Pac-12 Bowl Projections: USC, Washington Are CFP Possibilities

Two of the nine experts we cite project that a Pac-12 team will be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

College Football News predicts that USC will wind up in the Rose Bowl, which is one of the two CFP semifinal games, College Football Network projects that Washington will land in the Sugar Bowl, which is the other semifinal.

Michigan and Florida State are placed in the national semifinal games by all nine experts, and Georgia is in all the sites but one. College Football Network leaves the Bulldogs out of its final four, which reduces the credibility of that website.

Ten of the 12 teams in the Pac-12 are projected to get a bowl berth by at least two of the nine college football experts we cite. Only Stanford and Arizona State are left out completely.

Two experts put Cal in a bowl despite the loss to Auburn. Kyle Bonagura of ESPN projects the Golden Bears to play in the Birmingham Bowl, which is an odd selection, while ESPN's Mark Schlabach pegs Cal for a berth in the First Responder Bowl.

(The Pac-12's bowl affiliations appear at the end of this report.)

ESPN (Kyle Bonagura)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Florida State

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Georgia

Fiesta Bowl – Washington vs. Penn State

Alamo Bowl – Oregon State vs. Kansas State

Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Duke

Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Minnesota

Sun Bowl – Washington vs. Louisville

LA Bowl – Colorado vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl – UCLA vs. Texas Tech

Birmingham Bowl – Cal vs. Florida

ESPN (Mark Schlabach)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Florida State

Peach Bowl – USC vs. Alabama

Fiesta Bowl – Washington vs. Tulane

Alamo Bowl – Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Holiday Bowl – Utah vs. Duke

Las Vegas Bowl – Colorado vs. Wisconsin

Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. North Carolina State

LA Bowl – UCLA vs. Wyoming

Independence Bowl – Washington State vs. Texas Tech

First Responder Bowl – Cal vs. Cincinnati

CBS Sports (Jerry Palm)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Florida State

Fiesta Bowl – Washington vs. Tulane

Cotton Bowl – USC vs. LSU

Alamo Bowl – Oregon vs. Kansas State

Holiday Bowl – UCLA vs. Syracuse

Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Iowa

Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. North Carolina State

LA Bowl – Colorado vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl – Washington State vs. Baylor

USA Today (Erick Smith)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Florida State

Fiesta Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State

Alamo Bowl – Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Holiday Bowl – USC vs. North Carolina State

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs. Purdue

Sun Bowl – Utah vs. Louisville

LA Bowl – UCLA vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl – Colorado vs. Kansas

First Responder Bowl – Washington State vs. Texas Tech

Gasparilla Bowl – Arizona vs. Auburn

Action Network (Brett McMurphy)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Florida State

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Texas

Fiesta Bowl – Oregon vs. Fresno State

Peach Bowl – Washington vs. Ohio State

Cotton Bowl – USC vs. Oklahoma

Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Kansas State

Holiday Bowl – Oregon State vs. Miami-Fla.

Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Iowa

Sun Bowl – Colorado vs. Duke

LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Wyoming

Independence Bowl – Arizona vs. Texas Tech

247 Sports (Brad Crawford)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Florida State

Fiesta Bowl – USC vs. Alabama

Cotton Bowl – Washington vs. Kansas State

Alamo Bowl – Oregon State vs. Texas Tech

Holiday Bowl – Utah vs. North Carolina State

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Sun Bowl – Colorado vs. Duke

LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl – UCLA vs. Iowa State

Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Michigan vs. Florida State

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Texas

Fiesta Bowl – Washington vs. Tulane

Cotton Bowl – USC vs. Alabama

Alamo Bowl – Oregon vs. Oklahoma

Holiday Bowl – UCLA vs. Duke

Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Iowa

Sun Bowl – Oregon State vs. Louisville

LA Bowl – Colorado vs. Fresno State

Independence Bowl – Washington State vs. UCF

College Football News

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – USC vs. Michigan

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Georgia vs. Florida State

Fiesta Bowl – Oregon vs. Tulane

Alamo Bowl – Utah vs. Oklahoma

Holiday Bowl – Washington vs. Notre Dame

Las Vegas Bowl – Colorado vs. Purdue

Sun Bowl – Washington State vs. Duke

LA Bowl – (No pick made for this bowl)

Independence Bowl – Arizona vs. Texas Tech

First Responder Bowl – Oregon State vs. South Carolina

College Football Network (Oliver Hodgkinson)

Rose Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Florida State vs. Texas

Sugar Bowl (national CFP semifinals) – Washington vs. Michigan

Fiesta Bowl – USC vs. Ohio State

Peach Bowl – Utah vs. Fresno State

Alamo Bowl – Colorado vs. Oklahoma

Holiday Bowl – Oregon vs. Duke

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs. Iowa

Sun Bowl – UCLA vs. Miami-Fla.

LA Bowl – Washington State vs. Boise State

Independence Bowl – Arizona vs. UCF

Pac-12 bowl affiliations:

Football Playoff Semifinal (January 1): If Selected

Fiesta, Orange, Cotton or Peach: If Selected

Alamo Bowl (December 28): vs. Big 12

Holiday Bowl (December 27): vs. ACC

Las Vegas Bowl (December 23): vs. SEC

Sun Bowl (December 29): vs. ACC

LA Bowl (December 16): vs. Mountain West

Independence Bowl (December 16): vs. Big 12

A Pac-12 team could also be selected for one of three ESPN-operated bowl games: Armed Forces Bowl, First Responder Bow and Gasparilla Bowl

Cover photo of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is by Joe Nicholson, USA TODAY Sports

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