The arrival of the 12-team College Football Playoff adds another layer to the ever-bloomin' onion known as bowl predictions.
The expanded CFP field was unveiled, slotting the top four seeds -- No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State -- into major bowl games that will double as national quarterfinals. Their opponents will be determined after first-round matchups on campus later this month. As your fearless forecaster, I will not only pick the first-round winners, but the entire CFP.
The non-CFP bowl matchups are also set, but the circumstances around them have yet to be determined. Will teams with legitimate CFP aspirations that were left out actually show up? The transfer portal officially opens in hours and will be heavily populated. Colorado Buffaloes stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are expected to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl, but other projected first-round NFL draft picks may decide to sit out their teams' bowl games.
There are also coaching changes for bowl teams -- some that have been made, like at North Carolina and West Virginia, and others that still could come, for head coaches and other staff members. These games are all about motivation and matchups, and a lot can change between now and kickoff.
But here at ESPN bowl prediction headquarters in downtown Indianapolis, we're not afraid of any circumstances. So let's get to the picks, from campus CFP sites through traditional bowls and all the way to the national title game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
Ready, set, bowl!
(All times ET)
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