College Football Playoff, 2022 New Year’s Six bowl projections after Week 4

Rose Bowl

Washington v Michigan

Previous: Utah v Michigan 

We have our first projected change in the 109th Rose Bowl Game.

Out are the Utah Utes, and in are the Washington Huskies. This change has less to do with Utah’s play, but more to do with the Washington resurgence. The Huskies have always been a good defensive team. We saw those Chris Petersen defenses carry the Huskies to a CFP and a couple of NY6 bowls. With the additions of head coach Kalen Deboer and quarterback Michael Penix Jr, the Dawgs have an offense that can take UW to the next level. Through 4 games, Penix looks like a shoo-in for being a Heisman finalist. This team is for real.

The other big factor in the change was comparing schedules between Utah and UW. Utah has a brutal schedule, while there’s a legit chance the Huskies are 9-0 before taking on their next ranked opponent, Oregon.

Michigan had their first real test of the year against Maryland, and they passed, but not without some questions. The defense didn’t look as strong as last year, and JJ McCarthy had some struggles early on. In the end, the offensive line and running game from the Wolverines were too much for the Terps to handle.

I still like Michigan, but they have their work cut out for them. In three weeks, they host Penn State in what could essentially be a CFP eliminator game.

Here, we are projecting the Wolverines to fall short in the Big Game, but make their way to the Rose Bowl. Does Harbaugh finally get the big bowl win, or does UW get their first NY6 win in over 20 years?