Predicting the Winner of Every Pac-12 Bowl Game
The Pac-12 Conference enters bowl season with eight teams getting the chance to close out the season with another victory. For the league champion Oregon Ducks, there's the potential to win two games and a national title.
After another season of debate over which conference is the best, who would win hypothetical matchups and is the SEC overrated or just really, really good, the bowls should once again help provide some answers.
Let's give you a rundown on all eight games the Pac-12 will have a say in and offer our predictions for each one.
A complete bowl schedule can be found here.
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Colorado State
1 of 8
When: Dec. 20 at 3:30 P.M. ET
Where: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas
TV: ABC
On the surface, Utah vs. Colorado State appears to be a mismatch as the battle-tested Utes of the Pac-12 will bring a ferocious defense and powerful rushing attack with them to Las Vegas to face a team that falls short in talent level.
But the Rams have a pair of wins over Power Five teams in Colorado and Boston College and boast the nation's most underrated quarterback in Garrett Grayson to go along with running back Dee Hart, an Alabama transfer who's racked up over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.
Because the Utes don't have the kind of offense that puts opponents away, this game probably won't be decided until the fourth quarter. Ultimately, Kyle Whittingham and company have the best defense the Rams will see all year, and after losing to Air Force and its rushing attack, it's hard to imagine Colorado State slowing down Devontae Booker or making enough plays to pull out a victory.
It won't be a blowout, but if Utah shows up motivated, the result can only go in one direction.
Utah 27, Colorado State 14
Hyundai Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. Duke
2 of 8
When: Dec. 27 at 2:00 P.M. ET
Where: El Paso, Texas
TV: CBS
Up until a Nov. 8 loss to Virginia Tech, it seemed as though Duke would challenge for a spot in the ACC championship game for a rematch with Florida State from the 2013 version. But the Blue Devils couldn't hold it together when it mattered most and after the 17-16 loss to the Hokies, they fell at home to North Carolina by 25 points.
Their best win of the season was a 31-25 thriller at Georgia Tech, although the Yellow Jackets are playing much better football at present. Not to take anything away from the Blue Devils, however, because if the team that played that day shows up, it can hang with most teams.
The biggest mystery for Arizona State is how it will handle the quarterback position. Taylor Kelly probably won't sit on the sidelines in his final game as a Sun Devil, but backup Mike Bercovici brings a spark off the bench. The offense should have little trouble scoring, but if it does, expect the switch to be made.
Arizona State 42, Duke 25
National University Holiday Bowl: Nebraska vs. USC
3 of 8
When: Dec. 27 at 8:00 P.M. ET
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
TV: ESPN
In a rare lower-tier bowl game pitting two blue bloods of the sport, Nebraska and USC will face off in the Holiday Bowl with a chance to end the season on a high note.
The Cornhuskers had nine wins in the 2014 regular season but not a single one would fall under the category of "impressive." In fact, Nebraska's best game may have been a narrow loss at Michigan State. Subsequent defeats to Wisconsin and Minnesota took this team out of the running for a spot in the league championship game. Bo Pelini was fired to close out the year, and Oregon State's Mike Riley ended up taking the job, though he won't coach the team in this one.
As for USC, the year ended with a 49-14 romp over Notre Dame and were it not for allowing a Hail Mary to Arizona State, the Trojans would have been the South Division representative against Oregon. The talent level at USC is good enough for this team to be playing in a better game against a better opponent, so motivation will again come in to play.
But 2015 is a year many will be pointing to as the true return of Troy, and that could be tough to justify with a loss to the Cornhuskers. Should the offense pick up where it left off, this won't be close.
USC 40, Nebraska 20
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Foster Farms Bowl: Stanford vs. Maryland
4 of 8
When: Dec. 30 at 10:00 P.M. ET
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: ESPN
You should be familiar with the 2014 Stanford Cardinal at this point, so we'll fill you in on the Maryland Terrapins and what went down in the program's first season in the Big Ten.
Maryland played three ranked teams in Ohio State, Michigan State and Wisconsin and lost by a combined score of 141-46. It also posted a dominant win at Indiana as well as victories at Penn State and Michigan. The passing attack was not sharp, but receiver Stefon Diggs is as dangerous as any player in college football. The run game ranks 106th in the nation at just over 130 yards per contest.
When you match a poor offense against Stanford's overwhelming defense, the results aren't pretty for the team trying to score points. Maryland also allowed nearly 30 points per game, and the Cardinal offense found its groove in the regular-season finale at UCLA.
Ultimately, this is another case of looking at the team from the Big Ten and wondering if it'll provide further proof of the conference's misery in bowl season. If neither team shows up and plays drastically different from what we've seen all year, this one goes to Stanford and the Pac-12.
