The second half of August is now upon us, which means the college football season isn't far behind. The preseason rankings are all out, and so-called “Week 0” games are just over a week away. After months of conference realignment talks dominating headlines, we're finally at a point where we can start talking about the games themselves and thinking ahead to the New Year's Six bowl games.
While there's still an entire season to go before these bowl games, it's always fun to predict these matchups far in advance. This season in particular is also shaping up to be very special for bowl games. With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2024, the 2023 season is the last of the current CFP format and the New Year's Six.
Ahead of this special season, let's try predicting the New Year's Six bowl games for this season.
Cotton Bowl: LSU vs. Texas
The first New Year's Six bowl on the docket this season is the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, taking place at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 29. To kick off the NY6 slate, we have an exciting matchup between two storied programs in the LSU Tigers and Texas Longhorns.
LSU had a strong first season under Brian Kelly, finishing 10-4 with a monumental win over Alabama. The Tigers have even greater goals in mind this season, with sights set on the CFP. With how cut-throat the SEC is looking and a difficult season-opening matchup against Florida State, it will be a difficult task to make it to that point.
Meanwhile, Texas is coming off an 8-5 campaign but has much higher expectations this season. The Longhorns have an exceptionally talented roster and appear to be the favorite in a wide-open Big 12. Winning the conference would automatically put them into a NY6 game, but making the CFP seems a bit more far-fetched.
While the Cotton Bowl officially has no conference tie-ins, it will likely feature an SEC-Big 12 matchup due to the Sugar Bowl, which usually partners with those conferences, being a semifinal game this year. Due to this, we expect a fun matchup between two of the biggest brands in the land.
Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson
This prediction for the Peach Bowl, taking place on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, features a very familiar matchup. Alabama and Clemson have met four times in the last decade, with each meeting coming in the CFP. While this matchup doesn't feature the same championship implications, it would no doubt be an intense affair.
Alabama had a down season for its standards in 2022, and even then it finished 11-2 with a Sugar Bowl victory. The Crimson Tide have some major questions this season, specifically regarding their quarterbacks and coordinators, but Nick Saban's team will undoubtedly be a threat once again. While we may not have the Tide making the CFP right now, we wouldn't be surprised to be proven wrong.
Similarly, Clemson finished 11-3 last season and made the Orange Bowl, but that's still a disappointing season by their lofty standards. The Tigers should be in contention once again this season, especially with offensive guru Garrett Riley now leading the unit. However, a tougher ACC and other teams simply looking stronger make a return to the CFP difficult.
As a quick note, we do believe that Alabama will finish as the highest-ranked SEC team not in the CFP, which would normally place the Tide in the Sugar Bowl (or Cotton Bowl in this case, as explained earlier). However, we're placing the Tide in the Peach Bowl instead to avoid a rematch with Texas, as they already play in Week 2.
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Penn State
Next up is the Orange Bowl, taking place on Dec. 30 at Hard Rock Stadium. This projected matchup is another between two storied programs, this time Florida State and Penn State.
Florida State closed last season on a six-game winning streak and brought back most of their key players. Expectations have soared for the Seminoles as a result, and many are predicting them to win the ACC. Penn State, on the other hand, finished 11-2 and won the Rose Bowl last season, with their only two losses coming to two playoff teams in Michigan and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions look like a better team this season and could make a run to the CFP, but we'll go with the more conservative prediction.
The Orange Bowl features the ACC champ against a team from the SEC, Big Ten or Notre Dame. This means that Alabama could fit in Penn State's place, but we're not going that route for one simple reason: the last time a Big Ten team played in the Orange Bowl was 2017, not counting semifinal games, and only two teams from the conference have played in it during the CFP era. With each conference getting a minimum of three appearances in the Orange Bowl and the changing playoff structure next season, it seems more appropriate to place a Big Ten team here this year.
Fiesta Bowl: Washington vs. Tulane
The Fiesta Bowl, taking place on New Year's Day at State Farm Stadium, is our pick for the game that features the highest-ranked Group of Five team this year. In this case, Tulane makes a return trip to the NY6 to face another Pac-12 team, this time Washington. These two teams have only met once, which came back in the 1987 Independence Bowl.
Tulane had a remarkable turnaround in 2022. After winning just two games the year before, the Green Wave went 12-2 and beat USC in the Cotton Bowl to cap off a historic year. Washington, on the other hand, has big goals after an 11-2 campaign and with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returning. The Huskies will undoubtedly be a contender in the last year of the Pac-12, and could even push for a playoff spot.
Rose Bowl (Semifinal): Michigan vs. USC
Unfortunately for college football traditionalists, the Rose Bowl as we've come to know it is essentially dead. Not only is it a national semifinal this year, but it will permanently become part of the expanded playoff next year. Combine that with the Pac-12's impending collapse, and the East vs. West matchup we've come to know and love is a thing of the past.
While that is unfortunate, there's no better way to say goodbye to this era than a matchup featuring the two teams with the most Rose Bowl appearances ever. Not only that, but Michigan and USC have met eight times in the Rose Bowl, being the game's most common matchup.
Michigan has made two straight CFP appearances but lost in the semifinals both times. However, this season may be the Wolverines' best chance at a title with the amount of production they return. On the other hand, USC nearly made the CFP in Year 1 under Lincoln Riley, but ended its season with a thud with losses in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Cotton Bowl. With Heisman winner Caleb Williams returning and a rebuilt defense, the Trojans are poised to make another push for the title.
Sugar Bowl (Semifinal): Georgia vs. Ohio State
The Sugar Bowl, taking place on New Year's Day at Ceasar's Superdome, features the rematch every college football fan wants to see. Georgia and Ohio State met in last year's semifinal at the Peach Bowl, with the Bulldogs prevailing 42-41 in an instant classic. In another matchup with championship implications, it should be another fireworks show.
Even with Georgia losing another batch of players to the NFL, the Bulldogs remain title favorites heading into this year. With how dominant their recruiting has been, it's not hard to see why they're still the favorite. Ohio State may have to replace star quarterback C.J. Stroud, but the roster is still insanely talented. The Buckeyes are essentially always in the title chase, and this season is no different.
National Championship: Georgia vs. Michigan
Georgia and Michigan are the top two teams in most preseason rankings, and for good reason. They finished the regular season at No. 1 and No. 2 last year, they both return plenty of production and simply look like the two best teams right now.
That said, there's still an entire season to play before we actually get to this point, so these predictions are still very early. That's the beauty of college football, though.
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