The Big Ten returned to action over the weekend, and that led to some changes in our bowl projections after the Week 8 slate of games.
Michigan replaced Penn State in our New Year’s Day 6 after an impressive victory against Minnesota. Our College Football Playoff picks remain the same, with Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon holding their spots. The Ducks begin play in two weeks.
Two more bowls — the Fenway Bowl and Holiday Bowl — announced that they will not be played in 2020. We tweaked our projections to account for the changes.
MORE: AP, Coaches polls after Week 8
This season's semifinals are Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl Game and Sugar Bowl. The Playoff championship game will be Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
With that in mind, here are Sporting News' picks for the College Football Playoff and New Year's Day Six heading into Week 9:
Bowl projections after Week 8
| DATE | BOWL | TEAMS |
| Dec. 19 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl | UTSA vs. Nevada |
| Dec. 21 | Myrtle Beach Bowl | Memphis vs. Appalachian State |
| Dec. 22 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Buffalo vs. San Diego State |
| Dec. 22 | Boca Raton Bowl | UCF vs. FAU |
| Dec. 23 | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Louisiana Tech vs. Coastal Carolina |
| Dec. 23 | Montgomery Bowl* | Toledo vs. Iowa |
| Dec. 24 | New Mexico Bowl | Hawaii vs. Stanford |
| Dec. 25 | Camellia Bowl | Central Michigan vs. South Alabama |
| Dec. 26 | Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | BYU vs. Liberty |
| Dec. 26 | Cure Bowl | Charlotte vs. Miami, Ohio |
| Dec. 26 | SERVPRO First Responder Bowl | Iowa State vs. Washington* |
| Dec. 26 | LendingTree Bowl | UAB vs. Louisiana |
| Dec. 26 | Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl | Army vs. Utah |
| Dec. 26 | Guaranteed Rate Bowl | West Virginia vs. Minnesota |
| Dec. 28 | Military Bowl Presented by Perspecta | Navy vs. N.C. State |
| Dec. 29 | New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Purdue vs. Virginia Tech |
| Dec. 29 | Cheez-It Bowl | Kansas State vs. Louisville |
| Dec. 29 | Valero Alamo Bowl | Oklahoma vs. Arizona State |
| Dec. 30 | Duke’s Mayo Bowl | Nebraska vs. Georgia Tech |
| Dec. 30 | TransPerfect Music City Bowl | LSU vs. Indiana |
| Dec. 30 | LA Bowl | USC vs. Boise State |
| Dec. 31 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | SMU vs. Marshall |
| Dec. 31 | Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Cal vs. Boston College |
| Dec. 31 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas |
| Dec. 31 | Arizona Bowl | Ohio vs. Air Force |
| Dec. 31 | Texas Bowl | TCU vs. Tennessee |
| Jan. 1 | TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl | Tulsa vs. Missouri |
| Jan. 1 | Vrbo Citrus Bowl | Texas A&M vs. Penn State |
| Jan. 2 | TaxSlayer Gator Bowl | Auburn vs. North Carolina |
| Jan. 2 | Outback Bowl | Kentucky vs. Northwestern |
New Year's Day 6 projections after Week 8
| Date | Bowl | Matchup |
| Dec. 30 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Michigan |
| Jan. 1 | Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl | Georgia vs. Miami |
| Jan. 2 | PlayStation Fiesta Bowl | Cincinnati vs. Wisconsin |
| Jan. 2 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Florida vs. Notre Dame |
College Football Playoff projections after Week 8
| Date | Bowl | Matchup |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game (semifinal) | Alabama vs. Ohio State |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl (semifinal) | Clemson vs. Oregon |
| Jan. 11 | CFP Championship Game | Ohio State vs. Clemson |
