Week 6 of the college football season was wild and it caused some major shakeups in our college bowl projections for the 2021 season.
What a week it was in college football and the question many fans are probably asking themselves is, what does this all mean?
The biggest shock wave was sent out from College Station on Saturday night as Texas A&M, unranked and with their season seemingly falling apart, beat No. 1 Alabama with its No. 2 quarterback.
Clemson also fell off this season, but no one expected A&M to do what it did Saturday — no one.
The Aggies turned the season on its head and if Alabama goes down again, the Crimson Tide probably won’t even make the College Football Playoff, although we can’t rule anything out.
Not only did Bama go down, but Iowa also kept finding ways to win, forcing four turnovers and knocking Sean Clifford out of the game in an ugly win over in a top-5 battle with Penn State.
Other top-10 teams such as Michigan found a way to win at Nebraska; Notre Dame also took a big step towards securing a spot in the New Year’s Six with a late win at Virginia Tech.
Oklahoma’s rally past Texas was another huge development. The Sooners might have been knocked out of playoff contention with a loss or at least had their hopes damaged.
Now, the Sooners still control their own destiny, and frankly, so does Alabama, even though it just lost a game. Here’s a look at our college football bowl projections starting with the College Football Playoff.
Orange Bowl Semifinal Dec. 31: Georgia (1) vs (4) Oklahoma
Oklahoma would take on Georgia if the College Football Playoff started this week but it narrowly gets the berth over Alabama.
The Sooners needed a huge rally to beat Texas and now the question is whether Caleb Williams can keep it going. Fans have been clamoring for him over Spencer Rattler and he delivered. And if he continues to play that way, OU should be back in the College Football Playoff.
Cotton Bowl Semifinal Dec. 31: Iowa (2) vs Cincinnati (3)
Even though Iowa and Cincinnati are No. 2 and No. 3 right now, I don’t feel great about their chances of actually making the College Football Playoff.
This bowl projection has them both making it, but Ohio State could still meet up with Iowa in the Big Ten title game (de-facto playoff) and the Bearcats resume is only going to get weaker over time.
If Alabama and Georgia win out until meeting in the SEC title game, and the Tide won, both of those teams would make the playoff, along with OU if it is undefeated and the Big Ten champ.
Cincinnati needs chaos. It got some this week but still needs more to crash the top four.
Peach Bowl Dec. 31: Clemson vs Ohio State
Remember this is a projection. I could have still projected Alabama to the playoff cause there is still a good chance the Tide make it, but I’m definitely not giving up on Clemson yet.
Wake Forrest won in overtime and the Deamon Deacons deserve credit for being undefeated. But with a little help and by winning out, the Tigers could still prove they are the best in the ACC.
And if Clemson somehow wins the conference, and Ohio State isn’t in the playoff, this would be a dream matchup for bowl executives.
Fiest Bowl Jan. 1: Notre Dame vs Michigan
Talk about a dream matchup? Both fanbases would be fired up about this contest and after a 6-0 start for the Wolverines, (5-1 for Notre Dame), it’s actually possible.
The Wolverines will need to win at least 10 games and the same can be said for Notre Dame. But if that happens, one of college football’s most storied rivalries would get another edition.
Rose Bowl Jan. 1: Penn State vs Oregon
Penn State may not be higher than Ohio State in the pecking order but we don’t need to see an Oregon-Ohio State rematch.
The Nittany Lions were up 14 against Iowa, then lost their quarterback and eventually lost the game. Clifford’s injury status could be important as key matchups loom in the second half of the season against Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State.
Penn State will have to win two of three to reach a New Year’s Six Bowl and all three to keep in College Football Playoff contention.
Sugar Bowl Jan. 1: Alabama vs Texas
Texas nearly thrust itself into the outskirts of playoff contention with a win over Oklahoma but now, the best the Longhorns can hope for is the Sugar Bowl, although the Big 12 title is still within reach — remember the league takes the top two teams in the standings.
This week’s game against Oklahoma State is huge. If Texas wins, it would be in the driver’s seat to be No. 2 in the Big 12 as long as it can knock off Iowa State and everyone else.
If the Horns get double-digit wins, pairing them against any SEC team in New Orleans will be tantalizing.
College bowl projections
Texas Bowl Jan. 4: Arkansas vs Baylor
Citrus Bowl Jan. 1: Michigan State vs Ole Miss
Outback Bowl Jan. 1: Minnesota vs Kentucky
Arizona Dec. 31: Buffalo vs San Diego State
Sun Bowl Dec 31: Stanford vs Virginia
Gator Bowl Dec 31: Florida vs Wake Forest
Las Vegas Dec 30: UCLA vs Nebraska
Music City Bowl Dec 30: Wisconsin vs Auburn
Mayo Bowl Dec 30: NC State vs Texas A&M
Alamo Bowl Dec 29: Oklahoma State vs Arizona State
Cheez-it Bowl Dec 29: Virginia Tech vs Iowa State
Pinstripe Bowl Dec 29: Pittsburgh vs Indiana
Fenway Dec 29: Boston College vs East Carolina
Guarantee Rate Bowl Dec 28: Rutgers vs Kansas State
Holiday Bowl Dec 28: Oregon State vs North Carolina
Liberty Dec 28: Mississippi State vs Texas Tech
First Responder Dec 28: Miami vs SMU
Birmingham Bowl Dec 28: Kent State vs Tennessee
Military Bowl Dec 27: Georgia Tech vs UCF
Quick Lane Dec 27: Purdue vs Ball State
Camellia Dec 25: Miami (OH) vs Wyoming
Hawaii Bowl Dec. 24: Hawaii vs UAB
Gasparilla Dec 23: Air Force vs Louisville
Armed Forces Dec 22: Army vs Memphis
Frisco Bowl Dec 21: Houston vs Boise State
Potato Bowl Dec 21: Northern Illinois vs San Jose State
Myrtle Beach Dec 20: Coastal Carolina vs UTSA
New Orleans Dec 18: Louisiana vs Charlotte
Lending Tree Dec 18: Marshall vs Eastern Michigan
Los Angeles Dec 18: Utah vs Fresno State
Independence Bowl Dec 18: TCU vs BYU
New Mexico Dec 18: Middle Tennessee State vs Nevada
Boca Raton Dec 18: Kent State vs Western Kentucky
Cure Bowl Dec 17: App State vs Liberty
Bahamas Bowl Dec 17: Western Michigan vs FAU