College football Week 9 bowl projections: Ohio State vs. Alabama in title game (for now)

Bill Bender

College football Week 9 bowl projections: Ohio State vs. Alabama in title game (for now) image

Sporting News' Week 9 bowl projections are here, and for the first time this season it looks like Alabama-Clemson V is on hold.

We moved Ohio State into the College Football Playoff championship game against Alabama, which would be an incredible rematch from the 2015 Sugar Bowl. It's not a bad pick, considering their respective point differentials through seven games. Ohio State (plus-292) and Alabama (plus-225) have the best marks in that statistic among the eight remaining unbeatens in the Power 5. Of course, Tua Tagovailoa's health will be a major factor over the next few weeks.

Clemson and Oklahoma are the other two semifinalists, and Penn State, Virginia and SMU moved into our New Year's Day 6 projections this week. Wisconsin, North Carolina and Boise State dropped out.

MORE: Week 9 Playoff picture

The 2019 college postseason schedule features 40 bowl games between FBS teams, with the finale at the national title game on Jan. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This year's semifinal games will be on Dec. 28. The first College Football Playoff Rankings will be released on Nov. 5.

Sporting News has projections for all 40 bowl games here, and they will be updated each week during the college football season. Our projections heading into Week 8 of the college football season:

Week 9 college football bowl projections

DateBowlTeams
Dec. 20Makers Wanted Bahamas BowlBall State vs. North Texas
Dec. 20DXL Frisco BowlEastern Michigan vs. UCF
Dec. 21Gildan New Mexico BowlLouisiana Tech vs. San Diego State
Dec. 21AutoNation Cure BowlUL-Monroe vs. Temple
Dec. 21Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton BowlFAU vs. Cincinnati
Dec. 21Raycom Media Camellia BowlToledo vs. Troy
Dec. 21Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas BowlBoise State vs. USC
Dec. 21R&L Carriers New Orleans BowlWestern Kentucky vs. Appalachian State
Dec. 23Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla BowlUAB vs. Tulane
Dec. 24SoFi Hawai'i BowlBYU vs. Fresno State
Dec. 26Walk-On's Independence BowlStanford* vs. Miami
Dec. 26Quick Lane BowlIndiana vs. Louisville
Dec. 27Military Bowl Presented by Northrop GrummanArmy* vs. Memphis
Dec. 27New Era Pinstripe BowlMichigan State vs. North Carolina
Dec. 27Academy Sports and Outdoors Texas BowlWest Virginia vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 27SDCU Holiday BowlArizona State vs. Iowa
Dec. 27Cheez-It BowlWashington State vs. TCU
Dec. 28Camping World BowlOklahoma State vs. N.C. State
Dec. 30SERVPRO First Responders BowlKansas State vs. Virginia Tech*
Dec. 30Franklin American Mortgage Music City BowlCal* vs. Pitt
Dec. 30Redbox BowlArizona vs. Nebraska
Dec. 31Belk BowlTennessee vs. Florida State
Dec. 31Hyundai Sun BowlWashington vs. Wake Forest
Dec. 31AutoZone Liberty BowlIowa State vs. South Carolina
Dec. 31Valero Alamo BowlUtah vs. Texas
Dec. 31NOVA Home Loans Arizona BowlLouisiana vs. Air Force
Jan. 1Outback BowlAuburn vs. Minnesota
Jan. 1Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus BowlFlorida vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 2Birmingham BowlBoston College* vs. Liberty*
Jan. 2TaxSlayer BowlTexas A&M vs. Michigan
Jan. 3Famous Idaho Potato BowlMiami (Ohio) vs. Utah State
Jan. 4Lockheed Martin Armed Forces BowlMarshall* vs. Navy
Jan. 6Mobile Alabama BowlOhio vs. Georgia State
*No conference tie-in to bowl

MORE: Ranking one-loss contenders

College Football Playoff/New Year's Day Six projections

Dec. 28Goodyear Cotton BowlNotre Dame vs. SMU
Dec. 30Capital One Orange BowlVirginia vs. Georgia
Jan. 1Rose BowlOregon vs. Penn State
Jan. 1Allstate Sugar BowlLSU vs. Baylor
Dec. 28PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (semifinal)Clemson vs. Ohio State
Dec. 28Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal)Alabama vs. Oklahoma

College Football Playoff championship projection

Jan. 13College Football Playoff championshipOhio State vs. Alabama

Bill Bender

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.