College Football 2017: New Year’s Six bowl projections entering Week 6

Allstate Sugar Bowl (Playoff No.2)

Sugar Bowl (Playoff No. 2): Alabama vs. Penn State
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, La.)
When: Jan. 1, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Last week’s projection: Alabama vs. Clemson 

Alabama fans are probably booking their tickets to New Orleans at this point in the season. After slapping around Vanderbilt and Ole Miss in the first two conference games of the season, the Crimson Tide now travel to College Station, Texas, to face off against the Texas A&M Aggies in what could be considered Kevin Sumlin’s last stand.

For Penn State, the month of October becomes the month where the Nittany Lions can validate their stance as being one of the four best teams in America at this point. First is a trip to Evanston to face Northwestern and two straight vs. division foes Michigan and Ohio State. Finish out the month of October unscathed and this Penn State team could be looking very good come November.

Next: NFL Mock Draft Post Week 5

Week 6 Impact: Over the next four weeks, Alabama could be playing against teams who will be replacing head coaches at the end of the season. As for this week, there will be little drama in what happens against Texas A&M. Expect the Tide to roll. Penn State faces a Northwestern team that is very capable of making things dramatic with the Nittany Lions. If Penn State were to lose, I’m ready to slot Wisconsin or Washington in the “No. 4 seed” position but they have to play the games first.