Bowl Projection Round-Up, Week 7
Mark Schlabach (ESPN): Georgia vs. Wisconsin
Brett McMurphy (ESPN): Ole Miss vs. Wisconsin
ESPN Big Ten & SEC Blog: Georgia vs. Nebraska
Jerry Palm (CBSSports): Texas A&M vs. Ohio State
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Alabama vs. Ohio State
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): Georgia vs. Ohio State
Phil Steele: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
Though last week saw five of the top eight teams suffer an upset (eight teams total in the top 25), the projections for which teams might make an appearance in Orlando on New Year’s Day did not change significantly. Ohio State and Wisconsin are still favorites among Big Ten selections and Georgia has the most projections among SEC teams with three.
After its week two loss to Virginia Tech, Ohio State is back on track and freshman quarterback J.T. Garrett is starting to look more comfortable in his starting position. The Buckeyes record stands at 4-1, 1-0 and according to this week’s bowl projections they could face tough SEC teams like Texas A&M, Alabama or Georgia if selected to play in Orlando. Wisconsin was upset by Big Ten opponent Northwestern last Saturday and fell to 3-1, 0-1 on the season – as of this week, the Badgers have fallen from the AP Top 25 rankings.
One media member is projecting Nebraska to face Georgia in Orlando – it would be the second time since 2013. The ESPN Big Ten Blog stuck with its pick from last week despite the Cornhuskers falling to Michigan State 27-22.
Georgia now has three picks among college football experts following a 44-17 win against Vanderbilt. Texas A&M suffered its first loss of the season to Mississippi State, scoring its lowest point total of the season with 31. The Aggies now have two media members predicting them to make a trip to the new stadium in Orlando.
Both Alabama and Ole Miss have a single projection for New Year’s Day in Orlando. Bill Bender has the Crimson Tide facing off against Ohio State. The two schools have not played each other since 1994 and of the three games they have played only one has been in the regular season. Alabama has won all the matchups in this series by at least a touchdown.
Ole Miss, who upset Alabama on Saturday, is projected to face Wisconsin. The Rebels remain undefeated after beating the Crimson Tide and continue their tough conference schedule in week seven against Texas A&M.