With the college football season at the midway point, the bowl picture is beginning to take shape.
In the upper tier, Washington emerged from its showdown with Oregon as the only undefeated team in the Pac-12, as the Huskies got some help from Notre Dame, which knocked off Caleb Williams and USC.
Elsewhere, things held largely to form among the top teams, with Florida State and North Carolina taking care of business in the ACC, the Big Ten powers rolling over subpar foes, and Georgia and Alabama hanging on in the SEC.
How did Week 7's results impact the bowl matchups? Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are here to sort it out, making their projections for all 43 games, plus their takes on the College Football Playoff picture, teams that helped their cause this weekend 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. Florida State
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Florida State
CFP breakdown
Bonagura: There were no major reasons to adjust the top four this week, as the key players all held serve. Georgia won comfortably against Vanderbilt; Washington picked up a key win against Oregon; Michigan kept rolling against Indiana; and Florida State routed Syracuse.
There are compelling arguments to be made for Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State and perhaps even North Carolina, but such is the case when there are more undefeated teams than slots available. With USC and Oregon suffering their first losses of the year, the list got whittled down -- something that will happen again next week with Penn State visiting Ohio State.
Schlabach: The top four teams remain unchanged after each won this past weekend. Two-time defending national champion Georgia didn't look great in a 37-20 win at Vanderbilt. Worse, the Bulldogs lost star tight end Brock Bowers to a left ankle injury. Coach Kirby Smart said X-rays were negative and he wouldn't know more until Bowers has an MRI. The good news: Georgia has an open date before playing rival Florida on Oct. 28.
Michigan continued to roll with a 52-7 rout of Indiana. The Wolverines are surrendering just 6.7 points per game; they're the first FBS team to allow 10 points or fewer in their first seven games since Clemson in 1981. Michigan will be big favorites in its next two games, at Michigan State and home against Purdue, before facing the meat of its schedule in November.
Washington is my No. 3 team after surviving a 36-33 win against Oregon. The Huskies still play USC (road), Utah (home), Oregon State (road) and Washington State (home) in the Apple Cup. Florida State, at No. 4, is 6-0 for the first time in eight years after blasting Syracuse 41-3 on Saturday. Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State were also considered for the CFP.
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: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: Penn State vs. Texas
Saturday, Dec. 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Texas vs. Air Force
Schlabach: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
4 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Schlabach: North Carolina vs. Ohio State
Monday, Jan. 1
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
1 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Oregon vs. Penn State
Schlabach: Oregon vs. Air Force
Favorite matchups
Bonagura: This one has been staring me in the face for several weeks, but Washington and Michigan in the Rose Bowl -- a traditional Pac-12 vs. Big Ten game -- would be a fitting way to mark the end of an era for what has been the most important annual event in college sports for more than a century. The Rose Bowl was destined to evolve with playoff expansion on the horizon anyway, but the Pac-12's collapse stamped an end date on the game as we've known it for the end of the season. Pitting one of the nation's best offenses (Washington) against one of the best defenses (Michigan) would be an intriguing send-off.
Schlabach: Penn State and Texas have had their share of disappointments lately, but both teams look to be resurgent this season. A Cotton Bowl matchup would feature two of the sport's blue bloods, who remarkably haven't played each other since the Nittany Lions' 38-15 victory in the 1997 Fiesta Bowl. It would be a good matchup of quarterbacks, too.
