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Bowl Projections: Big Ten fills New Year's Six bowls after Week 9

Four Big Ten teams make the New Year's Six bowl games in SI's latest Bowl Projections, topped by Michigan in the College Football Playoff.

Although the College Football Playoff field remains the same, just about every other major bowl game gets a new matchup after Week 9. That’s hardly surprising given the number of pivotal outcomes the week produced, including the first loss of the season for four teams.

One of the biggest winners of the week is actually a loser. Nebraska slides up to the New Year’s Six bowls despite its defeat at Wisconsin, as the Cornhuskers capitalize on South Carolina’s upset of Tennessee to take the Volunteers’ spot in the Cotton Bowl. Oklahoma and Western Michigan also move in the New Year’s Six bowls this week, spurred by the losses of Baylor and West Virginia (for the Sooners) and Boise State (for the Broncos).

Before we get to the bowl projections, a reminder about how the college football postseason works. The playoff selection committee will choose the teams for the two playoff semifinals—the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl this year—and the four other marquee bowls that are part of the New Year’s Six. The highest ranked Group of Five conference champion must play in one of those six games, and other games, such as the Rose Bowl, have conference tie-ins.

The remaining bowl games are also governed by agreements with the 10 FBS conferences, though if a league doesn’t produce enough bowl-eligible teams to fulfill all of its tie-ins, that bowl can select another conference’s representative. In some cases, leagues will pool together their bowl tie-ins to create more flexibility. The Music City Bowl, for example, can choose either an ACC or Big Ten team to face an SEC opponent.

And lastly, just because a bowl may be designated to have a particular order of selection among a conference’s teams doesn’t mean it has to adhere exactly to the standings. The Alamo Bowl’s second choice among Pac-12 teams, for example, does not require it to choose the No. 2 available team from the Pac-12 standings or from the playoff committee’s rankings. Other factors, such as location, the matchup, the size of a school’s fan base and the willingness of that fan base to travel, can influence bowls’ decisions.

New Year's Six bowls

Bowl

Date

Location

Matchup

Pick

Peach (semifinal)

Dec. 31

Atlanta

TBD vs. TBD

Alabama vs. Washington

Fiesta (semifinal)

Dec. 31

Glendale, Ariz.

TBD vs. TBD

Michigan vs. Clemson

Orange

Dec. 30

Miami

ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC/ND

Louisville vs. Wisconsin

Cotton

Jan. 2

Arlington, Texas

TBD vs. TBD

Western Michigan vs. Nebraska

Rose

Jan. 2

Pasadena, Calif.

Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Ohio State vs. Utah

Sugar

Jan. 2

New Orleans

SEC vs. Big 12

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Michigan moves into the top three of Power Rankings after Week 9

bowl

date

location

matchup

pick

New Mexico

Dec. 17

Albuquerque, N.M.

C-USA vs. MW

Southern Miss vs. New Mexico

Las Vegas

Dec. 17

Las Vegas

MW vs. Pac-12

Boise State vs. Arizona State

Camellia

Dec. 17

Montgomery, Ala.

MAC vs. Sun Belt

Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama

Cure

Dec. 17

Orlando, Fla.

AAC vs. Sun Belt

UCF vs. Georgia Southern

New Orleans

Dec. 17

New Orleans

Sun Belt vs. C-USA

Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee

Miami Beach

Dec. 19

Miami

AAC vs. MAC

Tulsa vs. Central Michigan

Boca Raton

Dec. 20

Boca Raton, Fla.

AAC vs. C-USA

Memphis vs. Western Kentucky

Poinsettia

Dec. 21

San Diego

BYU vs. MW

BYU vs. San Diego State

Famous Idaho Potato

Dec. 22

Boise, Idaho

MAC vs. MW

Ohio vs. Wyoming

Bahamas

Dec. 23

Nassau, Bahamas

AAC vs. MAC

Cincinnati vs. Akron

Armed Forces

Dec. 23

Fort Worth, Texas

Big 12 vs. Navy

Texas Tech vs. Navy

Dollar General

Dec. 23

Mobile, Ala.

MAC vs. Sun Belt

Toledo vs. Troy

Hawaii

Dec. 24

Honolulu

C-USA vs. MW

Louisiana Tech vs. Air Force

St. Petersburg

Dec. 26

St. Petersburg, Fla.

ACC vs. AAC

Wake Forest vs. South Florida

Quick Lane

Dec. 26

Detroit

ACC vs. Big Ten

Georgia Tech vs. Arkansas State*

Independence

Dec. 26

Shreveport, La.

ACC vs. SEC

NC State vs. SMU*

Heart of Dallas

Dec. 27

Dallas

Big Ten vs. C-USA

TCU* vs. Old Dominion

Military

Dec. 27

Annapolis, Md.

ACC vs. AAC

Army* vs. Temple

Holiday

Dec. 27

San Diego

Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Northwestern vs. Washington State

Cactus

Dec. 27

Phoenix

Big 12 vs. Pac-12

Kansas State vs. Cal

Pinstripe

Dec. 28

New York

ACC vs. Big Ten

Miami vs. Maryland

Russell Athletic

Dec. 28

Orlando, Fla.

ACC vs. Big 12

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State

Foster Farms

Dec. 28

Santa Clara, Calif.

Big Ten vs. Pac-12

Indiana vs. USC

Texas

Dec. 28

Houston

Big 12 vs. SEC

Baylor vs. Kentucky

Birmingham

Dec. 29

Birmingham, Ala.

AAC vs. SEC

Houston vs. Georgia

Belk

Dec. 29

Charlotte, N.C.

ACC vs. SEC

North Carolina vs. Tennessee

Alamo

Dec. 29

San Antonio

Big 12 vs. Pac-12

West Virginia vs. Colorado

Arizona

Dec. 30

Tucson, Ariz.

MW vs. Sun Belt

Colorado State vs. Idaho

Liberty

Dec. 30

Memphis, Tenn.

Big 12 vs. SEC

Texas vs. Ole Miss

Sun

Dec. 30

El Paso, Texas

ACC vs. Pac-12

Pittsburgh vs. Stanford

Music City

Dec. 30

Nashville, Tenn.

ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC

Iowa vs. Arkansas

TaxSlayer

Dec. 31

Jacksonville, Fla.

ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC

Virginia Tech vs. LSU

Citrus

Dec. 31

Orlando, Fla.

Big Ten/ACC vs. SEC

Penn State vs. Auburn

Outback

Jan. 2

Tampa, Fla.

Big Ten vs. SEC

Minnesota vs. Florida

*Replacement team