College football bowl projections: LSU raises profile as Clemson, Oklahoma State, Oregon survive challenges

Three extra groups took their first losses of the season this week as Ole Miss, UCLA and Syracuse fell from the ranks of the unbeaten. Nevertheless, amongst them, solely the Orange now not management their very own path to a convention championship sport.

Six undefeated groups stay, all in Energy 5 conferences, together with two every within the Huge Ten and SEC. Meaning there generally is a most of 4 undefeated Energy 5 groups when the common season involves an finish. Probably the most undefeated main convention packages in a single season within the BCS/Faculty Soccer Playoff period is three, achieved twice in 2004 and 2018.

Not one of the groups within the Faculty Soccer Playoff or New 12 months’s Six projections misplaced this week, although there have been a few shut calls beginning with Clemson needing to storm again within the second half to take down Syracuse. The Tigers stay projected because the ACC champion and the third seed within the CFP.

Faculty Soccer Playoff

Oklahoma State scored the final 17 factors of its sport in opposition to Texas to choose up a key dwelling victory. The Cowboys at the moment sit second within the Huge 12 behind undefeated TCU, which upended Kansas State on Saturday night time.

Oregon handed UCLA its first lack of the season. The Geese are the final Pac-12 workforce that’s undefeated in league play; nonetheless, that season-opening blowout to top-ranked Georgia will make it troublesome for Oregon to get severe CFP consideration even when it wins out.

Cincinnati held on to beat SMU, surviving a 2-point conversion try and win 29-27 after getting into the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead. The Bearcats are simply considered one of three Group of 5 groups with just one loss this season. The opposite two are AAC mate Tulane and Coastal Carolina. The Inexperienced Wave go to the Bearcats on the final week of the common season in what may very well be a battle for dwelling discipline benefit within the convention title sport the next week.

New 12 months’s Six bowl video games

LSU outscored Mississippi 42-3 during the last three quarters to throttle the visiting Rebels, 45-20. The Tigers have moved as much as the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2 after the win and are actually projected to face North Carolina, which had a productive week off. The Tar Heels sat on their couches and watched Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Miami every lose, giving UNC a two-game lead within the ACC Coastal.

In the meantime, Texas A&M has virtually fallen out of the bowl projections totally following its loss to South Carolina. The Aggies are actually projected to the Birmingham Bowl in opposition to Georgia Southern. Texas A&M might want to win three extra video games to make sure bowl eligibility.

There are at the moment 27 bowl-eligible groups, which suggests we nonetheless want 55 extra. This week’s projection expects that three 5-7 groups shall be wanted to fill the bowls this season. These groups are Iowa State, Louisville and Michigan State.

Do not see your workforce? Try the remainder of Jerry Palm’s bowl projections after Week 8.