Bowl projections and analysis: Taking stock of Cincinnati, Oklahoma after scares

In Week 8 of the college football season, top-10 teams Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Oregon survived significant scares, while Penn State and Oklahoma State did not. Is some semblance of order settling in after a roller-coaster first half of the season? Don't count on it. Each week brings new ramifications to the bowl picture.

In addition to predicting the matchups for every bowl game, Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura provide analysis on their playoff picks, most intriguing bowl matchup, fast-rising teams that could make a New Year's Six push and teams that helped or hurt their cause the most.

All times Eastern

College Football Playoff

CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
Jan. 10, 8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Ohio State

CFP Semifinal at Capital One Orange Bowl
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia vs. Michigan
Schlabach: Georgia vs. Cincinnati

CFP Semifinal at Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Dec. 31, 3:30 or 7:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Cincinnati vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Ohio State vs. Oklahoma

Bonagura's most intriguing matchup: It's looking more and more like Cincinnati will become the first Group of 5 team to crash the College Football Playoff party, so what better team to greet the Bearcats than the most dominant program of the era? With the inevitability of playoff expansion to consider, a Cincinnati-Alabama playoff matchup would be a historical anomaly for the sport and a game, regardless of the result, that would be a point of pride for Cincinnati for a long time.