Tuesday night’s release of the year’s first College Football Playoff rankings will reset the playoff race in the eyes of a broader audience, but the committee attempts to limit its evaluations to what each team has shown so far, leaving the chaos ahead in November to shape future rankings. For that reason, Alabama and Georgia may be higher in the committee’s first top four than either could expect to be after one takes a loss in the SEC championship game. This projected look at the bowl schedule, on the other hand, attempts to factor in those conference title games and final orders of finish ahead of time, which is why the Tide and Bulldogs bookend the playoff field despite similarly strong résumés, and why the Big Ten sits on the outside looking in despite a handful of teams who deserve playoff consideration.
Forecasting All 39 Bowl Matchups Ahead of the First College Football Playoff Rankings
