Four weeks into the college football season, some things remain the same while others leave us just as confused as ever.
Florida State remains unbeaten with strong résumé wins over LSU and Clemson; Washington, Penn State and Texas continue to impress, and Ohio State posted arguably the best win of the weekend, emerging victorious at Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, Alabama might not be as done as folks seemed to think, Colorado was brought down to earth after getting thumped by Oregon, and we still don't know much about Georgia or Michigan, who haven't faced any real challenges yet.
With Week 4 in the books, Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are here to sort out the bowl picture, with projections for all 43 matchups, plus their takes on the College Football Playoff picture, teams that helped their cause this week and the game they'd be most excited to see.
All times Eastern
College Football Playoff
CFP National Championship presented by AT&T
NRG Stadium (Houston)
Monday, Jan. 8, 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Washington
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Michigan
CFP Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California)
Monday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Michigan vs. Washington
Schlabach: Michigan vs. Washington
CFP Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
Monday, Jan. 1, 8:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Texas
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Texas
CFP breakdown
Bonagura: We're starting to get to the point of the season where projections are less reliant on preseason expectations -- and all the factors that go into those -- and are based more on how a team has performed on the field. That's why Washington makes the leap into the top four. No team in the country has been as consistently dominant as the Huskies, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. putting up Heisman numbers before being pulled each week because the games have been so out of hand. The Huskies haven't faced murderers' row -- Boise State, Tulsa, Michigan State, Cal -- but who has? UW replaces USC from the loaded Pac-12 after the Trojans looked vulnerable against lowly Arizona State.
Until there's good reason to adjust, Georgia will remain at its earned perch at No. 1, leaving two more spots that figure to go to the Big Ten champion (Michigan/Ohio State/Penn State) and Big 12 (Texas/Oklahoma) or ACC champion (likely Florida State).
It's splitting hairs in the Big Ten, especially after Ohio State beat Notre Dame, but Michigan gets the nod for another week. Until this week, I had leaned toward Florida State/ACC over Texas/Big 12, but even though the Noles beat Clemson on Saturday, their performances over the past two weeks haven't screamed, "This is a playoff team." It was more like, "Yikes, that was almost a disaster." So with that, Texas gets the No. 4 slot this week after its comfortable win against Baylor, with its win against Alabama spelled out in bold and underlined atop its résumé.
Schlabach: There are two new teams in my playoff selections: Texas and Washington. You could honestly pick four out of about eight solid candidates right now, so there's going to be a lot that shakes out over the next couple of months.
I'm sticking with Georgia in the top spot. There's no question the two-time defending national champions are getting the benefit of the doubt. The Bulldogs made another handful of mistakes in a 49-21 victory over UAB on Saturday night. I just don't know who is going to beat Georgia during the regular season. I've got Michigan at No. 2 after its 31-7 rout of Rutgers. Washington moves into the No. 3 position after a 59-32 win over California, bumping USC out for now. And Texas is back in the top four after blasting Baylor 38-6 on the road.
Florida State falls out after its 31-24 overtime victory at Clemson. The Seminoles probably should have lost that game in regulation, but most championship teams have a close call or two, so there's not much reason for alarm in Tallahassee. Ohio State, USC, Penn State and Oregon were also strongly considered.
New Year's Six
Friday, Dec. 29
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Oklahoma vs. Oregon
Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Oregon
Saturday, Dec. 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Alabama vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: LSU vs. Penn State
Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
4 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Florida State vs. Ohio State
Schlabach: Florida State vs. Ohio State
Monday, Jan. 1
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
1 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: USC vs. Penn State
Schlabach: USC vs. Fresno State
Team that helped its cause
Bonagura: We'll see what the TV ratings were, but Oregon surely had a monster audience to see it completely demolish Colorado in every facet of the game. The Ducks' meeting with Washington on Oct. 14 should be one of the biggest games of the year.
