Bowl projections after Week 12: Texas back for New Year’s Six bowl

Heading into Rivalry Week, here’s how the bowl projections are shaping up for the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowl games.

The Citadel gave Alabama the toughest half of the season, but the Crimson Tide prevailed to remain the top team in the nation. No one could see a 10-10 tie at halftime but that’s what happened when The Citadel and Alabama played on Saturday afternoon.

It was all Alabama after the break as Tua Tagovailoa and the defense wasted little time putting them away after letting hang around for the first half. For a minute, there was some shuffling going on when it came to painting the playoff picture but there was no chaos. Alabama may lose some first-place votes in Sunday’s AP Top 25, but they’ll remain the top seed in the next College Football Playoff rankings.

This is a fluid situation, but here is how things look entering Rivalry Week.

College Football Playoff projection

Cotton Bowl: No.1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Michigan

This is the same matchup that’s been projected for weeks. As long as both win out and take the SEC and Big Ten championship, this is a game that would have all of the drama. North vs. South. Harbaugh vs. Saban. Let’s hope we get this game.

Orange Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish have a bad USC team standing in their way of an undefeated season. If they go undefeated, they’re in the dance. Clemson started off slowly vs. Duke but turned it on in the second half to remain undefeated. The Cotton Bowl matchup would get all the hype, but this would be the best of the two semifinals.

New Year’s Six selection committee games

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12): Georgia vs. Oklahoma

I have Georgia losing to Alabama in the SECCG while Oklahoma wins the Big 12 but gets snubbed from the Playoff. Who wouldn’t love to see a rematch of last year’s Rose Bowl/College Football semifinal?

Fiesta Bowl (at-large vs. at-large): UCF vs. LSU

The SEC gets three teams in the New Year’s Six field with LSU being this year’s offering to UCF. The Knights beat Auburn and Georgia last year, but can they make it three SEC heavyweights in the last two years?

Rose Bowl (Big Ten vs. Pac-12): Ohio State vs. Washington State

I have Ohio State losing to Michigan in this projection and their consolation prize is a trip to the Rose Bowl. They’d face off with Heisman candidate Gardner Minshew and Washington State in a game that could see both teams easily scoring in the 40s.

Peach Bowl (at-large vs. at-large): Florida vs. Texas

There’s been some highs (LSU win) and some lows (Kentucky, Georgia losses) for Dan Mullen in his first year back in Gainesville, but a trip to the Peach Bowl would be a nice finish. They’d take on Texas who projects to take this spot from West Virginia after they lost to Oklahoma State. The Big 12 is really crazy this year and this bowl has been the toughest to project.