Get ready for more of the same.
Sporting News' annual preseason bowl projections are here, and our College Football Playoff picks for 2022-23 are the usual suspects again.
This is the ninth year of the playoff.
MORE: SN's 2022 Preseason Preview
The College Football Playoff semifinals will be on Dec. 31 this season. Those semifinals will be played at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta and the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. The College Football Playoff championship game is on Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Sporting News' Playoff picks are more of the same. Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State have combined for 17 of 32 total playoff appearances. Yet those four schools have yet to all make the Playoff in the same season.
MORE: Heisman odds | Coaches rankings 1-131
SN has projections for every bowl game here, and they will be updated throughout the season:
College football bowl predictions 2022
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Dec. 16 | Bahamas Bowl | North Texas vs. Miami, Ohio |
| Dec. 16 | Cure Bowl | Georgia State vs. Kent State |
| Dec. 17 | Wasabi Fenway Bowl | Cincinnati vs. Boston College |
| Dec. 17 | New Mexico Bowl | BYU vs. Colorado State |
| Dec. 17 | Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl | Boise State vs. Washington State |
| Dec. 17 | Lending Tree Bowl | Toledo vs. Old Dominion |
| Dec. 17 | Las Vegas Bowl | Washington vs. Florida |
| Dec. 17 | Frisco Bowl | FAU vs. Tulsa |
| Dec. 19 | Myrtle Beach Bowl | UTEP vs. Marshall |
| Dec. 20 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force |
| Dec. 20 | Boca Raton Bowl | East Carolina vs. UTSA |
| Dec. 21 | New Orleans Bowl | UAB vs. Coastal Carolina |
| Dec. 22 | Armed Forces Bowl | Mississippi State* vs. Navy |
| Dec. 23 | Independence Bowl | Army vs. UCF |
| Dec. 23 | Gasparilla Bowl | SMU vs. Fresno State |
| Dec. 24 | Hawaii Bowl | WKU vs. San Diego State |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Minnesota vs. Central Michigan |
| Dec. 27 | Camellia Bowl | Appalachian State vs. Northern Illinois |
| Dec. 27 | First Responder Bowl | Arizona vs. West Virginia |
| Dec. 27 | Birmingham Bowl | Memphis vs. Virginia Tech |
| Dec. 27 | Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Iowa State vs. Nebraska |
| Dec. 28 | Military Bowl | Maryland* vs. Liberty |
| Dec. 28 | Liberty Bowl | Kansas State vs. South Carolina |
| Dec. 28 | Texas Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas |
| Dec. 29 | Pinstripe Bowl | Purdue vs. Louisville |
| Dec. 29 | Cheez-It Bowl | North Carolina vs. Texas |
| Dec. 29 | Alamo Bowl | Baylor vs. Oregon |
| Dec. 30 | Duke's Mayo Bowl | Iowa vs. N.C. State |
| Dec. 30 | Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Oregon State vs. Wake Forest |
| Dec. 30 | Gator Bowl | Pitt vs. Kentucky |
| Dec. 30 | Arizona Bowl | Bowling Green vs. Utah State |
| Dec. 31 | Music City Bowl | Penn State vs. LSU |
| Jan. 2 | Tampa Bay Bowl | Michigan State vs. Ole Miss |
| Jan. 2 | Citrus Bowl | Tennessee vs. Wisconsin |
| TBD | Holiday Bowl | UCLA vs. Florida State |
College football New Year's Day Six picks
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Dec. 30 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Miami, Fla. vs. Notre Dame |
| Dec. 31 | Allstate Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M |
| Jan. 2 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | USC vs. Houston |
| Jan. 2 | Rose Bowl Game | Michigan vs. Utah |
| Dec. 31 | Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal) | Clemson vs. Alabama |
| Dec. 31 | Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) | Ohio State vs. Georgia |
College Football Playoff championship pick
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Jan. 11 | CFP championship game | Alabama vs. Ohio State |
New Year's Day Six picks
Capital One Orange Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Miami, Fla.
First-year coaches Marcus Freeman and Mario Cristobal renew a classic rivalry in the proper setting. The Irish have a tough schedule that features Ohio State, USC and Clemson, but it would take an 11-1 record to get to the Playoff. The Hurricanes make their second New Year's Day Six appearance, and this could be a showcase for Tyler Van Dyke.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M
Oklahoma still wins the Big 12 with first-year coach Brent Venables, and they advance to face old Big 12 and future SEC rival Texas A&M, which is under pressure to make the CFP once and for all under Jimbo Fisher after the offseason back-and-forth with Nick Saban. Ultimately, the Aggies fall just short again, but there will be enough heat on this matchup to make the Sugar Bowl entertaining.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Houston vs. USC
Houston and Cincinnati will jockey for the American Athletic Conference championship again, and this time the Cougars get the Group of 5 bid to the New Year's Day Six. That's going to put Dana Holgorsen back on the coaching carousel. USC is the "it" team of the offseason after Lincoln Riley's arrival and transfer portal magic that brought in Caleb Williams, Travis Dye and Jordan Addison. The Trojans have a legitimate shot at the CFP and a Pac-12 championship, but we're giving Riley a little more time to get there.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Utah
Jim Harbaugh's first game at Michigan was a 24-17 loss at Utah. Now, Harbaugh will lead Michigan to its first Rose Bowl appearance since 2007. The Wolverines are 0-3 in New Year's Day Six bowls and CFP semifinals, but there is enough on the roster to get to Pasadena and pull out a victory. The Utes return as the defending Pac-12 champions, and they will have to hold off USC and Oregon to get back here. It's a chance for Utah quarterback Cam Rising to shine again.
College Football Playoff picks
Capital One Orange Bowl: Alabama vs. Clemson
It's taken a couple years to deliver Clemson-Alabama V, but the Tigers will return to the CFP as long as the offense returns to form in the ACC. The defense is flush with All-American talent, and Dabo Swinney's program isn't on the decline. Alabama makes its eighth CFP semifinal appearance under Nick Saban, and a loaded roster led by Bryce Young and Will Anderson wins another SEC championship.
MORE: Ranking the top 16 programs of the CFB era
Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Georgia
The Buckeyes and Bulldogs have not met since the 1993 Citrus Bowl, and this would give the classic offense vs. defense matchup we didn't get last season. Will the Bulldogs slow down an absurd Ohio State offense led by C.J. Stroud? Will Ohio State's defense be national-championship caliber against a SEC heavyweight. The Buckeyes are 0-2 in CFP semis at the Fiesta Bowl.
CFP championship pick
CFP championship game (Los Angeles): Alabama vs. Ohio State
Another rematch – this time from the Crimson Tide's 52-24 victory in the CFP championship on Jan. 11, 2021. That was during a season impacted by COVID-19. What has changed for both programs two years later? Young and Stroud are the top Heisman contenders and could be the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Both rosters are stacked with five-star talent, and Ryan Day is trying to win his first national title with the Buckeyes. Will Saban get No. 8 here?