
By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports
October 19, 2021
Another week and more chaos in the Pac-12, from Nick Rolovich’s firing to upsets and near-upsets.
Almost every game is going to be competitive it seems, unless Arizona is involved, so that makes for a very cloudy bowl picture in mid-October.
Here’s my best shot at how I think it shakes out in December…for now.
Rose Bowl — Oregon vs. Michigan
2:00 p.m. PT, ESPN, January 1, 2022, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
The Ducks seem like the safest bet to win the Pac-12 right now, even though they’ve looked really scary in the wrong way going in and out of their bye week.
The Ducks have a comfortable schedule from here, and know how to win the conference, so I’m trusting them for now to get back to Pasadena.
Alamo Bowl — Arizona State vs. Texas
6:15 p.m., PT, ESPN, December 29, 2021, Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
I think the Sun Devils lost the South to Utah on Saturday, but I think they still end up with the Pac-12’s second bowl slot, finishing with nine wins.
It will be a controversial—but successful—season for Herm Edwards and company if they can get to the Alamo.
Las Vegas Bowl — Utah vs. Wisconsin
7:30 p.m. PT, ESPN, December 30, 2021, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
The Utes get to the Pac-12 Championship Game again, and and once again, they lose to Oregon. Their consolation is an amplified Las Vegas bowl against a marque opponent they can beat.
Holiday Bowl — Oregon State vs. Virginia Tech
5:00 p.m. PT, FOX, December 28, 2021, Petco Park, San Diego, CA
Jonathan Smith gets the Beavers back to a big time bowl game. This is a huge breakthrough for Oregon State after taking a while to get going under Smith.
Los Angeles Bowl — UCLA vs. Fresno State
4:30 p.m. PT, ABC, December 18th, 2021, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
How about a rematch of this classic game in LA with basically an extra home game for the Bruins?
Sun Bowl — Washington State vs. Boston College
9:30 a.m. PT, CBS, December 31, 2021, Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Who would have thought a few weeks ago that the Cougars would get to a bowl game in 2021?
And not a bad one at that too.
Independence Bowl — Stanford vs. UAB
12:30 p.m. PT, CBS, December 18, 2021, Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
The Cardinal are one of the most-mystifying teams in the nation, and I think they just get to six wins and a bowl game.
[Subscribe to the Free Daily SportsPac12 Newsletters]
-
Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on 2023 Week 1 in the Pac-12
> The Conference was at its best with every member team winning—most of them handily - September 5, 2023 -
Jack Follman’s 2023 Pac-12 Season Predictions: Weeks 9-13
> Scores for every game with commentary on top contests, plus projected standings and title game - August 17, 2023 -
Jack Follman’s 2023 Pac-12 Season Predictions: Weeks 5-8
> Early picks with scores for every game and commentary for top contests & projected standings - August 16, 2023