Pac-12 Football: Bowl Projections for Every Team
Goals vary in the Pac-12 Conference from team to team, but reaching a bowl game has to be at the top of everyone's list. If you're Cal, that might be any bowl game regardless of prestige; for a team like UCLA, you're probably thinking roses.
Well, back in August that may have been the case. With less than a month left in the regular season, expectations have shifted, and while reaching a bowl is still within reach for nearly every program, some can be ruled out based on their records.
Teams such as Oregon and Arizona State are still hoping to be included among the final four teams invited to the initial College Football Playoff. Others, like Utah, Arizona, UCLA and even USC, are hoping to win the south and play the spoiler role.
But what it all comes down to is this: Everybody wants to play in a bowl game. It means more practice for the future and a chance to end the season on a high note.
Let's take a look at where each team could be headed at the conclusion of the season.
All stats via CFBstats.com. Bowl tie-ins via Scout.com, though it should be noted that the bowl formerly known as the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl is now the Cactus Bowl.
Sorry, No Bowl for You
1 of 10
Washington State
With only two wins and just three games remaining, the Washington State Cougars will not be headed to a bowl game. The only hope now is that quarterback Luke Falk can gain some valuable experience and that the team can bring home the Apple Cup against Washington.
Colorado
Like Washington State, Colorado has just two wins with only three contests left on the schedule, so a bowl game is impossible. It has to be frustrating for fans who watched this team reach four wins last year, but anybody who's seen quarterback Sefo Liufau and the rest of this team in 2014 knows that this squad is better than it was a year ago. Perhaps in 12 months, we'll be talking about which bowl coach Mike MacIntyre and Co. are headed toward.
Oregon State
Unlike the other two teams on the list, Oregon State has four wins and a real chance to reach a bowl game. Unfortunately, it isn't in the cards for Mike Riley and the Beavers, with games remaining against Washington State, Arizona State, Washington and Oregon. They'll have a chance against the Cougars, but it's hard to see the offense scoring enough to keep up with the Sun Devils or the Ducks, and the Huskies defense will prove to be too much in Seattle.
California Golden Bears
2 of 10
Cal is one of the few teams in our projections with work to do to become bowl-eligible, although picking up a fifth victory on the season against Oregon State was a major step toward earning the extra game.
After notching just one win in 2013, it seemed unlikely that Cal could improve by five games and make it to a bowl game, but that's what this team is on the verge of here in 2014. Its record stands at 5-4, and the Bears' next two games are against USC and Stanford. A loss to the Trojans seems likely, and though the Cardinal are considerably worse than they've been, it's hard to predict a Cal win there.
Should things play out in that manner, it would leave Sonny Dykes and Co. sitting at 5-6 with one game remaining, a home contest vs. BYU. The BYU that started the season 4-0 might mop the floor with Cal, but following the Taysom Hill injury, the Cougars are 1-4 and look nothing like the team from September. Look for Cal to have a chance to score an upset in the Big Game, but if that doesn't happen, the Bears should best BYU and make it to a bowl game.
Bowl Prediction: Heart of Dallas Bowl
Utah Utes
3 of 10
Utah currently sits at 6-2 and is playing much better than anyone outside the locker room might have predicted. While the offense has been shaky, running back Devontae Booker has burst onto the scene as one of the best backs in the conference, and the defense is second maybe only to Stanford.
This has led to a lot of close games against teams both good and bad. In five conference matchups, the Utes are 3-2 with four games decided by three points or less. The fifth game? A five-point victory at Oregon State. The loss at home to Washington State is the most glaring blemish of the season, and while fans have every reason to be happy at the moment, November may prove to be a bit much for the team.
Up next is a visit from Oregon, a trip to Stanford, a visit from Arizona and a final game at Colorado. Beating the Ducks will be tough, and the next two are toss-ups. Since the close games have gone in the Utes' favor so far, the tables will turn, and the team will manage just one more victory to close out 2014. Or it'll upset the Ducks, end Stanford for good, smoke the Wildcats and best the Buffs to make me look like an idiot. But I'm sticking with my guns on this one.
Bowl Prediction: Cactus Bowl
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Stanford Cardinal
4 of 10
"How is Stanford going to solve its Oregon problem?" is a question nobody wants to hear and fortunately will not be discussed in the following paragraphs. But in beating the Cardinal 45-16, the Ducks sent David Shaw and Co. back to the drawing board and put them in jeopardy of not making a bowl game at just 5-4 heading into the final few weeks.
Utah, UCLA and Cal are up next on the schedule, and with what we've seen lately from this squad, nothing is certain. But the offense has nothing to lose, and the Ducks can make even the best defenses look silly—and Stanford's is pretty darn special.
The Cardinal won't win all three, but they should be able to at least tack on a couple more victories behind an offense that will let it loose and finally start to score a few points. A 7-5 record would be a major disappointment in Palo Alto, but it beats 5-7, which remains a distinct possibility.
