The SEC is back. The Big Ten is on the way. The Pac-12 might even come, too.
Week 4 of the college football season is here, and it feels like the true start of the College Football Playoff race. The SEC will open its conference-only schedule this week, and that adds more intrigue to the 2020 season.
MORE: Updated AP, Coaches Polls
Sporting News released its College Football Playoff picks along with predictions for all 43 bowl games earlier this summer, but until there are definite plans for the remainder of the bowls, we are going to project the New Year’s Day Six bowls each week.
We can still pick the College Football Playoff, which will go on as scheduled. This season’s semifinals are Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl Game and Allstate Sugar Bowl. The CFP 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. Our playoff features the usual suspects. Clemson, Alabama, Oklahoma and Ohio State have combined for 17 of the past 24 playoff appearances.
College Football New Year's Day Six predictions
| DATE | BOWL | TEAMS |
| Dec. 30 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Texas vs. Notre Dame |
| Jan. 1 | Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl | Georgia vs. Wisconsin |
| Jan. 2 | PlayStation Fiesta Bowl | Cincinnati vs. Penn State |
| Jan. 2 | Capital One Orange Bowl | North Carolina vs. Florida |
College Football Playoff semifinals prediction
| DATE | BOWL | TEAMS |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game (semifinal) | Ohio State vs. Alabama |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl (semifinal) | Clemson vs. Oklahoma |
College Football Playoff championship prediction
| DATE | BOWL | TEAMS |
| Jan. 11 | CFP Championship Game | Clemson vs. Ohio State |
