College Football Playoff Picks and Bowl Predictions: Week 6 Recap and Updated Projections

2023-10-02 20:44:18

It was another fun weekend of college football, which included a couple of unbeaten teams dropping their first game of the season and several other near upsets.

Utah and Duke are no longer undefeated following losing to Oregon State and Notre Dame, respectively. Meanwhile top 10 teams Georgia, Washington and USC all played one-score games on the road.

With another week of action in the book, CBS Sports has updated its College Football Playoff picksas well as its full bowl predictions. Here’s where things stand ahead of Week 6:

1. Georgia

Brock Bowers (Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers had a huge game to help rally the Bulldogs past Auburn. The Tigers led 17-10 in the third quarter, and the game was tied at 20 late. However, a 40-yard touchdown reception by Bowers proved to be the difference.

The Bulldogs have looked vulnerable at times this season, falling behind in each of their first two SEC games once morest South Carolina and Auburn. Still, so far they’ve been able to find a way to remain undefeated.

Michigan WR Semaj Morgan (Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports)

Michigan faced its biggest test of the season to this point this past Saturday and was more than ready for the challenge. The Wolverines blasted Nebraska 45-7 on the road to remain unbeaten.

Jim Harbaugh has his team playing elite defense, and JJ McCarthy continues to play well. The Wolverines look like true national title contenders.

Jonathon Brooks (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Speaking of teams that continue to impress, Texas took care of business once morest Kansas on Saturday to remain unbeaten. The Jayhawks were without star quarterback Milestone Danielsbut it likely wouldn’t have mattered as Texas put up more than 600 yards of offense.

For now, CBS Sports has the Longhorns facing Michigan in the Rose Bowl. In order for Texas to remain in position to reach the College Football Playoff, it needs to win Saturday’s massive showdown once morest Oklahoma.

Jordan Travis (David Yeazell/USA TODAY Sports)

Florida State had a much-needed bye this past weekend following back-to-back tough games once morest Boston College and Clemson. The Seminoles now get three straight home games once morest Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Duke.

FSU is likely to be pretty big favorites in all three matchups, particularly if Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard is unable to suit up following getting banged up once morest Notre Dame this past weekend. CBS Sports currently has Florida State playing Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in what would be a fun College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

MarShawn Lloyd (Chet Strange-USA TODAY Sports)

There are plenty of question marks regarding the USC defense, but the offense is without a doubt one of the best in the nation. Heisman winner Caleb Williams is playing at a high level and has plenty of talented playmakers around him. With that said, the Trojans did give up 41 points to Colorado.

As for Fresno State, the Bulldogs remained undefeated with a 27-9 victory over Nevada. Fresno State already has two wins over Power 5 teams in Purdue and Arizona State.

Drake Maye (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)

Both of these teams got off to excellent starts to the season and had byes this past weekend. North Carolina is led by quarterback Drake Mayewho is a projected top 5 pick for the 2024 NFL Draft. With Maye and an improving defense, the Tar Heels have a strong chance to get back to the ACC Championship game for the second consecutive season.

As for Ohio State, it survived one of its toughest tests of the season at Notre Dame last month, but it still has several other tough games to get by. In October, the Buckeyes play a pair of undefeated teams in Maryland and Penn State. They then close out the year at Michigan once morest a team that has won back-to-back games over the Buckeyes.

(David Banks-USA TODAY Sports)

These two teams had very different games this past weekend. Penn State pulled away for an ugly win once morest a struggling Northwestern team, but not before the two teams were tied at the half. The Nittany Lions will look to get back to playing at a high level when they host Massachusetts on Saturday.

Alabama seems to be improving following a slow start to the season. Jalen Milroe is gaining confidence, and the defense is really playing well. The Crimson Tide blasted Mississippi State on Saturday. Alabama may be able to work itself back in the College Football Playoff picture, despite its early loss to Texas.

Dillon Gabriel (Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports)

The Washington offense continues to look like one of the best in the country, led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Huskies did get a little bit of a scare over the weekend at Arizona but were able to remain undefeated with a 31-24 win. Washington has a bye this weekend, before a huge showdown with Oregon.

Speaking of huge showdowns, Oklahoma has the Red River Rivalry this weekend, following blasting Iowa State on Saturday. If these two teams do it up playing, you can bet a lot of points will be scored. The Huskies and Sooners have two of the best offenses in the country.

Remaining college football bowl game projections

SATURDAY, Dec. 16
Bahamas Bowl: FIU vs. Eastern Michigan
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Liberty vs. Appalachian State
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Cure Bowl: Tulane vs. Marshall
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

New Mexico Bowl: San Diego State vs. UTSA
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

LA Bowl: Air Force vs. Utah
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: BYU vs. Colorado
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

MONDAY, Dec. 18
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Troy vs. Toledo
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

TUESDAY, Dec. 19
Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl: SMU vs. Texas State
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

THURSDAY, Dec. 21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: USF vs. Mississippi State
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

FRIDAY, Dec. 22
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. Ohio
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SATURDAY, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl: West Virginia vs. South Carolina
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App

Camellia Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. James Madison
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Army
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Wyoming
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

68 Ventures Bowl: Middle Tennessee State vs. Georgia Southern
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
7 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Iowa vs. UCLA
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl: Boise State vs. FAU
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

TUESDAY, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl: Michigan State vs. Miami (OH)
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Louisiana vs. Western Kentucky
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: TCU vs. Purdue
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27
Military Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Memphis
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Duke vs. Kentucky
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Holiday Bowl: Syracuse vs. Washington State
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox

TaxAct Texas Bowl: Kansas vs. Texas A&M
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

THURSDAY, Dec. 28

Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. Rice
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Illinois vs. Louisville
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Pop-Tarts Bowl: Our Lady vs. Baylor
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

Valero Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs. Oregon
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

FRIDAY, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: Miami (FL) vs. Tennessee
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: NC State vs. Oregon State
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS

AutoZone Liberty Bowl: UCF vs. Auburn
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App

SATURDAY, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Maryland vs. Missouri
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
2 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: UNLV vs. Central Michigan
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m.

MONDAY, Jan. 1
ReliaQuest Bowl: Clemson vs. LSU
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN2 and the ESPN App

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Be Miss
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App

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