Russell Athletic Bowl Projections Round-Up, Week 6
Jerry Palm (CBSSports) – Duke vs. Kansas State
Phil Steele (Phil Steele’s College Football Preview) – Notre Dame vs. Kansas State
Brett McMurphy (ESPN) – Notre Dame vs. Kansas State
Mark Schlabach (ESPN) – Georgia Tech vs. Kansas State
Bill Bender (Sporting News) – Notre Dame vs. Kansas State
David M. Hale (ESPN ACC Blog)/Brandon Chatmon (Big 12 Blog) – Louisville vs. West Virginia
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel) – Miami (FL) vs. Kansas State
The Miami Hurricanes’ victory over reigning ACC Coastal Division champions Duke sparked a change in the ACC’s bid to the Russell Athletic Bowl while their Big 12 counterparts saw no change in this week’s projections.
The previously-undefeated Blue Devils dropped out of Brant Parsons and Mark Schlabach’s projections following the loss while Jerry Palm moved them into his projections in place of Virginia Tech. Duke has never been to Orlando for a bowl game and are looking for their first bowl win since the 1961 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Parsons chose the Hurricanes to fill the spot of Duke following their victory while Mark Schlabach went with the unbeaten Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets who play host to Miami this coming weekend. Georgia Tech makes its first appearance in the projections this season as the only remaining Coastal team without a loss. The Ramblin’ Wreck have not been to Orlando since their 51-14 victory over Syracuse in the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl.
The only other change from last week’s projections was David M. Hale trading in his Clemson pick for Louisville. The Cardinals’ only loss on the season is their 23-21 defeat on the road against Virginia with several marquee matchups (including Florida State, Notre Dame and Clemson) ahead on the schedule.
Kansas State remains the projected favorite for the Big 12’s bid in the Russell Athletic Bowl following their blistering 58-28 win over UTEP. For the second week in a row, they remained the choice of six of seven media members. Brandon Chatmon of the ESPN Big 12 Blog staying true to his West Virginia pick for the fourth straight week.
Phil Steele, Brett McMurphy and Bill Bender all kept Notre Dame and Kansas State as their projected matchup for the fifth consecutive week. The Fighting Irish are coming off of a 31-15 win on the road against Syracuse in MetLife Stadium to stay unbeaten on the season.