College football bowl projections: Alabama jumps into Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma not sliding too far

Oklahoma’s loss at Kansas not handiest resulted within the drowning of function posts in Lawrence, Kansas, it additionally shipped the Sooners out of the Cotton Bowl and over to the Peach Bowl on this week’s bowl projections. The enchantment of Oklahoma within the Cotton Bowl towards projected Pac-12 champion Oregon was once a fight of one-loss groups. However, the Sooners’ profile modified considerably Saturday afternoon.

Now, Oklahoma is projected to have two losses, and because it will have simply performed the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium (which additionally hosts the Cotton Bowl), it’s extra interesting to have Oklahoma head to Atlanta to tackle Penn State.

Alabama strikes over to the Cotton Bowl to stand Oregon in a premier New Year’s Six sport outdoor the College Football Playoff.

The CFP are unchanged once more this week. While I do not be expecting Georgia to be No. 1 within the preliminary CFP Rankings — launched this Tuesday night — I do be expecting the Bulldogs to complete atop the general CFP Rankings as soon as the convention championship video games conclude. 

College Football Playoff

New Year’s Six bowl video games

North Carolina and Clemson had been anticipated to be contenders in races for the ACC championship and New Year’s Six bowl spots this season, however each have fallen on exhausting instances. The Tar Heels have now misplaced two immediately video games after falling at Georgia Tech. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they play FCS Campbell this Saturday, which supplies them a possibility to proper the send. UNC must do exactly that as a result of there aren’t any gimmes closing at the agenda.

Clemson hosts North Carolina on Nov. 18, and the Tigers additionally want to flip issues round. First, Notre Dame visits this week. Losses in the ones two video games leaves Clemson having a look at a .500 season — at perfect. That is reasonably a drop from a program that has been in New Year’s Six video games throughout six of the previous seven seasons.

There are nonetheless a top selection of groups projected to bowls that might not another way be eligible. I’ve 9 groups on this week’s projections as fill-ins for a loss of 6-6 or higher groups. Two of the ones 9 are James Madison, the still-undefeated chief of the Sun Belt, and Jacksonville State. Both groups are of their 2nd 12 months of transition from FCS to FBS, which makes them ineligible for the postseason. However, they are able to develop into fill-ins in the event that they post qualifying data and there are not sufficient eligible groups.

The different seven spots are crammed by way of groups projected to complete 5-7. As all the time, the ones are determined by way of APR rankings.

Don’t see your group? Check out Jerry Palm’s bowl projections after Week 9.