Bowl Predictions 2021: Projections for Top Playoff Contenders Before Week 7

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Butch Dill/Associated Press

Georgia is currently the No. 1 college football team in the country. If the Bulldogs keep rolling, they could be heading to the College Football Playoff for the second time in program history. And perhaps they’ll even end up as the national champions for the first time since the 1980 season.

However, Georgia still has plenty of tough competition to face before getting to that point. It hosts No. 11 Kentucky in a big SEC East matchup this Saturday, and it would have to face whichever team finishes first in the SEC West if it makes it to the SEC Championship Game in December.

But right now, the Bulldogs are 6-0 and showing no signs of slowing down, considering their defense is holding opponents to 5.5 points per game. And they’re in control of their own destiny. As long as they keep winning, they’ll be among the front-runners to reach the CFP and to potentially win the national title.

Entering Week 7 of the 2021 season, here are projections for each of the New Year’s Six bowls, including both College Football Playoff semifinal matchups.

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Roger Steinman/Associated Press

College Football Playoff Semifinals

Orange Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Cincinnati

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 3 Oklahoma

       

Rest of New Year’s Six

Peach Bowl: Michigan vs. Wake Forest

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Coastal Carolina

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Oregon

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma State

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Sam Craft/Associated Press

No team has made more appearances in the College Football Playoff than Alabama, which has made it six times in the first seven seasons since the system was implemented. That’s tied for the most in college football with Clemson.

Even though the Crimson Tide have already suffered a loss this year—they fell 41-38 at Texas A&M last week to drop to 5-1—they’re not out of CFP contention. However, they likely can’t lose again. They have six regular-season games remaining (five of which are against SEC opponents) and still control their own destiny in the SEC West.

As long as Alabama wins out, it’s guaranteed a spot in the SEC Championship Game, where it would likely face Georgia for the conference title. And if the Crimson Tide beat the Bulldogs, it would likely make the CFP, which could even give SEC two of the four teams in the field as Georgia would still have a strong case, too.

But if Alabama faces more adversity, it could be out of the CFP for the second time in three years. So it’s facing a bit more pressure than SEC rival Georgia, which may still get in even with a loss, especially if it’s against a quality opponent.

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Matthew Putney/Associated Press

Iowa and Oklahoma both play in strong, competitive conferences. The Hawkeyes have to face quality Big Ten competition all season, while the Sooners must take on the best teams that the Big 12 has to offer. However, both teams are in control of their CFP destinies after getting off to 6-0 starts.

While Iowa still plays some solid teams down the stretch, there are no ranked teams on its remaining schedule. It notched a marquee win last week when it took down Penn State. Now, the Hawkeyes appear destined for the Big Ten Championship Game and potentially the conference title.

Oklahoma picked up its biggest win of the season thus far when it outlasted Texas at the Cotton Bowl. But the Sooners still have challenges ahead, as they play No. 12 Oklahoma State in their regular-season finale and could be facing a tough team in the Big 12 Championship Game.

It’s possible that Iowa and Oklahoma won’t finish the season undefeated. And one or two losses could be enough to keep either out of the CFP picture, depending on other teams’ resumes. But for now, the Hawkeyes and Sooners don’t need any help from other results. They just need to keep winning.

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Aaron Doster/Associated Press

Since the College Football Playoff system was implemented ahead of the 2014 season, only Power Five schools have made the four-team field each year. But that could change this season.

Cincinnati is currently ranked No. 3 in the country and has the chance to reach the CFP out of the AAC. It can be tough for Group of Five teams to impress the selection committee, because typically they play lighter schedules. However, that isn’t an issue with the Bearcats.

During its 5-0 start, Cincinnati has picked up road wins over Indiana and Notre Dame, with the latter being its most impressive victory thus far. The Bearcats now have a chance to win out as they play the rest of their AAC schedule, with the most challenging matchup likely to be a Nov. 20 home contest vs. No. 23 SMU.

But Cincinnati has already proved it should make CFP history. It just can’t have any missteps the rest of the way, because one loss would likely be enough to keep it out of the field and again prevent a Group of Five team from getting a chance to play for a national title in this format.