Bowl Projections 2015: 10 Pac-12 Teams Projected To Be Bowl Eligible
Bowl projections for the 2015 college football season are really taking shape. The bowl projections for the Pac-12 Conference also reveal that 10 teams are predicted to be eligible for a bowl game invite. In the updated bowl projections from CBS Sports, the analysts still predict that the Washington Huskies will beat the Washington State Cougars in the Apple Cup. That victory would improve the Huskies to 6-6 on the season and CBS Sports states it will garner the school a bowl invitation.
That prediction has Washington vs. Western Kentucky in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The other Pac-12 bowl projections from CBS Sports are Stanford vs. Iowa in the Rose Bowl, Oregon vs. Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl, UCLA vs. Louisville in the Sun Bowl, and Utah vs. Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl. They also have Washington State vs. Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl, USC vs. San Diego State in the Royal Purple (Las Vegas) Bowl, California vs. Texas Tech in the Cactus Bowl, Arizona State vs. Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, and Arizona vs. Duke in the Independence Bowl.
Those bowl projections from CBS Sports have the committees finding spots for all 10 possibly eligible schools. That would be a lot of bowl games for a 12-team conference and it could certainly bring in a lot of money as well. As for the schools not making the cut, that would leave just Colorado and Oregon State out this year.
Two ESPN college football experts weighed in on the Pac-12 bowl projections this year. That list isn’t quite as extensive, as they feel that WSU will beat Washington, eliminating the Huskies from any postseason play. A win by WSU in the Apple Cup would drop Washington to just 5-7 on the season, removing the school from bowl eligibility.
Both ESPN analysts have Iowa vs. Stanford in the Rose Bowl and UCLA playing in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. One analyst has UCLA vs. Boise State, while the other has UCLA vs. San Diego State. As for some of the other big bowl projections for the Pac-12, the analysts predict either Washington State vs. Indiana or Utah vs. Penn State in the Foster Farms Bowl. The Alamo Bowl is projected to be either Utah vs. TCU or USC vs. TCU, and the Sun Bowl is projected to be either Washington State vs. Pittsburgh or USC vs. Louisville.
Both ESPN analysts also have Oregon vs. Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl, which is the exact same prediction as the college football analysts at CBS Sports. Things get a bit tricky with the two Pac-12 Arizona schools. The predictions include Arizona vs. BYU in the Hawaii Bowl or Arizona vs. Air Force in the Cactus Bowl and Arizona State vs. Louisville in the Independence Bowl or Arizona State vs. Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl. As for the California Bears making a bowl game, one possible invite is for Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl with Colorado State as an opponent and the other is California vs. Air Force in the Cactus Bowl.
There is still one week left in the college football schedule for the Pac-12 standings to further take shape. The leading schools are currently Stanford (9-2), Washington State (8-3), Oregon (8-3), UCLA (8-3), Utah (8-3), and USC (7-4). The other schools are Arizona State (6-5), California (6-5), Arizona (6-6), Washington (5-6), Colorado (4-7), and Oregon State (2-9). Stanford is done in conference play and finishes the season with a big game against Notre Dame. That puts Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game against the winner of the UCLA vs. USC game on November 28. Once the week 11 games are completed, the 2015 bowl projections will likely be updated again.
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