College football bowl projections after Week 1, including playoff and New Year’s Six matchups

The 2022 college football season is underway, with Week 1 seeing a few surprises and some tradition powers flexing their muscles in their typical way. Georgia made a statement with its rout of Oregon, Alabama did its usual thing and Ohio State answered its top-five challenge by getting past Notre Dame.

With one week in the books, ESPN college football reporters Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach present their bowl projections, including their analysis of the CFP picture and which teams helped and hurt their cause the most over the weekend.

All times Eastern

College Football Playoff

CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California)
Jan. 9, Time TBD, ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Alabama vs. Georgia
Schlabach: Alabama vs. Georgia

CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Schlabach: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
Dec. 31, 4 or 8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Ohio State vs. Georgia
Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Georgia

CFP breakdown

Bonagura: Considering how much talent Georgia lost from last year’s championship team, we had to allow for the possibility there would be some regression, but after watching the Bulldogs completely demolish Oregon — and former defensive coordinator Dan Lanning — in their opener, it’s hard to imagine how any team except Alabama could be favored against them. So, until there is a compelling reason to believe otherwise, I’m fully expecting an Alabama-Georgia national title rematch. Ohio State was my pick to play the Tide last week, but despite a double-digit win against No. 5 Notre Dame, it simply wasn’t a convincing performance.

Schlabach: Defending national champion Georgia and Alabama were dominant in blowouts of Oregon and Utah State. Both offenses are explosive and the Bulldogs’ rebuilt defense looked just as stout as the one that led them to their first national title in 41 years last season. Ohio State was in a good fight with Notre Dame, which is probably exactly what coach Ryan Day wanted in his team’s opener. The Buckeyes’ high-flying offense wasn’t hitting on all…