Schlabach: Michigan and Ohio State aren't the only teams with realistic hopes of winning the Big Ten East. No. 7 Penn State made quite a statement in shutting out No. 24 Iowa 31-0 at home. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz's unit smothered Iowa's anemic offense, holding the Hawkeyes to 76 yards of offense. Iowa went 1-for-9 on third-down attempts and had as many turnovers (four) as first downs (four). Penn State sacked quarterback Cade McNamara three times. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar threw for 166 yards with four scores. Penn State plays at Northwestern on Saturday and hosts UMass two weeks later before getting a crack at the Buckeyes on the road Oct. 21.
Bowl season
Saturday, Dec. 16
Bahamas Bowl
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium (Nassau, Bahamas)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Toledo vs. Liberty
Schlabach: Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty
Cricket Celebration Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Florida A&M vs. North Carolina Central
Schlabach: Florida A&M vs. North Carolina Central
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State
Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. Marshall
Cure Bowl
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Coastal Carolina vs. Middle Tennessee State
Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. South Florida
New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Army vs. Utah State
Schlabach: Cal vs. Wyoming
LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Arizona vs. Air Force
Schlabach: UCLA vs. Air Force
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: BYU vs. Colorado
Schlabach: BYU vs. Arizona
Monday, Dec. 18
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Navy vs. San Diego State
Schlabach: Florida International vs. Georgia State
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Troy vs. UTSA
Schlabach: Western Kentucky vs. Tulsa
Thursday, Dec. 21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Rice vs. Appalachian State
Schlabach: Temple vs. Georgia Southern
Friday, Dec. 22
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Louisiana vs. Auburn
Schlabach: Army vs. Auburn
Saturday, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: South Carolina vs. Cal
Schlabach: South Carolina vs. Tulane
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: South Alabama vs. New Mexico State
Schlabach: Coastal Carolina vs. Central Michigan
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: San Diego State vs. Navy
Schlabach: West Virginia vs. North Texas
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Ohio vs. UNLV
Schlabach: Ball State vs. San Diego State
68 Ventures Bowl
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
7 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Texas State vs. South Florida
Schlabach: Louisiana vs. Toledo
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Rutgers vs. Utah
Schlabach: Wisconsin vs. Colorado
EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Tulane vs. Wyoming
Schlabach: Rice vs. UNLV
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia Southern vs. Central Michigan
Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Ohio
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Marshall vs. Arkansas
Schlabach: Cincinnati vs. Illinois
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Minnesota vs. Cincinnati
Schlabach: Minnesota vs. UCF
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Louisville vs. Memphis
Schlabach: Wake Forest vs. Memphis
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Kentucky
Schlabach: Louisville vs. Florida
Holiday Bowl
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox
Bonagura: Miami vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: Duke vs. Washington State
TaxAct Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: TCU vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: Kansas vs. Missouri
Favorite matchups
Bonagura: TCU vs. Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl would bring some welcomed Southwest Conference flavor to bowl season to conclude what would be disappointing seasons for both teams. They played regularly for seven decades until the SWC dissolved and have played just once (in the 2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl) since 1995.
Schlabach: Florida State-Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. It's hard to believe the Seminoles and Buckeyes, two of the most recognizable names in the sport, have played only three times. The Seminoles have won all three meetings, including a 31-14 victory over the Buckeyes in the 1998 Sugar Bowl. Florida State won two meetings in Columbus, Ohio, in 1981 and '82, when legendary Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden was willing to play anyone, anywhere while trying to build up his program.
Thursday, Dec. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: NC State vs. SMU
Schlabach: Georgia Tech vs. SMU
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Syracuse vs. Illinois
Schlabach: NC State vs. Rutgers
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Notre Dame vs. UCF
Schlabach: North Carolina vs. Kansas State
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kansas State vs. Washington State
Schlabach: Oklahoma vs. Utah
Friday, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Duke vs. Florida
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Texas A&M
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Bonagura: Clemson vs. UCLA
Schlabach: Syracuse vs. Oregon State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kansas vs. Missouri
Schlabach: TCU vs. Kentucky
Saturday, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
2 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Iowa vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: Maryland vs. Ole Miss
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m.
Bonagura: Miami (Ohio) vs. Boise State
Schlabach: Miami (Ohio) vs. Boise State
Monday, Jan. 1
ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN2 and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Maryland vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach: Miami vs. Tennessee
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Wisconsin vs. LSU
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Alabama