Stanford 33, Maryland 13
Valero Alamo Bowl: UCLA vs. Kansas State
5 of 8
When: Jan. 2 at 6:45 P.M. ET
Where: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
TV: ESPN
One of the more intriguing matchups of bowl season features UCLA taking on Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl. At 9-3, the Wildcats have an impressive resume with three quality losses to Auburn, TCU and Baylor. The defense gives up just over 20 points per game while the offense averages nearly 36.
Quarterback Jake Waters has exciting physical talents and can make defenses pay with his legs when he has to. There isn't a throw he can't make, but consistency can be an issue. Where Bill Snyder's team makes its money (figuratively speaking), however, is on defense. Holding Baylor to fewer than 40 points is more impressive than it looks.
UCLA, even with the regular season behind us, remains the most puzzling team in recent memory. After midseason losses to Utah and Oregon, the Bruins were written off until a beatdown of USC gave the Bruins one game to win the Pac-12 South. It was against Stanford, and Brett Hundley and company couldn't deliver.
The talent level on offense is crazy, but it has yet to deliver against what you'd call an "elite" defense, and even with a month to prepare, I'm not sure it will start now. Snyder gives the Wildcats the upper hand in coaching, and Kansas State should be able to squeak out a narrow win.
Kansas State 24, UCLA 20
TicketCity Cactus Bowl: Washington vs. Oklahoma State
6 of 8
When: Jan. 2 at 10:15 P.M. ET
Where: Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
TV: ESPN
Oklahoma State opened up the 2014 season with a six-point loss to Florida State, a sign to many that the Cowboys could be a real player in the race for the playoffs. Five wins later did nothing to change that assumption, although Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech headlined the challenges so it wasn't safe to buy in just yet.
Then the meat of the schedule hit, and Mike Gundy's squad lost five straight games, each by double digits including home losses to West Virginia and Texas by a combined 45 points. What saved the season was a comeback effort in Bedlam against Oklahoma in which Tyreek Hill returned a 92-yard punt in the game's final minute to even up the score.
The Oklahoma Sooners weren't world-beaters themselves, but it was a great win in the midst of a disappointing season, and it showed what the Cowboys are capable of. On the other side of this matchup, the Washington Huskies also ended their season with a dominant win over a rival.
The offense started to come around and the defense, led by Danny Shelton and Hau'oli Kikaha up front, was as stiff as ever. Chris Petersen is a great coach with a reputation for getting his guys to show up ready to go in big games, and even though the Huskies had bigger dreams to start the season, a win in the Cactus Bowl would be huge for the direction of the program.
Washington 34, Oklahoma State 31
VIZIO Fiesta Bowl: Arizona vs. Boise State
7 of 8
When: Dec. 31 at 4:00 P.M. ET
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
TV: ESPN
If you hadn't watched much Arizona football before the Pac-12 championship game, you were probably skeptical as to how the Wildcats made it through the South Division and still received a bid to a "New Year's Six" bowl game following the 38-point shellacking.
Even as the Ducks showed up with their best defensive performance of the year, Arizona clearly wasn't right. Quarterback Anu Solomon couldn't keep the defense honest with his legs, and the offensive line wasn't prepared for an Oregon defensive line that looked much improved from early October.
The key in this matchup will be the health of Solomon. At his best, he's the floor general of the offense capable of making the correct reads in the run game and accurate throws to his stable of wideouts. If Boise State's toughness in the front seven causes similar problems to the ones we saw Friday, the Wildcats will again struggle.
But one thing that won't happen is linebacker Scooby Wright and company looking silly. Oregon is playing better football on offense than anyone, and while the Broncos boast a strong rushing attack behind Jay Ajayi, it isn't half of what the Ducks can do. Health will play the biggest role in this one, and if it comes down to talent level and scheme on offense, Arizona should bounce back and capture a major bowl victory.
Arizona 38, Boise State 27
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Florida State
8 of 8
When: Jan. 1 at 5:00 P.M. ET
Where: Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
TV: ESPN
In what will be one of the most highly anticipated postseason matchups in college football history, the Oregon Ducks and Florida State Seminoles square off in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 with the winner getting a shot at the national championship 10 days later.
Every angle will be covered thoroughly between now and then, so we'll provide with a few key talking points and what could decide the outcome. The top storyline is Marcus Mariota vs. Jameis Winston, last year's Heisman Trophy winner against the guy who's likely to win it on Saturday. There's no way to overstate how awesome that is for the sport.
Florida State hasn't seen anything close to what the Oregon Ducks do on offense, at least at the level they do it. The Noles will have the benefit of nearly a month to prepare, however, and that situation has given the Ducks offense trouble in the past.
On the other side, Jameis Winston is by far the best quarterback the Ducks will have played over the past three seasons. He's prone to early interceptions, but he's unstoppable in the second half, and the emergence of Dalvin Cook at running back has provided the offense with a huge boost.
Florida State can't get away with early mistakes in this one, and a slow start will doom Oregon. I suspect one team will show up hot, jump out to a lead and hang on in the second half. We'll go with the hottest team in the country at the moment.
Oregon 41, Florida State 33
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
