WSU Bowl Predictions: Are Washington State Cougars Best Team In Pac-12 Conference?
WSU bowl predictions continue to be good for the team. The Washington State Cougars will play in a bowl game this postseason, especially after beating the Arizona Wildcats soundly on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 5). The 69-7 victory even has some fans debating about how WSU might just be the best team in the Pac-12 Conference this season. That’s a question that might get answered during the 2016 Apple Cup on November 25 when WSU hosts the undefeated Washington Huskies.
In the updated Pac-12 standings, the Washington State Cougars remain one of only two schools who are undefeated in conference games. WSU is 6-0 with victories over the Oregon Ducks, Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, Arizona State Sun Devils, Oregon State Beavers, and Arizona Wildcats. The winning streak for WSU is also at seven games after beating the Idaho Vandals 56-6 to end non-conference play. WSU is now tied with Utah and Colorado for the second-best overall record in the Pac-12.
A new report by CBS Sports reveals the latest college football bowl projections. The analysts there have Utah vs. Michigan in the Rose Bowl, with a prediction that not only will UW beat WSU in the Apple Cup, but that Colorado will lose first place in the South to Utah. The more in-depth bowl predictions have Washington State vs. Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl. They also have Colorado vs. West Virginia in the Alamo Bowl, Stanford vs. Minnesota in the Holiday Bowl, and USC vs. Wake Forest in the Sun Bowl.
A recent report by Sports Illustrated predicted that WSU would get invited to play in the Holiday Bowl. In addition to the Washington State vs. Northwestern game, the experts predicted Washington vs. Alabama in the Peach Bowl, Utah vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Colorado vs. West Virginia in the Alamo Bowl, and USC vs. Indiana in the Foster Farms Bowl. The site also has California vs. Kansas State in the Cactus Bowl and Stanford vs. Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl.
No matter what the WSU bowl predictions state, there are currently two clear-cut ways for the Washington State Cougars to get an invite to the Rose Bowl. The first path is to simply beat California, Colorado, and Washington to wrap up the Pac-12 schedule and to then win the conference championship game. That would lead to an automatic invite from the Rose Bowl Committee. In a scenario where WSU beats UW, the team could even lose to either California or Colorado and still make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The second path that could lead to the Rose Bowl is a bit more complicated. WSU would need to at least beat Colorado and California to move to 9-2 (8-0) on the season. With a loss to UW, the Cougars would still be in the conversation to get invited to Pasadena. If UW were to get invited to the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl Selection Committee would then get to choose the Pac-12 representative this year. It could then come down to a debate between WSU, Colorado, Utah, or USC, with the invitation depending on the final conference standings.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Washington State Cougars now appear on the college football power rankings that ESPN releases every week. The team debuts in the No. 21 slot after beating Arizona over the weekend. It shows that the overall profile for WSU is growing and that the bowl selection committees will become more likely to pick the Cougars over some of the other Pac-12 schools. Despite all the positive WSU bowl predictions, the team still has to take care of its own business, continuing with a game against California on Saturday, November 12.
[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
