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B1G Bowl Projections after Week 9: Oregon secures first-round bye, Indiana inches ever closer to CFP
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The College Football Playoff is now officially under an Indiana Watch. This could develop into a full-blown Indiana Warning on November 23 when the Hoosiers take on Ohio State.
Indiana just continues to impress. Even without Kurtis Rourke, Curt Cignetti’s squad looked excellent against a Washington team that should crack a bowl this season. On top of that, Ohio State looked mortal against Nebraska, which was just pulverized by the Hoosiers in Week 8. With that, I’m going to type something I never thought I would: Indiana has a very real chance to finish the regular season undefeated with a win over Ohio State.
Speaking of Ohio State, it’s no longer projected to be the B1G representative in the top 4. That honor now goes to Oregon, which decimated No. 20 Illinois in Eugene. With Penn State still on the docket for OSU, a B1G Championship appearance is far from guaranteed.
Notre Dame is in the Field of 12 now, too. Its win over Navy, combined with LSU’s poor showing against Texas A&M and the fact that the Irish downed the Aggies earlier this year should tell you all you need to know. Projections are all about odds, and the Irish trump LSU, Tennessee and Indiana in that department for now.
On to the remainder of the projections, which are a little easier to navigate after a few results of interest in Week 9. Perhaps the most impactful win was Minnesota downing Maryland to put itself just 1 win away from eligibility with a few conceivable wins still on the schedule. Maryland, on the other hand, would need a minor miracle to reach 6 wins with their remaining schedule.
The matchup to watch moving forward is USC at Washington this coming weekend. Both teams sit at 4 wins on the season and while a win is not absolutely necessary, it would greatly increase the winner’s odds of reaching the 6-win mark.
Until next week, college football.
College Football Playoff
Sugar Bowl: Oregon vs. 8/9 winner
Rose Bowl: Georgia vs. 7/10 winner
Peach Bowl: Miami vs. 6/11 winner
Fiesta Bowl: BYU vs. 5/12 winner
First Round
From Columbus, Ohio: No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
From College Station, Texas: No. 6 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Iowa State
From State College, Pennsylvania: No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Notre Dame
From Austin, Texas: No. 8 Texas vs. No. 9 Clemson
The Rest
Citrus Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee
Mayo Bowl: Illinois vs. Louisville
ReliaQuest Bowl: Nebraska vs. Alabama
Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU
Alamo Bowl: Michigan vs. Kansas State
Pinstripe Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Syracuse
Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Pitt
Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. Baylor
Sun Bowl: USC vs. Virginia Tech
Detroit Bowl: Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.