Big Ten bowl projections are back and there’s a lot to cover, so let’s not waste any time.

It’s a new year with new faces in the Big Ten, not to mention an entirely new postseason format that will see 12 teams fighting for the honor of claiming the College Football National Championship trophy in early January.

Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA have each played their first conference games since transferring in from the Pac-12. The Trojans and Ducks are doing quite well for themselves 5 weeks into the season while Washington and UCLA sit near the bottom of the conference.

That said, UCLA, Washington, Minnesota, Purdue and Northwestern are all going to have really tough times cracking a bowl this season without an upset (or 2 in some cases). All of them will be left out of the projections for now.

Maryland, Michigan State and even Nebraska are on the edge, though I count Nebraska as safer than the other 2.

The Terrapins should get one more win with Northwestern coming up next week, but then they’d need 2 wins out of the following as well: Iowa, Minnesota, Rutgers. USC, Oregon and Penn State are chalked up as losses for the Terps at the moment, but college football is famously unpredictable so they could find their way back into the thick of things.

Michigan State is in better shape because of their win over Maryland earlier in the season. They need 3 wins in their final 7 games, and they play 4 ranked teams before the year is up. The Spartans best shot is beating all 3 of Rutgers, Purdue and Iowa – definitely within the realm of possibility. I’ve got them in at the moment, but just barely.

As for the CFP, it’s looking like Ohio State and Penn State are in great shape. I’d wager 1 more Big Ten team will find its way in with how well the SEC is playing right now, which leaves a battle between Oregon and Michigan. In case you were wondering , the Ducks and Wolverines face off on Nov. 2 from Ann Arbor.

Let’s dive in to the full projections, starting with the 12-team CFP field.

College Football Playoff

Quarterfinal/Byes

Sugar Bowl: Texas vs. 8/9 winner

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. 7/10 winner

Peach Bowl: Miami vs. 5/12 winner

Fiesta Bowl: Kansas State vs. 6/11 winner

First Round

From Tuscaloosa, Alabama: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 UNLV

From Clemson, South Carolina: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Penn State

From Knoxville, Tennessee: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Oregon

From Athens, Georgia: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Missouri

The Remaining Big Ten Bowl Projections

Alamo Bowl: USC vs. Iowa State

Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Michigan

Reliaquest Bowl: Indiana vs. Ole Miss

Music City Bowl: Illinois vs. Texas A&M

Las Vegas Bowl: Nebraska vs. Arizona

Gator Bowl: Rutgers vs. Oklahoma

Pinstripe Bowl: Michigan State vs. Pitt