Back at it, and we haven't learned anything.
College Football Playoff
Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ)
December 28 | 3pm CT | ESPN
[2] Ohio State Buckeyes vs. [3] LSU Tigers
Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA)
December 28 | 7pm CT | ESPN
[1] Alabama Crimson Tide vs. [4] Clemson Tigers
New Year's Six
Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX)
December 28 | 11am CT | ESPN
Utah Utes (at-large) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (G5)
Orange Bowl (Miami, FL)
December 30 | 7pm | ESPN
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (ACC) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (B1G or SEC or ND)
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
January 1 | 4pm | FOX
Penn State Nittany Lions (B1G) vs. Oregon Ducks (Pac-12)
Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)
January 1 | 7:45pm | ESPN
Oklahoma Sooners (Big XII) vs. Florida Gators (SEC)
Big Ten Bowl Games
Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, MI)
December 26 | 7pm | ESPN
Buffalo Bulls* vs. Duke Blue Devils
Pinstripe Bowl (New York, NY)
December 27 | 2:20pm | ESPN
Michigan State Spartans vs. Virginia Cavaliers
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA)
December 27 | 7pm | FS1
Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Redbox Bowl (Santa Clara, CA)
December 30 | 3pm | FOX
Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Stanford Cardinal
Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL)
January 1 | 12pm | ABC
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Auburn Tigers
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL)
January 1 | 12pm | ESPN
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Texas A&M Aggies
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL)
January 2 | 6pm | ESPN
Michigan Wolverines vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, TX)
January 4 | 10:30am | ESPN
Indiana Hoosiers vs. Air Force Falcons
Full Bowl Projections
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B1G Observations
- Obligatory Ohio State mention.
- The more I squint at it, though, the more I can talk myself into Penn State slipping past Georgia and into the Orange Bowl if the Nittany Lions play Ohio State close enough and the Bulldogs get thunderdumped in the SEC Championship Game.
- That means Minnesota is officially on notice for the Rose Bowl. I'm sure this will go fine.
- Let's just say the calculus hasn't changed on the top of the conference: I'm still squinting at the Citrus Bowl, with Michigan sliding to the Gator Bowl after no one actually wants to see Iowa there again.
- My latest hot take: Indiana is one win away from the Gator Bowl. And if that win is over Michigan, get ready to fire up the RVs, Hoosier fans! Don't worry, you don't actually have to go to the game at Jacksonville either. Just hang out in the parking lots.
- At this point, it's just intriguing to watch Minnesota, Indiana, and Illinois threaten the existing mediocre middle of Big Ten bowl teams. Northwestern is long gone, Purdue is out, Nebraska is...yeah...it'd be a real shame if Illinois was in the Outback and Indiana was in the Gator while Michigan had a date with Air Force and Iowa was staring down the barrel of Boston College.
- Nebraska's loss is...Michigan State's gain? Sure, why not, we can have a different kind of basketball redux in the Pinstripe Bowl. A grim game played on Yankee Stadium's icy field is basically Mork D'Antoni embodied at this point.
Random Observations
- No upsets in the SEC means last week's edition of SEC Math will hold for another week. And yes, I realize the value statement I am making by keeping the Crimson Tide in the #1 slot. If and when LSU beats 'Bama in Death Valley, I am thrilled to change my projection. Until then, college football remains dumb and awful and 'Bama-Clemson will happen over and over until the heat death of the universe.
- The G5 representative to the NY6 is basically down to the winner of the #17 Cincinnati Bearcats and #19 Memphis Tigers, and two play in Memphis to close the regular season. I'm going to tentatively keep it at Cincinnati, who I believe to be the more balanced, if unspectacular team, though if Memphis gets through consecutive road games against Houston and South Florida, I'll change my tune.
- Kansas State Wildcats-Mississippi St. Bulldogs was just a bowl game, right? Fine. Run it back in Texas anyways, just for shits and giggles. From one purple Wildcat to another: Texas is jumping you if it comes down to it. They just are.
- Except the Colorado Buffaloes, every non-Utah, non-Oregon team in the Pac-12 has exactly 4 or 5 wins. In the North, every non-Oregon team is 4-4, except Washington Huskies. Washington is 5-4. I don't get paid enough for this job.
- Speaking of nice stories (was I?), the Oregon State Beavers are 4-4! That's a nice story! But their run-in is vs. Washington, vs. Arizona State, at Wazzu, at Oregon. Gonna have to win those middle two, and I just don't know if they can outscore Wazzu in Pullman.
- I'm gonna be so angry if the UCLA Bruins (4-5, 4-2 Pac12) pull off the Northwestern just a year after the 'Cats made history. It's still a tough row to hoe for the Chipper (at Utah, at USC, vs Cal), though.
- My San Jose State Spartans were SO CLOSE. And then they blew it :( Any two of @Hawaii, @Nevada, and vs. Fresno could do it, and they all look on the table. COME ON, SAINT JOE'S.
- Teams Left Out: Only the Liberty Flames. You hate to see it.
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