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With the regular season now concluded, we are now onto bowl season. Not including the national championship game, there will be 41 total bowl games played, starting on Dec. 16. The most coveted out of these games are the ones set for the best teams in the country, which become aptly known as the New Year's Six, including the Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl, along with the College Football Playoff semifinals games in the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
Here, we make our New Year's Six bowl game predictions.
Cotton Bowl: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Friday, Dec. 29
To start off the New Year's six bowls, we begin with the Cotton Bowl. Eli Drinkwitz's Missouri football team has been a bit of a surprise this season, finishing as a top-10 team. This will be their first appearance back in the Cotton Bowl since 2014, where they beat Oklahoma State. They've won their last two bowl games, making two straight.
In Dallas, TX, playing a few days before the playoff begins is not where Ryan Day and Ohio State thought they would be. Nevertheless, the one-loss Buckeyes will once again find themselves in a New Year's six bowl, just not the one they were wanting.
It's hard to say what Ohio State football will look like by the time this game kicks off as there's already been some notable transfer portal moves, including starting quarterback Kyle McCord entering. That leaves the question: How motivated will this team actually be?
It wouldn't be shocking to see a much more motivated Missouri team upset Ohio State.
Prediction: Missouri 24, Ohio State 20
Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Saturday, Dec. 30
Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels find themselves back in a New Year's six bowl after two seasons. It was the best year that Kiffin has had in Oxford, going 10-2. Kiffin will be hoping to break a two-game bowl losing skid; however, he faces a tough Penn State defense.
Winners of last year's Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions once again find themselves playing in a New Year's six bowl, as yet a bridesmaid and not a bride, still unable to attain a playoff spot.
Penn State will be without their new offensive coordinator they just hired, so how will this offense compete against a less-than-stellar Rebels defense? This could be a low-scoring game, with Ole Miss pulling out a close one.
Prediction: Ole Miss 20, Penn State 19
Orange Bowl: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Saturday, Dec. 30
These teams have been looking to face each other for the last month or so, when Georgia was the No. 1 team in the country and Florida State was No. 4. Well, they're facing each other, just not in the College Football Playoff, with both on the outside looking in now.
Similar to Ohio State, the question is just how motivated will these teams actually be? But then again, they both may have something to prove, especially Florida State.
Georgia was found to struggle at times offensively against Alabama's defense in the SEC Championship Game, and now they'll be facing one of the better defenses in the country in Florida State. The Bulldogs are still extremely talented, particularly at quarterback, while the Seminoles will more than likely be left with Tate Rodemaker starting. Georgia wins.
Prediction: Georgia 38, Florida State 10
Fiesta Bowl: No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon
Monday, Jan. 1
Liberty will be the Group-of-Five team this year, finishing their season with their first-ever FBS conference title, winning the Conference USA Championship. Their reward is that they get to face a likely upset Oregon team who was upset against Washington for a second time this season in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The question for Oregon will be if Heisman candidate Bo Nix will play in the Fiesta Bowl or not. Exhausting his last year of eligibility, he'll finally be moving onto the NFL where he's likely to be a first-round pick.
These bowl games can always be tricky, with one team looking to make a point while the other wants no part of being there. Still, this more than likely goes the Ducks' way.
Prediction: Oregon 43, Liberty 24
Rose Bowl: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan
Monday, Jan. 1
We took a much more expansive look into specifically the College Football Playoff games in a previous article. Having it be Michigan and Alabama in the Rose Bowl setting, this feels about as big as it can get. Michigan hasn't fared well in their last two CFP trips, though, and I doubt they do in this one either.
Prediction: Alabama 29, Michigan 20
Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington
Monday, Jan. 1
Washington has been the underdog many times before this season, and yet here they are, still undefeated. They're one of the best-coached teams in the country under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer. Unlike most years, though, this Texas team feels different under Steve Sarkisian. Texas makes it a rematch with Alabama in the national championship.
Prediction: Texas 38, Washington 35
