Adam Rittenberg, Senior Writer at ESPN
Welcome to Bowl Prediction Central, where we unveil the latest postseason picks for all 42 bowl matchups, including the College Football Playoff and the New Year’s Six. There’s no shortage of obstacles, with the transfer portal opening, coaching carousel spinning, and the shadow of the NFL draft looming over promising players. What’s important is that we’re here to provide predictions based on known information, personnel and coaching trends, game locations, motivation, and more.
Consider these straight up picks, not against the spread, and don’t put your life savings on them. The predictions from last year had some big misses but also some accurate score predictions. Now, let’s dive into this year’s matchups.
Time for the predictions, are you ready?
College Football Playoff & New Year’s Six Predictions:
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game:
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan
Prediction: Alabama 31, Michigan 23
CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl:
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington
Prediction: Washington 37, Texas 33
CFP National Championship:
Alabama vs. Washington
Prediction: Alabama 29, Washington 27
New Year’s Six Predictions:
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:
No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Prediction: Ohio State 33, Missouri 27
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:
No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Prediction: Penn State 30, Ole Miss 24
Capital One Orange Bowl:
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Prediction: Georgia 28, Florida State 17
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl:
No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon
Prediction: Oregon 43, Liberty 28
Stay tuned for an indulging six weeks of college football ending in a string of memorable matchups. If that doesn’t have you feeling festive, we’re not sure what will. Let’s get ready to bowl!
