5 years and one pandemic in the past, the Pac-12 positioned an at-large crew into the New Yr’s Six bowls and accepted a fats paycheck in return.
With 4 groups ranked within the high 14 of the newest Related Press ballot (Oregon, USC, UCLA and Utah), the convention is nicely positioned to reap the rewards for (lastly) having a top-heavy season.
In case recollections are fuzzy throughout the Pac-12 footprint, let’s clarify precisely how the at-large course of works and what’s at stake.
The Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, Fiesta and Peach bowls make up the New Yr’s Six, however the playoff rotation and annual convention tie-ins change the at-large berths annually.
For the 2022 season:
— The Fiesta and Peach are internet hosting semifinals for the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
— The Rose is underneath contract to pair the Pac-12 in opposition to the Huge Ten.
— The Sugar will match the SEC in opposition to the Huge 12.
— The Orange is obligated to ask an ACC crew for one slot and both the SEC, Huge Ten or Notre Dame for the opposite.
(In every case: If the convention champion participates within the playoff, that league sends a substitute crew to meet the contract.)
That leaves the Cotton Bowl as the one recreation with no convention or semifinal matchup. However as a result of the highest-ranked crew from the Group of 5 is assured a berth within the New Yr’s Six, there is just one spot obtainable within the Cotton for an at-large crew.
If the Pac-12 sends its champion to the playoff, the next-highest-ranked crew would bounce into the Rose Bowl.
If the Pac-12 champion results in the Rose, the convention might fill the at-large spot within the Cotton.
All of it is determined by the ultimate CFP rankings, however a two-loss crew within the high 12 following the convention championship video games would have a good chance for the Cotton. (The primary CFP rankings will probably be launched Nov. 1.)
The Pac-12 has produced two New Yr’s Six at-large groups in eight years, each enjoying within the Fiesta Bowl: Arizona in 2014; and Washington in 2017.
A berth within the semifinals is value $6 million to the participant’s convention, with an at-large slot within the New Yr’s Six producing a $4 million paycheck.
In every case, the crew’s bills are dealt with individually, and the paycheck is cut up evenly among the many 12 colleges, per the Pac-12’s income sharing coverage.
The at-large bids convey each money and status to the convention. And it’s all inside attain this season, as long as parity is saved at bay.
To the newest bowl projections …
Rose Bowl
Crew: Oregon (6-1/4-0)
Residence video games remaining (two): Washington, Utah
Street video games remaining (three): Cal, Colorado, Oregon State
Remark: No change right here — the Hotline has been slotting the Geese into the Rose for 3 weeks. Whether or not their ceiling is greater than the Granddaddy (i.e., the CFP) is determined by 1) profitable out and a couple of) the quantity and id of the opposite one-loss groups at season’s finish. We stay skeptical of the Geese’ possibilities however haven’t dominated them out simply but.
Cotton Bowl
Crew: USC (6-1/4-1)
Residence (three): Cal, Colorado, Notre Dame
Street (two): Arizona, UCLA
Remark: For TV scores, hype and playoff implications, a championship recreation matchup between USC and Oregon could be nearly as good because it will get for the Pac-12.
Alamo Bowl
Crew: UCLA (6-1/3-1)
Residence (three): Stanford, Arizona, USC
Street (two): Arizona State, Cal
Remark: Whereas researching the projections, we observed that not solely has the Pac-12 misplaced six of the previous seven Alamo Bowls (to the Huge 12); it has misplaced most of them decisively.
Vacation Bowl
Crew: Utah (5-2/3-1)
Residence (two): Arizona, Stanford
Street (three): WSU, Oregon, Colorado
Remark: It’s not a one-game season (at Oregon) for a berth within the Pac-12 championship — at the very least not but. But when the Utes win Thursday evening at Washington State, then all of it hinges on the Nov. 19 showdown in Eugene.
Las Vegas Bowl
Crew: Washington (6-2/3-2)
Residence (two): Oregon State, Colorado
Street (two): Oregon, WSU
Remark: Final week, we speculated that Mississippi State (with former Washington State coach Mike Leach) could be an intriguing opponent in Las Vegas. However the SEC might ship certainly one of a number of groups, together with Florida, Mississippi and maybe Texas A&M.
Solar Bowl
Crew: Oregon State (6-2/3-2)
Residence (two): Cal, Oregon
Street (two): Washington, ASU
Remark: The climb into the Pac-12 title recreation is akin to scaling El Capitan on account of head-to-head losses to USC and Utah. However the Beavers might land within the Vacation or Las Vegas bowls … if they win in Seattle subsequent Friday evening.
LA Bowl
Crew: Washington State (4-3/1-3)
Residence (three): Utah, ASU, Washington
Street (two): Stanford, Arizona
Remark: A reminder on the choice course of: The Alamo, Vacation and Las Vegas bowls have the choice to skip one crew for an additional so long as they aren’t separated by multiple recreation within the convention standings. The Solar and LA bowls should make their alternatives based mostly on order-of-finish.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Arizona (3-4/1-3)
Residence (three): USC, Washington State, ASU
Street (two): Utah, UCLA
Remark: Until the Wildcats by some means emerge from their bye week with an entirely totally different protection, we don’t see three wins inside that array of 5 video games. The offense could have no margin for error in opposition to USC, UCLA and Utah. None.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Arizona State (2-5/1-3)
Residence (two): UCLA, Oregon State
Street (three): Colorado, WSU, Arizona
Remark: Successful at Stanford was important to creating the bowl math work. We'd have moved the Solar Devils into an at-large bowl had they secured that third victory. Now, the highway is treacherous.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Cal (3-4/1-3)
Residence (three): Oregon, Stanford, UCLA
Street (two): USC, Oregon State
Remark: Given the sputtering offense, the Bears usually tend to lose the remainder of their video games than they're to win three of the 5. And in the event that they find yourself one win brief, blame that atrocious efficiency in Boulder.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Colorado (1-6/1-3)
Residence (three): ASU, Oregon, Utah
Street (two): USC, Washington
Remark: Wait ’til subsequent yr — truly, verify that: The Buffs in all probability want to attend till 2024 for a bowl bid.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Stanford (3-4/1-4)
Residence (two): WSU, Brigham Younger
Street (three): UCLA, Utah, Cal
Remark: We thought of slotting the Cardinal into an at-large bowl — there are three wins obtainable on the remaining schedule. However the grind of enjoying 10 consecutive weeks makes us marvel about Stanford’s bodily situation within the again finish of November.
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