New Year’s Six Bowl Projections 2017: San Diego State rising in Week 4

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL – DECEMBER 30: De’Veon Smith #4 of the Michigan Wolverines tries to avoid the tackle of Matthew Thomas #6 of the Florida State Seminoles in the first half during the Capitol One Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on December 30, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

Orange Bowl

Capital One Orange Bowl: Florida State (ACC) vs. Penn State (Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Fla.)
When: Dec. 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Last week’s projection: Florida State vs. Penn State

We haven’t heard from the Seminoles in a few weeks, mainly due to the Hurricanes that have ravaged the state. We will get our first glimpse at the Noles ever since their loss to Alabama at the start of the month. Florida State hosts an NC State team that is very good defensively and with FSU starting a redshirt freshman QB, it’s very possible that NC State could knock the Noles out of the Orange Bowl and the NY6 for good.

Penn State has proven that the 2016 was not a fluke so far and now the Nittany Lions travel to Iowa City and face an Iowa Hawkeyes team that has pulled off upsets before. This is truly the first showcase game for Penn State in 2017, we will see if this team is truly ready for primetime. They’ll have another chance to play in primetime later this season vs. Ohio State but at Iowa provides a solid test.

Week 4 Impact: This is the bowl with the most movement that still carries tie-ins, while there is more chances in other bowl games this bowl could see a variety of teams fall into place. For both Penn State and Florida State, if they win then they will more than likely keep their spots in the Orange Bowl. A loss and then teams like Wisconsin, Louisville, Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan make their way into these bowls.

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