Jack Follman’s Championship Week Bowl Projections

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Posted on November 30, 2021


  By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports

All that’s left to decide is the Championship Game, so we should start officially knowing the Pac-12 bowl lineup very soon.

The final week of the regular season was very predictable, so the bowl picture hasn’t changed much from the week before, even with the opponents from other conferences.

Here’s how things look with one real game left on the schedule.

Rose Bowl — Utah vs. Ohio State

2:00 p.m. PT, ESPN, January 1, 2022, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

I’m a little less confident in picking Utah to win the Conference after Oregon looked rejuvenated against Oregon State.

I think the Utes are in for a fight and beating a team twice in three weeks is so hard.

I’m sticking with the Utes for now, though, and I think the opponent change is super interesting here as they would have to play Ohio State and their explosive offense in Pasadena.

Alamo Bowl — Oregon vs. Baylor

6:15 p.m., PT, ESPN, December 29, 2021, Alamodome, San Antonio, TX

Do the Ducks have a chance to make an NY6 bowl as an at-large if they lose the Pac-12 Championship Game? Maybe, but it’s close.

I still don’t think so, but it’s a question. I also am tempted to pick them to beat Utah in a rematch.

I’ll play it safe, though, and say they head to San Antonio against a good Big 12 opponent they can beat to build momentum for next season.

Las Vegas Bowl — Arizona State vs. Penn State

7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN, December 30, 2021, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

I think Vegas takes the Sun Devils over the Bruins as their 8-win team selection. It’s really a coin toss to me, though.

Holiday Bowl — UCLA vs. Pitt

5:00 p.m. PT, FOX, December 28, 2021, Petco Park, San Diego, CA

Chip Kelly and the Bruins took care of business down the stretch of the season and got to eight wins. Their reward is one of the two nearby second-tier bowls.

Sun Bowl — Washington State vs. Miami

9:30 a.m. PT, CBS, December 31, 2021, Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX

The Sun Bowl probably gets the Cougars over the Beavers given WSU’s 6-3 Conference record, despite Wazzu having been to El Paso more recently.

Los Angeles Bowl — Oregon State vs. San Diego State

4:30 p.m. PT, ABC, December 18th, 2021, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

The Beavers are quietly kind of a feel-good Pac-12 story this year. Getting more practices and a bowl game after years of doing without is a huge score for the program.

—More from Jack Follman—