CBS Sports updates College Football Playoff, full Bowl predictions ahead of Week 9

College football is one weekend of games away from getting the first College Football Playoff Rankings from the CFP Selection Committee. That will help to shape the picture of the Playoff race moving forward. However, until then, nobody really knows what to expect in a highly competitive year.

In Week 9, there are several key games that will shape the College Football Playoff race. That includes Oregon playing on the road at Utah, an important ACC matchup between Duke and Louisville, and Florida and Georgia renewing their rivalry in Jacksonville.

CBS Sports did its best to predict what the College Football Playoff, the New Year’s Six, and every single bowl game are going to look like through an extensive list of predictions. These a projections for where teams are going to finish at the end of the season, rather than ranking them based on where they’re at right now. However, these are also fluid predictions that change each week based on each team’s performance.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

After winning on the road against Vanderbilt, Georgia earned a bye week. It’s more than a little bit well earned, as the Bulldogs look like they’re well onto the College Football Playoff once again. Georgia hasn’t lost a game since the 2021 SEC Championship Game and the Bulldogs will be favorites in every game until at least the 2023 SEC Championship Game.

If there’s a major challenge for Georgia, it’s going to be replacing tight end Brock Bowers within the offense. He’s one of the best players in all of college football and not having him on the field could change the entire complexion of the offense. It will be against rival Florida when the Bulldogs first test themselves out without Bowers.

2. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan has been completely dominant all season long and most people expect that dominance to continue moving forward through Big Ten play. Games against Ohio State and Penn State will be challenging and could change the shape of the College Football Playoff. However, for now, the Wolverines clearly stand atop the Big Ten.

The Michigan program, however, has become mired in some controversy. There are reports that the NCAA is investigating the program for stealing signs. Still, that clearly hasn’t been a distraction for the Wolverines, who dominated rival Michigan State to the tune of 49-0.

3. Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles put themselves in a good position to make the College Football Playoff early this season with wins against LSU and Clemson. Since then, the Seminoles have avoided any major mistakes and kept the good times rolling, recently getting a big win against a very talented Duke team in ACC play.

Florida State will get tested a few more times this season against teams like Miami and Florida. There will also be the ACC Championship Game. However, if the Seminoles keep on winning, then

4. Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns currently have a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. That loss, for many, is currently keeping them out of the College Football Playoff discussion. However, assuming that the Longhorns run the table and beat Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, then there is going to be a good argument for Texas to make the Playoff. However, that will require some help in the form of other unbeaten teams losing.

One major challenge for Texas is going to be Quinn Ewers‘ injury. He is expected to miss multiple games with an AC joint injury, forcing a young and talented backup, either Maalik Murphy or Arch Manning, into the starting role for Texas. Even once he gets back, he may be hampered by the injury, leaving Texas vulnerable to a potential upset.

Fiesta Bowl: Washington vs. Air Force

The Washington Huskies are unbeaten and look to have the inside track on the Pac-12. However, that doesn’t mean that the Huskies are immune to challenges going forward this season. Their explosive offense was nearly upset by the Arizona State Sun Devils. Washington survived but it was a reminder that they’re vulnerable.

Air Force, meanwhile, looks well on its way to winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the Mountain West, and becoming the Group of Five representative in the New Year’s Six. There is still a lot of time for things to change, but the Falcons have been phenomenal this season with their modern triple-option offense. In the Fiesta Bowl, they’d make for a stylistic fight with Washington.

Orange Bowl: Louisville vs. Ohio State

The Louisville Cardinals are a difficult team to assess in year one under head coach Jeff Brohm. After upsetting Notre Dame during an unbeaten start to the season, the Cardinals dropped a tough game against Pitt. After a bye week to regroup, however, the Cardinals are still in an excellent position in the ACC with a key game coming up against Duke.

Meanwhile, Ohio State got a massive win over the Penn State Nittany Lions. That is going to put them in prime position to make a run at the College Football Playoff, if the Buckeyes can finally find a way to beat Michigan at the end of the season. At the very least, however, Ohio State should be bound for a NY6 Bowl.

Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Penn State

There were some people who wrote the Alabama Crimson Tide off this season, after losing to Texas and struggling against USF. However, since then, the Crimson Tide have been rolling and look like the favorite to win the SEC West at this point, as Alabama has continued to improve throughout the season. Even if the Playoff is a bit of a stretch, then a major bowl game is well within reach.

Then, Penn State was on the losing side of Ohio State’s big win over the weekend. For head coach James Franklin, it was another tough loss against a good team on the road. With a game against Michigan coming up, the Nittany Lions are still alive to win the Big Ten, but it’s definitely a much bigger stretch now than before the loss.

Cotton Bowl: Oregon vs. Oklahoma

The Oregon Ducks have one of the best losses of the season, on the road against the Washington Huskies. Now, that’s still a loss but it’s not one that the Ducks are going to be punished for too harshly in the polls. On top of that, with USC losing its first conference game, there is a good chance that the Ducks get a revenge game in the Pac-12 Championship. Win that, and the Ducks would be in excellent shape.

Their potential opponent for the Cotton Bowl would be Oklahoma. The Sooners are unbeaten at this point with a win over Texas, who CBS is projecting to be in the College Football Playoff. That likely means that CBS is also projecting the Longhorns beat the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game, which would send Oklahoma to the Cotton Bowl.

Remaining bowl game projections

SATURDAY, Dec. 16
Bahamas Bowl: Jacksonville State vs. Northern Illinois
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Liberty vs. Marshall
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Cure Bowl: Tulane vs. Ohio
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

New Mexico Bowl: UNLV vs. New Mexico State
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

LA Bowl: Wyoming vs. UCLA
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: UCF vs. Arizona
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

MONDAY, Dec. 18
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Troy vs. Toledo
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.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: South Alabama vs. Mississippi 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. South Carolina
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SATURDAY, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl: Rice vs. Kentucky
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App

Camellia Bowl: Memphis vs. Western Kentucky

Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs. Boise State
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Colorado 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: Iowa vs. Utah
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl: San Jose State vs. FAU
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. Army
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Baylor vs. Minnesota
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27
Military Bowl: James Madison vs. Navy
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Duke vs. Florida
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Holiday Bowl: Syracuse vs. Oregon State
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox

TaxAct Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. Texas A&M
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

THURSDAY, Dec. 28

Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. USF
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: NC State vs. Rutgers
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Kansas
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Valero Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. USC
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

FRIDAY, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Clemson vs. LSU
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Miami vs. Washington State
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: West Virginia vs. Auburn
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SATURDAY, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Maryland vs. Missouri
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: North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN2 and the ESPN App

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

At this point, it’s important to remember that these are all projections. There is still plenty of time for things to change. That also means that these aren’t a list of what bowl teams would go to if the season ended now. Instead, it’s a prediction of who CBS expects to play in what bowl game and in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season, based on the information currently available.