College football bowl projections after Week 7: Washington to the CFP

2023-10-18 23:20

Through seven weeks of the college football season, we have some bowl projections to dissect regarding the College Football Playoff, as well as the New Year's Six. Dig in, y'all!

As the weather starts to turn, the college football season gets even more interesting. We are still several weeks out from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee revealing its final four-team field, as well as the other eight teams going to New Year's Six bowls, but we are starting to get a better understanding as to who some of these teams could be, as well as their anticipated matchups.

Even though we are going to a different 12-team format beginning next year, the four-teamer has always been able to do what it was designed to do, which was to give us the four best teams duking it out in the national semifinals. While we have certainly gotten clunkers in this playoff setup, we have also gotten several unforgettable games that will forever remain part of the fabric of college football.

So in anticipation of all the Week 8 games we are all so going to enjoy, let's take a deep dive into some of the most important bowl game projections. Other bowl games will be played, obviously, but for the time being, it is always an interesting exercise to see how other prognosticators come about figuring out their four-team playoff fields and the other four matchups comprising the New Year's Six Bowls.

From ESPN, to CBS, to even FanSided, we have got you covered on that front with these projections.

College football bowl projections after Week 7: Who is making the CFP?

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach always have interesting thoughts on their projections.

Let's start with Bonagura's first...

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura

Rose: Michigan vs. Washington (CFP)
Sugar: Georgia vs. Florida State (CFP)
CFP Nat'l Title: Georgia vs. Washington
Cotton: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Fiesta: Oregon vs. Penn State
Orange: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Peach: Texas vs. Air Force

Bonagura's four playoff teams are not that surprising, as he has Georgia winning the SEC, Michigan the Big Ten, Florida State the ACC and Washington the Pac-12. Not having a Big 12 team in there is a bit odd, but what we saw out of the Huskies last week certainly gives U-Dub a great chance at its second-ever playoff berth. The weird one he has is Washington beating Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

And here is Schlabach's...

ESPN's Mark Schlabach

Rose: Michigan vs. Washington (CFP)
Sugar: Georgia vs. Florida State (CFP)
CFP Nat'l Title: Georgia vs. Michigan
Cotton: Penn State vs. Texas
Fiesta: Oregon vs. Air Force
Orange: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Peach: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Schlabach echoes his colleague's sentiment that it will be the same four teams in the CFP. The biggest difference he has in the four-team field is Michigan getting past Washington in Pasadena. That feels like chalk, but Georgia and Michigan have been the two most consistent teams in the playoff era over the last two seasons and change. None of his New Year's Six bowls really stun me.

Here is what CBS Sports' Jerry Palm had for us to look at heading into the Week 8 slate.

CBS Sports' Jerry Palm

Rose: Michigan vs. Florida State
Sugar: Georgia vs. Texas
CFP Nat'l Title: Semifinal Winners
Cotton: Oregon vs. Oklahoma
Fiesta: Washington vs. Air Force
Orange: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Peach: Alabama vs. Penn State

Palm's belief in Texas is a bit head-scratching. He thinks that not only will a one-loss Longhorns run the gauntlet and beat presumably Oklahoma in an Arlington rematch to get that fourth spot in, but that will be good enough to overtake Washington out of the Pac-12. We may be prisoners of the moment a bit from last Saturday, but I find it difficult to not see the Pac-12 getting its champion in.

Even yours truly decided that he needed to come up with his projections so you don't have to.

FanSided's John Buhler

Rose: Michigan vs. Washington (CFP)
Sugar: Georgia vs. Florida State (CFP)
CFP Nat'l Title: Georgia vs. Michigan
Cotton: Penn State vs. Texas
Fiesta: Oregon State vs. Air Force
Orange: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Peach: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

My four-team field is the same as the two guys from ESPN. Actually it is the exact same as Schlabach's. The Washington victory over Oregon reaffirmed everything I needed to know about the Huskies, as well as the Ducks. It is why I have Oregon State getting to the New Year's Six over the Ducks because I have a strong feeling that Jonathan Smith's team is winning The Strife Aquatic again.

Overall, it is hard to argue against teams like Georgia, Michigan and Florida State getting to the playoff. Washington and whoever wins the Red River rematch could be in line to get the last spot in. What these projections tell me is no Power Five conference has been eliminated from contention just yet, which is a fantastic thing for college football. Each of those leagues has a few contending teams.

Ultimately, it feels as though each Power Five league will get at least two teams into the New Year's Six. The Big Ten is probably way more likely to get three teams over the SEC right now, but that could change. Not to say Air Force is this week's flavor of the week out of the Group of Five, but Troy Calhoun's Falcons aren't going away either. Let's keep an eye on Willie Fritz's Tulane Green Wave, too.

So until we see how this weekend's games shake out, these are your very important bowl projections.