Jerry Palm's bowl prediction have changed because of the Big Ten's separation on Saturday.
This week's New Year's Six estimates have been thrown off by two games in the Big Ten. According to William Hill Sportsbook, the big one was Michigan State rallying from behind to overcome Michigan as a four-point underdog in East Lansing.
The Spartans have knocked the Wolverines out of the New Year's Six projections and are now ranked No. 6 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings, which would put them in the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin dominated Iowa, delivering the Hawkeyes their second straight loss. Iowa was riding high after defeating Penn State in a top-five matchup, but it has since plummeted out of the New Year's Six predictions.
As a result of that win, the Badgers, along with current division leader Minnesota, now rule the Big Ten West.
With Iowa dropping out of the New Year's Six, Ole Miss will play Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl, where the ACC champion is still expected. Yes, both teams lost on Saturday, but Auburn's loss was already included into the Rebels' projections. The Panthers are still in with a chance to win the ACC but Wake Forest and NC State are still contenders.
Kentucky, the other New Year's Six club expected to fall on Saturday, has also lost two consecutive games. By a hair's breadth, the Wildcats are clinging to the final position in the New Year's Six.
Penn State has also not won since that Iowa game, despite giving Ohio State a good fight on Saturday night before losing. The Buckeyes are still the No. 3 seed in the predicted College Football Playoff, as No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Oklahoma, and No. 4 Cincinnati all won easily on Saturday. The No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide had a week off.
The Big Ten's other bowl projections have shifted a little due to a net loss of one team in the New Year's Six and a net gain of one for the SEC. Iowa is now expected to play Texas A&M in the Citrus Bowl, while Michigan will face Arkansas in the Outback Bowl.
Miami is expected to play in the Gator Bowl for the first time since 1999, following a huge win over Pitt. In a rematch of their in-state rivalry, UM will meet Florida. On occasion, these two teams will face off during the regular season. The last time this happened was in Orlando in 2019, during a game that Florida won. They are slated to meet again in 2024. This would be their first encounter since 2004 in a bowl game.
This week's bowl projections only have four teams that are expected to finish below .500, which is down from the eight in last week's projections. Purdue and Washington State were among the teams that picked up wins that were not expected this week and moved their expected final records to at least 6-6.
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