College football projections for the College Football Playoff and various bowl games have undergone shifts following recent weekend action, according to a November 8 report from Sports Illustrated.
The updated projections for Week 11 indicate that Notre Dame is firmly positioned within the College Football Playoff field following a victory over Miami.
The report states that Georgia appears to be on track to win the SEC after defeating Mississippi on Saturday. Additionally, Notre Dame is projected to potentially receive a bye to the quarterfinals.
In the projected College Football Playoff rankings, Georgia holds the number one spot, followed by Notre Dame, Indiana, and Miami. Other projected teams include Utah, Tennessee, Alabama, UCLA, Wake Forest, Texas, BYU, and Boise State. The report notes that several SEC programs with two or three losses are making it difficult for the selection committee to determine at-large candidates for December.
The projected College Football Playoff matchups include a first round featuring Boise State at No. 5 Utah, BYU at No. 6 Tennessee, Texas at No. 7 Alabama, and Wake Forest at No. 8 UCLA.
Quarterfinal projections include the Fiesta Bowl featuring No. 4 Miami against No. 9 Wake Forest, the Rose Bowl featuring No. 3 Indiana against No. 7 Alabama, the Cotton Bowl featuring No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 6 Tennessee, and the Peach Bowl featuring No. 1 Georgia against No. 5 Utah.
Semifinal matchups include the Orange Bowl with No. 2 Notre Dame against No. 7 Alabama and the Sugar Bowl with No. 1 Georgia against No. 4 Miami. The National Championship is projected to be held in Las Vegas between No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame.
Several bowl games are scheduled for the remainder of the season. These include the Salute to Veterans Bowl on Dec. 15 between UAB and UMass, the Frisco Football Classic on Dec. 15 between North Texas and New Mexico, and the San Juan Bowl on Dec. 16 between Louisiana and Delaware.
Other scheduled matchups include the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 18, the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 18, the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Dec. 21, the Potato Bowl on Dec. 21, the Puerto Rico Bowl on Dec. 22, the Cure Bowl on Dec. 22, the Independence Bowl on Dec. 22, the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 23, the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23, and the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 23.
Additional scheduled games include the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23, the Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24, the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 24, the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 26, the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 26, the Mayo Bowl on Dec. 26, the 68 Ventures Bowl on Dec. 26, and the Cactus Bowl on Dec. 26.
Other upcoming games include the Military Bowl on Dec. 26, the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28, the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29, the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Dec. 29, and the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. The schedule continues with the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30, the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31, the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31, the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2, the First Responder Bowl on Jan. 2, the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, and the Arizona Bowl on Jan. 2.
The current projections follow a weekend described as having drama that helped clarify the pecking order for the College Football Playoff, just four days after the selection committee established the stakes for the teams.
