CBS Sports updates College Football Playoff, full Bowl predictions ahead of Week 12
There are only two regular season games and conference championship week left in the college football season. With that, the College Football Playoff and bowl picture is taking shape and becoming much clearer.
Week 11 was full of massive games around college football. In the end, there were some close games and some blowouts, but there were very few upsets that would have shaken anything up at the top. Instead, those top-tier teams have continued to strengthen their grip on the Playoff and New Year’s Six Bowl race. Meanwhile, other teams have continued to make their pushes to become bowl eligible.
Ahead of the next College Football Playoff Rankings on Tuesday night, CBS Sports released its projections for the Playoff, NY6, and every single bowl game.
1. Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are in the middle of their toughest stretch of the regular season. After beating Missouri in a close game, the Bulldogs blew out Ole Miss. Next, Georgia takes on Tennessee amid its stretch of ranked opponents in the regular season. As a heavy favorite in that game, the Bulldogs are expected to get through that game relatively easily.
Georgia also got a massive boost with the return of All-American tight end Brock Bowers. The tight end, just a couple weeks removed from surgery, looked like nothing had happened when he was on the field. That has to be a scary thought for opposing defenses.
2. Michigan Wolverines
Michigan was without head coach Jim Harbaugh when the Wolverines went into Happy Valley. It didn’t matter, though. Michigan quite literally ran the ball down Penn State’s throat. At one point, that meant handing the ball off 30 times in a row while harassing Nittany Lions’ quarterback Drew Allar.
As of now, Michigan is looking at two more games without Harbaugh thanks to the suspension from the Big Ten. However, Michigan is looking to the courts for some kind of legal action that might put him back on the sidelines earlier. For now, though, Michigan proved that they can beat good teams without their leader on the sidelines.
3. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State played a close game with Miami over the weekend. In the end, though, the Seminoles managed to get the win. With that, the Seminoles stayed unbeaten and are still in an excellent position to make it to the College Football Playoff. However, Florida State must continue to avoid an upset.
The Seminoles have an FCS opponent before taking on rival Florida to end the season. After that, it’s going to be the ACC Championship Game. There are going to be opportunities to lose. However, Florida State should be favored in every game this season.
4. Texas Longhorns
CBS Sports is currently projecting that the Texas Longhorns sneak into the College Football Playoff as the fourth seed. That’s part of what makes this a projection because, as of right now, there are multiple unbeaten teams ahead of the Longhorns. It also means that for this to be true, Texas needs to win out and get some help in the process.
Texas will also need to turn on the gas. In their last two games, the Longhorns were almost upset twice. The first was an overtime game against Kansas State and the second was a three-point win over TCU. Now, the Longhorns will need to quickly improve to avoid an upset moving forward.
Fiesta Bowl: Washington vs. Tulane
Washington is currently an unbeaten team in the Pac-12 that still has its eyes on making the College Football Playoff itself. However, at the very least, it does appear that the Huskies are going to be headed to a New Year’s Six Bowl at the very least. That will likely be coming after a trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
On the other side, Tulane is currently the top-ranked team in the Group of Five. This year’s Green Wave team doesn’t feel as complete as last year’s was. However, even amid close games, Tulane is finding ways to win. As long as the Green Wave do keep on winning, then there shouldn’t be any issue making it back to the NY6.
Orange Bowl: Louisville vs. Ohio State
The job Jeff Brohm has done at Louisville is hard to over appreciate. After being inconsistent during the Scott Satterfield era, he left Louisville and the Cardinals replaced him with former quarterback Jeff Brohm. Now, in Brohm’s first season there, the Cardinals only have one loss and look ready to play in the ACC Championship Game. As of now, Louisville even still has an outside shot at the Playoff.
For now, Ohio State has an inside shot at the Playoff, so long as the Buckeyes can keep on winning. However, it doesn’t look like CBS Sports expects that to happen. Ultimately, whether or not Ohio State makes it to the Playoff likely comes down to beating Michigan or not. After losing twice in a row, there’s going to be tons of pressure on Ryan Day to win that game.
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Penn State
Ole Miss suffered its second loss this season, being blown out by Georgia on the road. That makes two losses on the road against the two teams playing in the SEC Championship. Ultimately, Ole Miss is clearly a good team. However, this team is also a clear step behind the truly elite teams within the SEC.
Likewise, Penn State lost its second game of the season. In the Nittany Lions’ case, the loss was to Michigan. For Penn State, it was just proof that the Nittany Lions are a step behind the Big Ten’s best teams. Despite that poor showing, Penn State is still an excellent team and in a good position to go to a NY6 game.
Cotton Bowl: Alabama vs. Oregon
Early in the season, Alabama looked like it was going to struggle. Now, the Crimson Tide are heading to the SEC Championship Game. Win that, and making the College Football Playoff is well within reason. Either way, it looks like Alabama is heading to one of college football’s premier bowl games.
Oregon, similar to Alabama, still has a shot at making the Playoff if the Ducks can win the Pac-12 Championship. It would especially help Oregon if the Ducks could beat Washington in a revenge game. However, for now, Oregon is certainly in a good spot to at least go to the New Year’s Six.
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. UCF
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: UNLV vs. UCLA
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Iowa State vs. Minnesota
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
MONDAY, Dec. 18
Bahamas Bowl: Jacksonville State vs. Ohio
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: Syracuse vs. Marshall
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
SATURDAY, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl: Georgia State 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: Texas Tech vs. Air Force
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: Utah State vs. Rice
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
TUESDAY, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl: Northwestern vs. Northern Illinois
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: Virginia 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: Kansas vs. Auburn
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: Georgia Tech 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: Oklahoma vs. Arizona
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
FRIDAY, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: North Carolina vs. Tennessee
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. Mississippi State
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. Missouri
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Even though there are only two regular season weeks left, there is still plenty of time for things to change. Rivalry games are coming up and anything can happen in a conference championship game. In Week 12, there are a handful of incredibly important games, including for the College Football Playoff, with Georgia playing Tennessee, Louisville taking on Miami, and Washington traveling to Oregon State.