College Football Bowl Projections 2023: Michigan to face Florida State in the Sugar Bowl

The College Football Bowl season is upon us, as the College Football Playoff rankings are going to be coming out at noon Eastern. However, there are a lot more than just the top four teams to discuss, as there are nearly 35 bowl games to discuss. Let's take a closer look at every single bowl game.

New Year's College Football Bowl Projections

The New Year's Six bowl games are going to be interesting, as there are a few teams that deserve to make the College Football Playoff. Let's take a look at all six games and discuss why they deserve to be in the games that they are in.

Sugar Bowl Projections

#1 Michigan vs. #4 Florida State

The Michigan Wolverines ran the table and with their impressive win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Conference Championship Game, they deserve to be considered the top team in the nation.

They have completely dominated on both sides of the field. With JJ McCarthy, Blake Corum, an incredible defense and coach Jim Harbaugh, this team is going to be tough to argue with in any other position.

The Florida State Seminoles are one of the few teams on which people are arguing about their position. However, in the history of the College Football Playoff, no Power Five team has missed the CFP after having an undefeated season and winning their respective conference championship.

Even without Jordan Travis leading the offense, they were able to win against the Louisville Cardinals and still have an outstanding team. Expect them to make the fourth team in the college football playoff.

Rose Bowl Projections

#2 Washington vs. #3 Texas

The Washington Huskies jump up a spot from last week's College Football Playoff rankings with their second win over the Oregon Ducks this season, this time in the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game.

An undefeated season deserves to be recognized and Michael Penix Jr. has proven to be arguably the best quarterback in the entire sport. Running the table in the Pac-12 was difficult with the number of quality teams but they found a way and did just that.

Washington St Washington Football

The Texas Longhorns won the Big 12 Conference Championship over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. They get in over Georgia and Alabama due to defeating the SEC Champions during the regular season. While it is difficult to imagine a CFP without an SEC team, this Longhorns program has proven to be better.

Even with the injury to Jonathon Brooks and surviving the Quinn Ewers injury, this team has been able to win consistently and dominate. Steve Sarkisian's program has proven to be one of the elite teams and should get the third spot in the rankings.

Cotton Bowl Projections

Oregon vs. Penn State

The Oregon Ducks had two losses to the Washington Huskies and missed the College Football Playoffs but they still deserve to get a New Year's Six bowl berth. Bo Nix has been one of the top Heisman Trophy favorites, as the program is second in passing yards per game (342.8) and points per game (44.2).

Their defense has been no slouch either, as they are 11th with just 17.3 points per game. With Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin putting up 1,000+-yard seasons as well, it is hard to keep the Ducks out of the conversation.

2023 Pac-12 Championship - Oregon v Washington

The Penn State Nittany Lions have been playing well, as they also ended the year with two losses despite not making a conference championship game. Their two losses were against Ohio State and Michigan so it's difficult to fault them as both were single-digit differences.

Drew Allar looked good under center but the team was putting up points as they are 12th in college football with 37.2 points per game. Their defense was one of the best, and their 11.4 points allowed per game rank third in the sport.

Fiesta Bowl Projections

Liberty vs. Missouri

The Liberty Flames is the only Group of Five team to make the New Year's Six bowl game after winning the Conference USA Championship and improving to 13-0.

They were fifth in the country with points (40.8) and best in the sport with rushing yards (302.9) so they have one of the best programs to move the ball and step up. With Kaidon Salter and Quinton Cooley leading the way, they are going to be a tough team to beat and are going under the radar as a Group of Five program.

Conference USA Championship Football

The Missouri Tigers were 10-2 and did not make the conference championship game in the SEC but they had an amazing season. They played well behind a strong offense that was tied for 24th with 34.1 points per game and held the opposition to 22.3 points per game.

With Brady Cook under center and having one of the leading rushers in Cody Schrader with almost 1,500 rushing yards, this offense is hard to slow down as well. This would be an outstanding game between two elite backfields.

Peach Bowl Projections

Georgia vs. Ohio State

The Georgia Bulldogs losing the SEC Championship Game after being considered the top-ranked program is going to drop them out of the College Football Playoff.

It's difficult to drop that many spots but it is difficult to put them in the top four with a weak schedule.

SEC Championship Football

Bulldogs not making the CFP means zero SEC teams but there were four teams more worthy than them to make it so it will be interesting to see how Kirby Smart and the team react to that, as they believe they still should be in the College Football Playoff, but there is no path.

The Ohio State Buckeyes entered the conference championship week without a game as they did not make the Big Ten Championship Game. They can't move up when teams behind them played and won so they will be sitting in a New Year's Six bowl game.

With Ryan Day on the hot seat for missing the CFP, it will be interesting to see if he jumps ship during the offseason. With a lot of offensive stars potentially sitting out this game and one of the best defenses in the nation, this will be a great low-scoring game.

Orange Bowl Projections

Alabama vs. Louisville

The Alabama Crimson Tide had a rocky start to the season but ended up dethroning the Georgia Bulldogs to claim the SEC Championship.

While that is impressive in itself, with three undefeated conference champions and a conference champion that defeated the Crimson Tide, they miss out on the College Football Playoff once again.

SEC Championship Football

This is a great landing spot as this is a New Year's Six bowl game for Alabama after looking completely lost before conference play even began.

With the ACC contracted to the Orange Bowl and the Florida State Seminoles making the College Football Playoff, the Louisville Cardinal should make this.

They were able to exceed all expectations from the preseason and be the second-best team in the conference and they should be rewarded for their incredible overachieving.

With the offense scoring 30.9 points per game and only losing three games over the course of the regular season, this feels like a great landing spot for them.

Remaining College Football Bowl Projections

Famous Toastery Bowl

Air Force vs. SMU

New Orleans Bowl

Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana

Celebration Bowl

Virginia Tech vs. Howard

Cure Bowl

UNLV vs. Syracuse

New Mexico Bowl

Kansas State vs. North Carolina

LA Bowl

Appalachian State vs. Texas Tech

Independence Bowl

Utah vs. USF

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Ohio vs. Rutgers

Frisco Bowl

Georgia Tech vs. California

Boca Raton Bowl

Oklahoma State vs. South Alabama

Gasparilla Bowl

Ole Miss vs. Florida A&M

Birmingham Bowl

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin

Camellia Bowl

Northern Illinois vs. Old Dominion

Armed Forces Bowl

NC State vs. LSU

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Rice vs. USC

68 Ventures Bowl

Oklahoma vs. Tulane

Las Vegas Bowl

Western Kentucky vs. UCLA

Hawaii Bowl

San Jose State vs. Coastal Carolina

Quick Lane Bowl

Toledo vs. Minnesota

First Responder Bowl

Clemson vs. Boston College

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Arkansas State vs. Duke

Military Bowl

Bowling Green vs. Miami (OH)

Duke's Mayo Bowl

Georgia State vs. Texas State

Texas Bowl

Eastern Michigan vs. Kentucky

Fenway Bowl

UCF vs. Northwestern

Pinstripe Bowl

Troy vs. Memphis

Pop-Tarts Bowl

James Madison vs. Utah State

Alamo Bowl

Maryland vs. Oregon State

Gator Bowl

West Virginia vs. Auburn

Sun Bowl

New Mexico State vs. Iowa

Liberty Bowl

Iowa State vs. Tennessee

Music City Bowl

Kansas vs. Fresno State

Arizona Bowl

Marshall vs. Texas A&M

Reliaquest Bowl

Boise State vs. UTSA

Citrus Bowl

Arizona vs. Wyoming

Holiday Bowl

Georgia Southern vs. Miami