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Final B1G bowl projections: Michigan makes it official, but who joins the Wolverines in the CFP?
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Michigan has taken care of business against Iowa and will be part of the 4-team College Football Playoff. That, on a day filled to the brim with chaos and uncertainty, seems set in stone.
The Wolverines are now 13-0 on the year with wins over Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa in the Big Ten championship game. Because Alabama took care of business against Georgia, the Wolverines are likely to be the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming reveal, which is set for Sunday afternoon.
But who fills in behind the Wolverines? Well, Washington is a good bet for No. 2. The Huskies beat Oregon for the 2nd time this season on Friday, winning the Pac-12 with an undefeated 13-0 record.
After that it gets a little murky thanks to our ACC friends down in Tallahassee. Florida State won a tight one over Louisville in the ACC Championship game Saturday night, but the Seminoles still might not crack the field because of some unfortunate circumstances.
With Jordan Travis injured and the Seminoles struggling against Florida and Louisville in the wake of his injury, it’s hard to consider FSU a top 4 “best” team in the country. Because of this, there’s a real chance Texas and Alabama snag the final 2 spots behind Michigan and Washington.
The remainder of the projections are made with varying degrees of real reports. For example, Wisconsin is now projected to go to the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa due to the FSU/Alabama chaos from Saturday night. Penn State, Iowa, Maryland and Rutgers all each stay put from last week’s projections, with some opponent changes.
Here’s a look at how the projections play out with less than 24 hours until the selection show, which is set for Sunday at noon on ESPN.
Final 2023 Big Ten bowl projections
Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal): Michigan vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl (CFP semifinal): Texas vs. Washington
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Ole Miss
Peach Bowl: Penn State vs. Liberty
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU
Reliaquest Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
Music City Bowl: Northwestern vs. Auburn
Las Vegas Bowl: Maryland vs. Utah
Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs. Georgia Tech
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.