7 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Illinois vs. USC
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl: UNLV vs. Rice
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
TUESDAY, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl: Purdue vs. Eastern Michigan
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Louisiana vs. Colorado State
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: West Virginia vs. Maryland
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27
Military Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Memphis
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Duke vs. Kentucky
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Holiday Bowl: Clemson vs. Oregon State
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Auburn
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
THURSDAY, Dec. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Syracuse vs. USF
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs. Rutgers
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Valero Alamo Bowl: Kansas vs. Arizona
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
FRIDAY, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: North Carolina vs. Missouri
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Miami vs. Utah
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Florida
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
SATURDAY, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Texas A&M
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
2 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: Fresno State vs. Miami (OH)
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m.
MONDAY, Jan. 1
ReliaQuest Bowl: NC State vs. LSU
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN2 and the ESPN App
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
There are still big changes coming to the college football landscape as the season marches on. That includes tough games for teams like Michigan, Georgia, and Washington among others, leading into every team’s respective conference championship game. All of that means that there is a good chance that these projections are set to change in the coming weeks.