College Football Playoff 2017: New Year’s Six Projections entering Week 9

Rose Bowl Game (Playoff No.1)

Rose Bowl (Playoff No. 1): Penn State vs. Georgia
Where: Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, Calif.)
When: Jan. 1, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Last week’s projection: Oklahoma vs. Clemson

As we’re more than halfway into the season, we’ve seen the USC’s and Florida State’s of the world fade away and lose their crack at making the CFP. One team that has emerged as a legit contender is the Penn State Nittany Lions, this week they face their toughest test of the season as they travel to Ohio State. A win at Ohio State would validate Penn State standing when it comes to the playoff and would put them assuredly in the top two of the first CFP rankings.

I’m usually against putting teams from the same conference in a projected playoff but with losses by Clemson and Washington, I really had no choice. However, Georgia has clearly earned the right to be in this position. Winning at Notre Dame becomes impressive as the weeks have gone on and anybody who they’re supposed to blow out, they’ve done it. It’s not that complicated to do and Georgia has proven that so far.

Week 9 outlook

Rivalry games are always fascinating and both Georgia and Penn State have them this week. It’s pretty simple for both teams, a loss puts you out of the playoff projections and a win means you survive another week as you go into November.