Latest bowl projections point to Ohio State completing a Fiesta Bowl trifecta

We didn’t do a bowl projection breakdown last week for the Ohio State Buckeyes because some craziness went down last Friday afternoon. (cough cough Miami losing cough cough.)

But we’re back this week, and have some good news—as well as some bad news, depending on how you’re looking at things.

The good news: All the predictions have the Scarlet and Gray in a New Year’s Six Bowl game.

The bad news: The predictions don’t foresee a playoff berth.

Let’s take a look at where five major outlets have OSU going.

With the way things are shaking out, SB Nation’s Jason Kirk has the Buckeyes taking on Southern California in the Fiesta Bowl.

However, he did write up the potential debate for OSU to jump into a top-4 playoff ranking spot if they beat Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship.

But, looking at what’s been posted online, Kirk has Clemson, Auburn, Oklahoma and Alabama as his four playoff teams.

Chalking up a Buckeye victory on Saturday night, Kirk has Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl and Penn State in the Cotton bowl.

USA Today’s Erick Smith also has the Buckeyes getting to Glendale, Ariz., for a matchup with the Trojans. However, he doesn’t have the Scarlet and Gray going to the desert with a Big Ten title.

Wisconsin is slated in his projection for the Rose Bowl—but he has them losing to Oklahoma.

For what it’s worth, Smith doesn’t have the Crimson Tide in the playoff; he has them facing Miami (FL) in the Orange Bowl.

Both of ESPN’s analysts have a Trojan-Buckeye showdown at the home of the Arizona Cardinals, too.

Keeping up with the theme of the same games, both writers have Clemson-Wisconsin in the Sugar Bowl, and Auburn-Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl.

Switching things up, Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has placed the Buckeyes against the highest-ranked team from the Group of 5 conferences in Central Florida.

Palm has the Knights beating Memphis tomorrow for the American East crown, meaning that Scott Frost’s program will be guaranteed a ticket to a New Year’s Six bowl.

Wisconsin is in Palm’s Sugar Bowl projection, meaning he has the Buckeyes taking their third loss of the season on Saturday night.

In the Fiesta Bowl, he has USC vs. TCU.

With Sports Illustrated’s prediction, all signs point to either a Fiesta or Peach Bowl trip for OSU this postseason.

Eric Single is on board for a Peach Bowl appearance in Atlanta for the Scarlet and Gray.

Unlike Palm, Single’s Fiesta Bowl has Georgia facing USC, instead of TCU.

But the playoff picture is the same, with Clemson-Wiscy in the Sugar Bowl and Auburn-OU in the Rose Bowl.