Bowl Prediction: Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Washington Huskies
5 of 10
Little did we know that beating Hawaii by a score of 17-16 in the opener would be a sign of things to come for Washington in 2014. The Huskies followed up the middling effort by averaging nearly 50 points per game in three straight wins, but since the start of conference play, the offense is averaging just over 22 points per game.
Perhaps putting 38 on the board in a win at Colorado will jump-start things, although the more likely reason for an increase in offensive output is Shaq Thompson playing running back. The former linebacker has the speed and athleticism of a top running back with the physicality of a defensive player, and all good backs help make life easier for their signal-callers.
The Huskies are 6-3 with games against UCLA, Arizona, Oregon State and Washington State left on the schedule. It's reasonable to expect two victories there, which puts Washington at a solid 8-5 record in Chris Petersen's first year as head coach.
Bowl Prediction: Hyundai Sun Bowl
USC Trojans
6 of 10
No one can deny that the USC Trojans are scary-talented, and were it not for a couple of odd bounces of the ball and a lack of focus, this team could easily be undefeated and sitting in one of the top four spots for the College Football Playoff.
But what put this group in the second tier are the facts that it did lose focus at Boston College, it did not defend a Hail Mary properly against Arizona State, and it wasn't able to close out Utah in the final few minutes. Now, at 6-3, the best it can hope for is 9-3, which would be met with a shrug in Los Angeles.
The remaining contests are against Cal, UCLA and Notre Dame. The Trojans could win all three, or they could lose two, but you can count on every game being entertaining in some form or fashion. Things just didn't come together this year for Steve Sarkisian and Co., but watch out for this group in 2015.
Bowl Prediction: San Francisco Bowl
Arizona Wildcats
7 of 10
Arizona is in a similar position as USC in that the Wildcats could easily be undefeated were it not for a missed field goal against the Trojans and, well, the failure of the offense to show up at UCLA. Despite the pair of defeats, Arizona sits at 6-2 and boasts perhaps the most impressive victory of the season, a 31-24 nail-biter at Oregon.
Up next are home games against Colorado and Washington, both of which you'd expect Rich Rodriguez's team to have little trouble with. After that comes a trip to Utah and a home game against Arizona State in what should be an epic rivalry game.
If the offense we saw against the Bruins reappears in any of the final four contests, the Wildcats are liable to lose to anyone. But quarterback Anu Solomon has shown plenty of guts throughout the year, and it's hard to imagine him letting that happen. Arizona will continue to be a thorn in the side of opponents and win three out of its final four, landing in a solid bowl game.
Bowl Prediction: National University Holiday Bowl
UCLA Bruins
8 of 10
The big question surrounding UCLA this week is whether things are finally back on track after a 17-7 victory over Arizona. The defense shut down one of the league's most prolific offenses, and Brett Hundley did a little bit of everything in piling up over 300 total yards.
A week ago, the Bruins looked like a team that might struggle to win another game. Now, at 7-2 and coming off an impressive win, there's a chance the squad will run the table the rest of the way. First comes a trip to Washington, followed by home games against USC and Stanford.
Given the nature of the struggles on offense, Hundley and Co. aren't going to put up points on all three opponents. UCLA is definitely back on track, but there's a loss lurking somewhere up ahead, which will leave the record at 9-3. Coach Jim Mora shouldn't accept that given the talent he has all over the place, but it would be a good place to end up considering how awful things were just a few weeks ago.
Bowl Prediction: Valero Alamo Bowl
Arizona State Sun Devils
9 of 10
If you're a fan of Arizona State, you've had the pleasure of rooting for a team that's done something everybody strives to do throughout the season: get better.
It sounds simple enough, but rarely do teams steadily improve with each game and become an elite program by year's end. Most had written off the Sun Devils following a 62-27 defeat at the hands of UCLA, and why wouldn't you? It's not often a team that allows that many points has what it takes to do a complete 180 on defense.
That's exactly what's happened in Tempe, and with Notre Dame up next, this could finally be the weekend that the nation takes notice of what coach Todd Graham has cooking. The Sun Devils' only challenging conference game after that is at Arizona, but look for this team to win out and lose a close one to Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, earning an at-large bid to a major bowl.
Bowl Prediction: Fiesta Bowl
Oregon Ducks
10 of 10
At present, no team in the country is playing better football than the Oregon Ducks, at least on offense. Ignoring the few holes on the other side of the ball, quarterback Marcus Mariota and Co. have shredded everyone they've faced in the past month, including strong defenses belonging to UCLA, Washington and Stanford.
The most difficult game remaining on the schedule takes place Saturday when the Ducks play at Utah, but if they can escape Rice-Eccles Stadium with another win in tow, the College Football Playoff is dead ahead.
After that, only a home game against Colorado and a visit down the road to Corvallis are left before the Pac-12 Championship Game, and the Ducks only need to win one of the final three to make it there. But this team is dreaming bigger than that at the moment, as it should. If the Ducks keep mistakes to a minimum, they'll be representing the Pac-12 in the first College Football Playoff.
Bowl Predicton: College Football Playoff
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