FBS Football

Football Week 13 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 11/28/2021
 
By our count, there are 83 eligible bowl teams for 82 bowl spots. That almost works out nicely. Of course, the big news this week besides Alabama somehow beating Auburn, was Michigan handing it to Ohio State. That drops the Buckeyes out of the playoff picture and sends the Wolverines to the Big Ten Championship game. A win over Iowa and Michigan is in the playoffs. Georgia is in regardless, but Alabama will join them ...
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Football Week 12 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 11/21/2021
 
There are 82 teams that will go to bowl games this year, but we project 81 to be bowl eligible. Of course, there are lots of teams who are one win away, but many of those teams happen to play other 5-6 teams to close out the season. That makes for some very important games. While it is not the type of contest Florida and Florida State want to play at the end of their season, the extra practice for the bowl game does mean something. It may mean more for Rutgers and Maryland ...
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Football Week 11 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 11/14/2021
 
The playoff picture is getting clearer after Oklahoma lost. It seemed inevitable that the Sooners would eventually lose after so many close calls. But that should knock them out of the playoff picture. However, we are starting to run out of teams. Georgia is almost a lock as long as they only lose one game. Alabama will have to beat Georgia in the SEC title game and not lose on their way there. The Big Ten East will get a team in as long as that team can stay at one loss. ...
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Football Week 10 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 11/07/2021
 
Two more undefeated teams fell again this week. Michigan State was toppled by Purdue and Wake Forest lost at North Carolina. We still project Ohio State to win the Big Ten and reach the playoffs, so all these upsets have not changed our playoff projections. Baylor also picked up their second loss of the season, knocking them out of playoff contention. However, Michigan State and Wake Forest are not out of the equation just yet. The Spartans have a clearer path, albeit more ...
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Football Week 9 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 10/31/2021
 
All of the speculation ends this week as the College Football Playoff Committee releases their first rankings. One of the important things to watch for at this point is where the committee ranks one-loss teams. Who has the inside track to make the playoffs with one loss? Surely Alabama tops that list and Ohio State should not be too far behind, but where do teams like Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Baylor land? Teams towards the top of that list of teams with one ...
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Football Week 8 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 10/24/2021
 
The last two weeks have proven just how tough the Big Ten is this season. A week after Iowa lost to an unranked Purdue, Illinois went to Happy Valley and knocked off Penn State in a nine overtime not-so thriller. This week some of the bigger teams in the conference finally starting playing each other. Undefeated Michigan State hosts rival and fellow undefeated Michigan and Penn State travels to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes under the lights. As the Big Ten beats up on ...
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Football Week 7 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 10/17/2021
 
The playoff picture is getting very interesting. The Big Ten likely has lost their hopes of getting two teams into the playoffs with Iowa’s lackluster loss at home to Purdue. There is still a long, long way to go though and at this point it would be nearly impossible to leave out an undefeated Cincinnati team. The Bearcats have their toughest games remaining at home and will be favored all the way through the regular season. But perhaps the more interesting aspect is that of ...
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Football Week 6 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 10/10/2021
 
There was some movement at the top this week following Alabama’s defeat to Texas A&M. However, a one-loss Alabama could still make the playoffs and we project the Tide and Georgia to both still be in the playoffs. The other spots remain with Oklahoma and Iowa. The Sooners made a superb comeback in the Red River Rivalry behind back-up quarterback Caleb Williams. The Hawkeyes slipped past Penn State in a 23-20 thriller to take control of the Big Ten. Their defense should ...
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Football Week 5 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 10/03/2021
 
Last week we talked about Oklahoma losing out on a playoff spot, but instead it was Oregon who fell. That moves a Big Ten team into the playoffs. The best candidate in the Big Ten is Iowa, coming off a dominating win at Maryland. What makes Iowa the best option at this point is the fact that they are in the Big Ten West. The West is pretty bad and there may not be an offense in the division that can score more than a garbage time touchdown against the Hawkeyes. Of course ...
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Football Week 4 Bowl Projection Breakdown

CSM Staff
Sun, 09/26/2021
 
The four teams in the playoffs did not change this week, but once again Oklahoma looked quite susceptible. The Sooners hit the road this week for the first time all season to take on Kansas State. The Wildcats are coming off a loss at Oklahoma State, but if OU plays like they did against Nebraska and West Virginia, Kansas State could get the victory. That would likely leave a playoff spot open for a Big Ten team like Iowa or Penn State.