Pac-12 Bowl Projections: Experts Predict USC vs. Georgia in CFP
It seems pretty clear now: All 12 experts we cited project that USC will be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff and will face Georgia in the national semfinals.
All 12 sites also project that Washington will be the Pac-12's representative in the Rose Bowl and will face Ohio State in Pasadena.
Of course, all this is based on the assumption that USC will beat Utah in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday (5 p.m., FOX). The Trojans are only a slight favorite against the Utes, who beat USC during the regular season, so this is not a done deal.
If Utah wins that game, the Pac-12 will be left without a team in the CFP for the sixth year in a row, and a lot of the projections below will change when the bowl bids are handed out on Sunday.
The pecking order of bowls with Pac-12 tie-ins are listed at the end of the story. But first are the bowl projections for Pac-12 teams by 12 reputable sites, with comments from a few of them:
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Sports Illustrated (Richard Johnson)
Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – TCU vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Duke
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. UNLV
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. North Carolina
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
USC's postseason began against Notre Dame and the Trojans took care of business, setting up a win-and-in Pac-12 championship game against Utah, the only team it has lost to this season. You'll hear a lot from Big Ten country this week about how Ohio State deserves to be in, but that won't happen if USC and TCU both win.
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Florida State
Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl – UCLA vs. Duke
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
USC moved a step closer to the CFP with a 38-27 win against Notre Dame. The Trojans face Utah in the Pac-12 championship game Friday
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. North Carolina
Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs. Mississippi State
Sun Bowl – UCLA vs. North Carolina State
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – TCU vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Duke
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Florida
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Louisville
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
The path for the Trojans was clear three weeks ago. Could they navigate a three-game run through UCLA, Notre Dame and the Pac-12 championship to secure a spot in the semifinals?
Two steps are in the books with the latest one coming with an impressive defeat of the Fighting Irish. The last one will come against Utah, the lone team to beat USC. The Trojans should have a better outcome Friday and secure an unlikely berth in Lincoln Riley's first season.
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – UCLA vs. Texas Tech
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Notre Dame
Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Duke
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Fresno State
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The Sporting News (Bill Bender)
Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – UCLA vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Pittsburgh
Las Vegas Bowl – Washington State vs. Missouri
Sun Bowl – Utah vs. North Carolina State
LA Bowl – Boise State vs. SMU
First Responder Bowl – Oregon State vs. Louisville
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San Jose Mercury-News (Jon Wilner)
(Pac-12 representatives only)
Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl -- USC
Only one Power Five champion with a 12-1 record has not been invited to the playoff: Ohio State in 2018, and the Buckeyes had a blowout loss to an unranked team (Purdue) that year. These Trojans are in much better shape. Win this week, and they’re in.
Rose Bowl -- Washington
Alamo Bowl -- UCLA
Holiday Bowl -- Utah
Las Vegas Bowl -- Oregon
Sun Bowl -- Oregon State
LA Bowl -- Washington State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
Georgia (SEC), Michigan (Big Ten), TCU (Big 12), USC (Pac-12). If all four of those teams win their respective conference championship games, that’s it. That’s your College Football Playoff. The only question is whether or not Ohio State slips in if USC goes down, and for now, let’s not work on the possibilities if TCU gets destroyed by Kansas State.
However, if USC loses to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship, Ohio State – even after getting dropkicked by Michigan – would likely be the fourth team in.
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – UCLA vs. North Carolina
Las Vegas Bowl – Washington State vs. Arkansas
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Louisville
LA Bowl – Oregon vs. Boise State
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Action Network (Brett McMurphy)
Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – TCU vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. North Carolina
Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs. Mississippi
Sun Bowl – UCLA vs. Duke
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – TCU vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. North Carolina
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Florida
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Louisville
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Pro Football Network (Oliver Hodgkinson)
Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. TCU
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Oregon vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Utah vs. Notre Dame
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Peach Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia
Fiesta Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – TCU vs. Michigan
Rose Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl – Penn State vs. Tulane
Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Texas
Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Florida State
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Mississippi State
Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Wake Forest
LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State
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Here are the bowls with Pac-12 tie-ins, listed in their pecking order:
College Football Playoff semifinals (if a Pac-12 team finishes among the top four teams in the final College Football Playoff rankings): Peach Bowl, Dec. 31, 1 p.m. Pacific time or 5 p.m. Pacific time, Atlanta Ga., ESPN, and Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 31, 1 p.m. Pacific time or 5 p.m. Pacific time, Glendale, Ariz., ESPN.
1. Rose Bowl: Jan. 2, 2 p.m. Pacific time, Pasadena, Calif., ESPN – Pac-12 vs. Big Ten.
1A. New Year's Six Bowls -- A Pac-12 team could qualify for one of the other three New Year's Six Bowls -- Orange Bowl on Dec. 30, Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31.
2. Alamo Bowl: Dec. 29, 6 p.m. Pacific time, San Antonio, Texas, ESPN – Pac-12 vs. Big 12.
3. Holiday Bowl: Dec. 28, 5 p.m. Pacific time, San Diego, FOX/FS1 – Pac-12 vs. ACC
4. Las Vegas Bowl: Dec. 17, 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Las Vegas, ABC – Pac-12 vs. SEC
5. Sun Bowl: Dec. 30, 11 a.m. Pacific time, El Paso, Texas, CBS – Pac-12 vs. Notre Dame/ACC
6. LA Bowl: Dec. 17, 12:30 p.m. Pacific time, Inglewood, Calif., ABC – Pac-12 vs. Mountain West.
First Responder Bowl -- The Pac-12 might occupy a spot in this Dec. 27 bowl in University Park, Texas, against a team from the ACC, American Athletic or Big 12.
Gasparilla Bowl -- The Pac-12 might fill an opening in this Dec. 23 bowl in Tampa, Fla., against a team from the Big 12, ACC or SEC.
Armed Forces Bowl -- The Pac-12 could get a berth in this Dec. 22 bowl in Fort Worth Texas.
NOTE: The Rose Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl have the option of passing over one team in the Pac-12 standings for another team if those teams are not separated by more than one game in the conference standings. The Sun Bowl and LA Bowl do not have that option and must make their selections based on order of finish in the Pac-12 standings.
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Cover photo of Washington's Michael Penix Jr. by James Snook, USA TODAY Sports