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. New Mexico State
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. Rice
Schlabach: Louisiana Tech vs. Troy
Cure Bowl
FBC Mortgage Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Coastal Carolina vs. Central Michigan
Schlabach: Appalachian State vs. South Florida
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Tulsa vs. Troy
Schlabach: Colorado vs. Fresno State
LA Bowl
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Arizona vs. Wyoming
Schlabach: Utah vs. Wyoming
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium (Shreveport, Louisiana)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: BYU vs. Washington State
Schlabach: Texas Tech vs. Arizona
Monday, Dec. 18
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Brooks Stadium (Conway, South Carolina)
2:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama
Schlabach: Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Texas State vs. UTSA
Schlabach: Houston vs. Navy
Thursday, Dec. 21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Florida Atlantic vs. Georgia Southern
Schlabach: UTSA 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: Auburn vs. Liberty
Schlabach: Army vs. Georgia Tech
Saturday, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl
Protective Stadium (Birmingham, Alabama)
Noon, ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Mississippi State vs. Georgia State
Schlabach: Auburn vs. Tulane
Camellia Bowl
Cramton Bowl (Montgomery, Alabama)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Louisiana vs. Northern Illinois
Schlabach: Louisiana 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: TCU vs. Georgia Tech
Schlabach: TCU vs. Texas State
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Albertsons Stadium (Boise, Idaho)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Miami (Ohio) vs. Utah State
Schlabach: Buffalo vs. Utah State
68 Ventures Bowl
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, Alabama)
7 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Marshall vs. San Diego State
Schlabach: Marshall vs. Toledo
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
7:30 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Rutgers vs. USC
Schlabach: Wisconsin vs. UCLA
EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
10:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: SMU vs. UNLV
Schlabach: Florida Atlantic vs. UNLV
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Ford Field (Detroit)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Minnesota vs. Bowling Green
Schlabach: Nebraska vs. Ohio
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Gerald J. Ford Stadium (Dallas)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: UCF vs. Fresno State
Schlabach: BYU vs. New Mexico State
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Chase Field (Phoenix)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Iowa State
Schlabach: Minnesota vs. Iowa State
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Military Bowl
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Maryland)
2 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: NC State vs. Tulane
Schlabach: Boston College vs. Memphis
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
5:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Clemson vs. Kentucky
Schlabach: Clemson vs. Florida
Holiday Bowl
Petco Park (San Diego)
8 p.m., Fox
Bonagura: Duke vs. Utah
Schlabach: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State
TaxAct Texas Bowl
NRG Stadium (Houston)
9 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kansas vs. Texas A&M
Schlabach: West Virginia vs. LSU
Teams that helped their cause this week
Bonagura: Washington came this close to losing at home against Oregon, but a late fourth-down stop and quick-strike response saved its undefeated record. Washington has looked like a playoff team all season, but it hadn't had the opportunity to play a top-tier team. The performance against Oregon wasn't the emphatic statement that might have made more believers, but it accomplished what was necessary for playoff purposes.
Schlabach: Notre Dame's season seemed to be slipping away after it picked up its second loss, falling to Louisville. But the Fighting Irish made a heck of a statement with a 48-20 rout of USC at home. The Irish picked off Caleb Williams three times and recovered two fumbles. The Notre Dame offense still didn't look great: It went 3-for-10 on third down and had only 126 passing yards. But it didn't have to be great thanks to the Irish defense. With games left against Pittsburgh, Clemson, Wake Forest and Stanford, a 10-2 record in the regular season isn't out of the question. That might be enough for Notre Dame to play in a New Year's Six bowl game.
Thursday, Dec. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Fenway Park (Boston)
11 a.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Virginia Tech vs. Memphis
Schlabach: Wake Forest vs. SMU
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (New York)
2:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Miami vs. Nebraska
Schlabach: NC State vs. Rutgers
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
5:45 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Louisville vs. West Virginia
Schlabach: Miami vs. Kansas
Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome (San Antonio)
9:15 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Kansas State vs. Oregon State
Schlabach: Kansas State vs. USC
Friday, Dec. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Florida)
Noon, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Notre Dame vs. Florida
Schlabach: Louisville vs. Texas A&M
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl Stadium (El Paso, Texas)
2 p.m., CBS
Bonagura: Syracuse vs. UCLA
Schlabach: Syracuse vs. Washington State
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (Memphis, Tennessee)
3:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Oklahoma State vs. Kentucky
Saturday, Dec. 30
TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
2 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Maryland vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: Maryland vs. Missouri
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Arizona)
4:30 p.m.
Bonagura: 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: Wisconsin vs. LSU
Schlabach: Duke vs. Ole Miss
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
1 p.m., ABC and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Iowa vs. Ole Miss
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Tennessee