Pac-12 Bowl Projections: Utah In Trouble, Colorado Moves Up, And WSU Wins Again

Pac-12 bowl projections shifted a bit for Week 10, but Utah and Washington are still leading the way. The Pac-12 could have nine bowl-eligible schools for the postseason, with the Oregon Ducks possibly turning things around. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the Washington State Cougars beat the Oregon State Beavers to become bowl eligible again. It also helped WSU keep pace with the Washington Huskies as the only unbeaten schools left in the conference.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Washington is now a stronger candidate to make the College Football Playoff after beating the Utah Utes. The 8-0 Huskies are ranked either third or fourth in all the latest college football polls, putting the team in a prime position to play for the national championship this winter. That would allow another school to qualify for the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

In the latest Pac-12 bowl projections, a report from CBS states that California will no longer make a postseason appearance. California had been slotted in the Cactus Bowl, but the latest update has the team predicted to finish below .500 this season and not get an invite. In the updated Pac-12 standings, California is at 4-4 overall, meaning CBS has predicted the Bears to go 1-3 in their final four games.

As for the rest of the schools, there are seven that appear in the CBS Pac-12 bowl predictions. They are Washington vs. Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, Utah vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Stanford vs. Minnesota in the Holiday Bowl, Colorado vs. Baylor in the Alamo Bowl, Washington State vs. Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl, Arizona State vs. Boise State in the Royal Purple Bowl (Las Vegas), and USC vs. Wake Forest in the Sun Bowl. California, Oregon, and UCLA didn’t make the cut.

A report by Sports Illustrated also agrees that Washington will go to the College Football Playoff and that Utah will be in the Rose Bowl. SI.com has Washington in the Peach Bowl, though, going up against No. 1 seeded Alabama in the first-round of the postseason tournament. The site differs on all the other Pac-12 bowl projections, shaking things up a bit for the fans.

Sports Illustrated has Stanford vs. Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl, Colorado vs. Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, Washington State vs. Iowa in the Holiday Bowl, California vs. Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl, USC vs. Minnesota in the Foster Farms Bowl, and Arizona State vs. San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl. The site also feels that the Oregon Ducks will finish at 5-7 or worse, but did put California into a bowl game.

Following a bye week by the team, the Colorado Buffaloes have taken over first place in the Pac-12 South. Colorado has a 4-1 conference record, putting the team just ahead of Utah (4-2) and USC (4-2). There are some tough games ahead on the schedule for Colorado, but the team gets to play UCLA first (on Thursday, Nov. 3). It’s a big chance to improve a 6-2 overall record and get noticed by even more of the Pac-12 bowl committees. If Colorado wins the rest of their games, the Buffaloes will play in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Washington State handled Oregon State to move to 5-0 in the conference and keep hopes alive of meeting Washington in the Apple Cup with everything on the line. WSU still has a strong shot to make it to the Rose Bowl, but that would require winning the Apple Cup and then the Pac-12 title game. There is a lof of football left to play, which is when Utah fans hope that the road gets cleared for a rematch with the Huskies. The Pac-12 bowl projections are still favorable for Utah, but the team can’t afford to lose another game.

[Featured Image by George Frey/Getty Images]