ESPN predicts final score for College Football Playoff Semifinals, New Years Six bowls
With the holiday season among us, it can only mean one thing in college football. The New Year’s Six bowl games are nearly here, two of which are College Football Playoff semifinals. Every single game has some kind of intrigue to it, no matter the matchup.
ESPN took the opportunity to predict the final score of all six games plus the national championship. They see five games being decided by a score or less, actually giving us competitive games in the CFP.
Jan. 1 is once again the main day, with the two playoff games and the Fiesta Bowl taking place on the holiday. It’s a fun-filled slate from top to bottom, hopefully giving us fans a ton of excitement.
Rose Bowl – Alabama 31, Michigan 23
Two blue-blood programs playing at the sport’s most iconic venue with everything on the line. College football fans usually can only dream of Alabama and Michigan playing at the Rose Bowl, but it will come to life this season.
ESPN has Alabama winning another playoff game, taking their all-time record to 7-1 in the semifinals. If the final score is within a touchdown, we should have an instant classic on our hands.
Sugar Bowl – Washington 37, Texas 33
A rematch from last season’s Alamo Bowl, Texas and Washington will meet on the other side of the College Football Playoff bracket. Steve Sarkisian will also be going up against the program that gave him his first head coaching opportunity.
Despite being the underdogs, ESPN is rolling with Washington to come out with a win. In the final season of the Pac-12, the Huskies would have an opportunity to be the conference’s first national champion since USC in 2004.
CFP National Championship – Alabama 29, Washington 27
This one would be a historic national championship for Alabama, being No. 19 for the program. Nick Saban would personally move to eight, with seven of those coming in Tuscaloosa. That would pass the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant while with the Crimson Tide.
It would also wrap up the SEC’s domination of the four-team CFP era, winning seven out of 10. Alabama would be responsible for four of them, with Georgia and LSU getting involved as well.
Cotton Bowl – Ohio State 33, Missouri 27
Probably one of the more competitive non-CFP games of the bowl season, Missouri and Ohio State will meet in Arlington, TX for the Cotton Bowl. It’s the first matchup between the two since 1998 and just the second-ever outside of Columbus.
This has been a historic season for Missouri, earning 10 regular season wins for the first time under Eli Drinkwitz. Unfortunately for them, Ohio State was one of the better teams in college football this year and is predicted to come out on top.
Peach Bowl – Penn State 30, Ole Miss 24
Ole Miss and Penn State will have high expectations heading into the 2024 season and the momentum can begin with a Peach Bowl win. Lane Kiffin and James Franklin both saw their teams finish with a 10-2 record and will want to add another win to their resume.
A win for Penn State would be a second consecutive in the New Year Six following last year’s Rose Bowl triumph. There might be frustrations with Franklin but it’s tough to complain about another 11-win year.
Orange Bowl – Georgia 28, Florida State 17
If we’re being honest, neither team is thrilled to be in the Orange Bowl. Both wanted to play in the College Football Playoff, with Florida State having a real gripe about not being included.
Even so, the game will be played and once on the field, winning will become important. Georiga does have fewer injuries and opt-outs, with ESPN predicting a win for the Bulldogs in Miami.
Fiesta Bowl – Oregon 43, Liberty 28
Florida State is not the only undefeated team in the New Year’s Six. Liberty did not lose a game this season and now has the honor of facing off against Oregon.
Bo Nix will be closing out his college career, having one more opportunity to show out before heading to the NFL. Oregon will want to put on an offensive clinic and if ESPN’s prediction holds true, the Ducks would score at least 40 points for the seventh time.
Friday, Dec. 29 will be the first New Year’s Six game, with the Cotton Bowl taking place. From there, it will be all six games over a three-day span, being one of the best stretches in the college football calendar.