College Football Bowl Projections 2018: Michigan falls out of playoff in Week 13
December 29
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Washington State
Noon ET, ESPN – Atlanta, Georgia
January 1
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. Florida
1 pm ET, ESPN – Glendale, Arizona
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual: Ohio State vs. Washington
5 pm ET, ESPN – Pasadena, California
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan
8:45 pm ET, ESPN – New Orleans, Louisiana
The skinny
LSU’s spot in the New Year’s Six is shakier after the loss to Texas A&M, but I can’t imagine they will be penalized too harshly for a 7 OT road loss to a good team. Their projected opponent is much different this time, however, as Washington State drops to the Peach Bowl. The Cougars fell 28-15 to Washington as they saw their PAC-12 Championship and Rose Bowl hopes go up in smoke. Mike Leach has been unable to figure Petersen’s defense, falling to him for a fifth straight year, and scoring 17 or less in every meeting. Even still, a berth in the New Year’s Six is a remarkable accomplishment for Leach and his Cougars in a year when they were expected to be scraping the bottom of the PAC-12 barrel.
McKenzie Milton’s devastating injury is a big blow to UCF and college football as a whole. Milton was one of the sport’s best and most exciting players, and the main impetus for the Knights’ ascension up the college football ladder. UCF still has enough talent to knock off Memphis next week and earn a second straight trip to the New Year’s Six. Florida’s win over Florida State may have clinched the Gators’ a spot, but they will be rooting for chalk next week to ensure it happens. A Northwestern win over Ohio State or a Texas win over Oklahoma or a Pittsburgh win over Clemson would steal a bid and potentially knock Dan Mullen and company out.
I think Ohio State is still currently on the outside of the playoff field looking in, and their resume against Oklahoma’s will be the talking point for the next couple of weeks barring any further upsets. The Buckeyes’ win over Michigan is the most impressive win of the two by a long shot, but they also boast far and away the worst loss as well. Oklahoma fell to Texas, a game they will have the opportunity to avenge, by just three points at a neutral site. Ohio State was obliterated by 29 points in West Lafayette, and that loss is an ugly stain on the resume. If they are unable to get into the playoff, eviscerating Michigan and capturing another Big Ten title would be an excellent consolation prize.
Georgia is the only team on the outside looking in that still controls their own fate in the playoff race. The Bulldogs will get the opportunity to avenge their loss in last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama, in the same venue the loss took place. The winner of that game is surely in the playoffs, and one-loss hopefuls should be cheering hard for the Crimson Tide, as one-loss Alabama would still have a strong playoff case.