Conference of Champions? Pac-12 Finishes 0-5 in Bowl Games
There's been a lot of talk surrounding the SEC once bowl season officially got underway.
The conference, dubbed by many to be the best in the nation, started a whopping 0-4 in bowl games before eventually having the last laugh with two of their teams (Alabama and Georgia) playing each other for the national championship on Jan. 10.
Either the Crimson Tide or Bulldogs will ensure the SEC will have a third straight program from the conference crowned as national champions, with Only three teams (Clemson in 2018 and 2016, Ohio State in 2014) outside of the SEC winning the College Football Championship since the BCS era concluded in 2013.
In two of those three instances, an SEC team was the runner-up.
However, it is the Pac-12 that carries the "conference of champions" mantra, one that looked especially laughable after what the conference put out during bowl season.
Pac-12 Finishes 0-5 in Bowl Games
The action began with Oregon State dropping the Pac-12's first bowl appearance in a 24-13 loss to Utah State on Dec. 18 in the LA Bowl.
As the end of the calendar year crept closer, the Pac-12 continued the losing.
The Holiday Bowl, featuring UCLA and North Carolina State, was cancelled five hours before kickoff due to COVID issues with the Bruins, who were comfortable enough to enjoy Christmas Day at Sea World.
The following day on Dec. 29, Oregon was out-gunned in a shootout with Oklahoma , losing 47-32 in the Alamo Bowl.
Arizona State continued the Pac-12's losing streak on Dec. 30 in a 20-13 Las Vegas Bowl loss to Wisconsin before Washington State carried the losing streak into the new year with a 24-21 defeat against Central Michigan in the Sun Bowl.
Year 2022 wasn't any kinder to the Pac-12, as Utah fell in perhaps the most entertaining bowl game of the season, a 48-45 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
The Utes, who had a special season, ultimately fell short despite holding a double-digit lead through the early stages of the game.
However, there's no moral trophy here for the Utes to win. Utah failed to claim victory, and ensured the Pac-12's last bowl win would come on Jan. 1, 2020 when Oregon defeated Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl with Justin Herbert at quarterback.
Herbert is two games away from completing his second season in the NFL.
The Pac-12 has underachieved in nearly every facet of football recently, allowing for a variety of opinions to make their way to center stage.
Even when switching to the other major college sport in basketball, the Pac-12's last championship in the men's NCAA tournament came in 1997 thanks to Arizona.
The "conference of champions" slogan should probably be dropped.
Going 0-5 during bowl season is one thing. However, this can't even be considered a down year for the conference. The Pac-12 has developed a reputation to be the weakest of the Power Five conferences, and 2021 nor the previous years really show this was simply a down year for the Pac-12.
Typical powerhouses with schools such as USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon have failed to produce as of late, hurting the conference's national reputation. The Pac-12 is hoping the arrival of head coach Lincoln Riley and other moves help restore some of the prominence the conference once held.
However, for the time being, the Pac-12 can only look in the mirror and wonder exactly how it got to this point.
Here's to hoping basketball season will produce better results.