Bowl projections: Will all four 12-0 Power Five teams make the playoff?
Just how will conference championship weekend shape the playoff picture?
Seven of the top eight teams in Tuesday night's College Football Playoff rankings are in conference title games. Five of them — Georgia, Michigan, Washington, Florida State and Oregon — are conceivably in the postseason with a win. Texas and Alabama, meanwhile, likely need multiple losses by the other five.
Ohio State, the one team not playing this weekend, needs even more help. The Buckeyes sit at No. 6 in the playoff rankings and probably need a Georgia win and losses by Florida State and Texas to have any shot of making the playoff.
That's why we have three of the four currently undefeated teams in our final playoff projection. Georgia, Michigan and Florida State are all favored in their conference championship games and we think they'll come through with victories.
We're going with Oregon as the fourth team in the playoff as the Ducks are favored in their rematch over Washington. It's hard to ignore just how good Oregon has looked in recent weeks, while Washington has gotten close wins over its opponents. We wouldn't be shocked if the Huskies won on Friday night to keep their dream season alive, but Oregon appears to be the better team at the moment.
How the other bowls shake out
There are 82 bowl spots and 81 teams have at least six wins. That group includes both James Madison and Jacksonville State. Officially, 79 bowl-eligible teams got to the six-win threshold as teams like Utah State and Old Dominion had dramatic Week 13 wins and teams like Colorado State, Illinois and BYU couldn't get that elusive sixth win in the final week of the regular season.
With James Madison and Jacksonville State being added to the bowl picture, there's just one spot available for a team with a 5-7 record. Minnesota — a team that lost to Wisconsin in Week 13 — is the beneficiary of Colorado State's late loss to Hawaii. Since the Rams gave up a game-winning field goal to the Rainbow Warriors in the early morning hours on Sunday, Minnesota's Academic Progress Rate puts the Gophers in line for a bowl game.
New Year's Six Bowls
Cotton Bowl (Dec. 29)
Texas vs. Missouri
Peach Bowl (Dec. 30)
Penn State vs. Alabama
Orange Bowl (Dec. 30)
Louisville vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 1)
Tulane vs. Washington
Rose Bowl [CFP semifinal] (Jan. 1)
Michigan vs. Florida State
Sugar Bowl [CFP semifinal] (Jan. 1)
Georgia vs. Oregon
Other Bowls
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 16)
Coastal Carolina vs. Western Kentucky
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16)
Liberty vs. Troy
Cure Bowl (Dec. 16)
San Jose State vs. Bowling Green
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16)
Fresno State vs. New Mexico State
LA Bowl (Dec. 16)
Air Force vs. Oregon State
Independence Bowl (Dec. 16)
Texas Tech vs. Cal
Famous Toastery Bowl (Dec. 18)
Jacksonville State vs. Georgia Southern
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 19)
Old Dominion vs. Arkansas State
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 21)
Eastern Michigan vs. Georgia State
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 22)
South Florida vs. UCF
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 23)
Appalachian State vs. Louisiana
Camellia Bowl (Dec. 23)
Toledo vs. James Madison
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)
West Virginia vs. Syracuse
Potato Bowl (Dec. 23)
Northern Illinois vs. Boise State
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 23)
Ohio vs. South Alabama
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 23)
Northwestern vs. Utah
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 23)
Rice vs. Wyoming
Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 26)
Minnesota vs. Marshall
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Utah State vs. Texas State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
Iowa State vs. Rutgers
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Virginia Tech vs. SMU
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Dec. 27)
Duke vs. Kentucky
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27)
Clemson vs. USC
Texas Bowl (Dec. 27)
Kansas vs. Texas A&M
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 28)
Boston College vs. UTSA
Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28)
Georgia Tech vs. Maryland
Pop-Tarts Bowl (Dec. 28)
NC State vs. Oklahoma State
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 28)
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Gator Bowl (Dec. 29)
North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Sun Bowl (Dec. 29)
Miami vs. UCLA
Liberty Bowl (Dec. 29)
Kansas State vs. Memphis
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Wisconsin vs. Auburn
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 30)
Miami (Ohio) vs. UNLV
ReliaQuest Bowl (Jan. 1)
Notre Dame vs. LSU
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1)
Iowa vs. Ole Miss
