Bowl Projections 2020: Updated CFP Predictions for Week 12

Tuesday will mark the beginning of the one-week countdown until the first official College Football Playoff rankings are released. Until then, all the prognostication, projections and polls will be just that. 

But that doesn't stop anyone—including us—from throwing out potential scenarios, and there are many when it comes to the CFP and New Year's Six bowl. 

Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Clemson all have a fast-track to the playoff, but Texas A&M, Florida, BYU and Cincinnati are waiting in the wings if any member of that quartet  slips up.

Teams like Miami, Indiana, Oregon, and Wisconsin are on the periphery, but it's hard to see a scenario in which any of them jump into the top four, save for Indiana running the table and upsetting Ohio State. 

Instead, those teams, along with the Big 12 champion—Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, or Iowa State—will be competing for spots in the Cotton, Peach, Fiesta and Orange bowls.

Orange Bowl: Miami vs. Florida

Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

Is this the likeliest scenario? Who knows. But who doesn't love the idea of two bitter rivalry games at the end of the season?

Miami and Florida last played in 2019 (a 24-20 win for the Gators), but the series has only been played twice since 2004.

There's even some fun trophy controversy here, too. In 2010, two years after the Gators won the 2008 matchup, Florida's student government approved a resolution asking for the rivalry's trophy, the Seminole War Canoe, to be returned to its campus because the Gators won the most recent game in the series.

Miami's student government spokesperson said: "They won after the tradition ended, and the trophy was retired under our win."

It's now nearly a decade later, but with Dan Mullen at the helm of the Gators, there's always a chance for fireworks. 

In what could be an even more contentious game, the possible showdown between former Big 12 rivals Texas A&M and Oklahoma could be too good to pass up.

The Aggies left the Big 12 in 2011 in large part because it felt overshadowed by the Sooners, as well as in-state foe Texas.

Texas A&M hasn't had the kind of rousing SEC success it expected, and the Sooners have played in three consecutive College Football Playoffs in the past three years. The bad blood might not be there as deeply between coaches and players, but this would be a delight for fans. 

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. BYU

Peach Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Wisconsin

BYU and Cincinnati are the two highest-ranked Group of Five teams this year, and it seems unlikely either will lose again this season.

If that is the case, Cincinnati would take the conference's automatic bid into a New Year's Six bowl, and BYU would likely get an at-large bid over a potential two-loss Power Five team. 

For Oregon, there's no real resistance to a Pac-12 championship this year, as USC seems to be the only team that could pose a threat, and the Trojans haven't exactly been impressive.

Because of the pandemic-shortened schedule, the Ducks will play just six regular-season games and a potential conference title game, leaving a lot less room for error if they falter. 

Wisconsin has an inside track on the Big Ten West, and its showdown with Northwestern this weekend will effectively decide who faces Ohio State or Indiana in the championship game.

Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz was dominant in their first win over Illinois, but it was the power running game that led to a 49-11 blowout of Michigan on Saturday.

One potential issue still faces Wisconsin, though. To qualify for the Big Ten title game, a team must play six games. If the Badgers have another one canceled because of COVID-19-related issues, they might be out of luck. 

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Notre Dame

Disclaimer: If the Fighting Irish can again knock off Clemson in the ACC Championship, we'll be looking at a very different playoff picture. For now, though, we'll operate under the assumption that the Tigers—this time with Trevor Lawrence—will get revenge. 

That would present one of the more interesting matchups of contrasting styles we could see all season.

Alabama's high-powered offense has rolled over everyone it has played this season, and if the Irish couldn't stop the Lawrence-less Clemson offense, it's hard to imagine them slowing down Mac Jones and Co.

However, Notre Dame has one of the best rushing attacks in the country, and if it could play keep-away long enough for the game to be interesting. 

Rose Bowl: Clemson vs. Ohio State

On the other side of this theoretical "final four" would be a showdown between the likely top two quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL draft.

Ohio State's Justin Fields has lived in the shadow of Lawrence recently, and a matchup with a trip to the national championship game on the line would be a great place to make his case as the No. 1 overall pick. 

Neither team's defense has been particularly impressive—at least in comparison to previous years—so fans could be in for an epic shootout with two generational quarterbacks at the helm.

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.