Pac-12 Bowl Projections: One Expert Has Cal in a Bowl Game
One brave person believes Cal will get a bowl berth this season. Bay Area Pac-12 reporter Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News projects Cal will land in the First Responder Bowl.
None of the other six experts we cited have the Golden Bears in the postseason, but all of them have Oregon playing in the College Football Playoff. They are split on the Rose Bowl, with four projecting UCLA to face a Big Ten team in that New Year's Six game while three have USC making it to that Jan. 1 bowl.
We start with predictions by Wilner, who only projected the Pac-12 teams in the bowls that have Pac-12 tie-ins. We posted only the national semifinal projections of the two ESPN experts.
The Redbox Bowl (also called the San Francisco Bowl) has been canceled for a second straight year and its future beyond that is in question.
The Pac-12 bowl pecking order is listed at the bottom.
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San Jose Mercury News (Jon Wilner)
National semifinals – Oregon
Rose Bowl (vs. Big Ten) – UCLA
Alamo Bowl (vs. Big 12) – Arizona State
Las Vegas Bowl (vs. Big Ten) – USC
Holiday Bowl (vs. ACC) – Stanford
Sun Bowl (vs. ACC) – Utah
LA Bowl (vs. Mountain West) – Oregon State
ESPN Bowl (Armed Forces, Gasparilla or First Responder) – Cal
Wilner's comment on Cal: We have included the Bears (1-2) in the postseason because their cross-division dates with Arizona and Colorado make the bowl math easier. But they would be wise to reach the five-win mark before the finishing stretch against USC, Stanford and UCLA. Winning one of those three is a manageable proposition. Winning two is not.
Non-Qualifiers: Arizona, Colorado, Washington State, Washington
Wilner’s comment on Washington, Cal’s opponent in its Pac-12 opener on Saturday night: We’re not buying the Saturday success; everybody scores on Arkansas State. Now, if the Huskies (1-2) consistently move the ball and finish drives in the next two weeks (Cal and Oregon State), we will adjust the projection and slot them into a lower-tier bowl.
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National semifinals (Orange Bowl) – Oregon vs. Alabama
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National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Georgia
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National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Alabama
Rose Bowl – USC vs. Ohio State
Alamo Bowl – Arizona State vs. Texas
Las Vegas Bowl – UCLA vs. Michigan State
Holiday Bowl – Utah vs. Boston College
Sun Bowl – Stanford vs. North Carolina State
LA Bowl – Washington vs. Fresno State
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Action Network (Brett McMurphy)
National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Georgia
Rose Bowl – UCLA vs. Iowa
Alamo Bowl – USC vs. Kansas State
Las Vegas Bowl – Stanford vs. Michigan
Holiday Bowl – Arizona State vs. Wake Forest
Sun Bowl – Utah vs. Boston College
LA Bowl – Oregon State vs. Fresno State
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National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Georgia
Rose Bowl – USC vs. Iowa
Alamo Bowl – UCLA vs. Texas
Las Vegas Bowl – Stanford vs. Michigan State
Holiday Bowl – Arizona State vs. North Carolina
Sun Bowl – Utah vs. Wake Forest
LA Bowl – Washington vs. San Diego State
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National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Georgia
Rose Bowl – USC vs. Ohio State
Alamo Bowl – UCLA vs. Kansas State
Las Vegas Bowl – Stanford vs. Michigan
Holiday Bowl – Arizona State vs. Virginia Tech
Sun Bowl – Washington vs. North Carolina State
LA Bowl – Utah vs. Fresno State
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National semifinals (Cotton Bowl) – Oregon vs. Georgia
Rose Bowl – UCLA vs. Ohio State
Alamo Bowl – USC vs. Texas
Las Vegas Bowl – Utah vs. Michigan
Holiday Bowl – Stanford vs. Pittsburgh
Sun Bowl – Arizona State vs. Boston College
LA Bowl – Washington vs. Boise State
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National semifinals Orange Bowl) – Oregon vs. Alabama
Rose Bowl – UCLA vs. Ohio State
Alamo Bowl – USC vs. Texas
Las Vegas Bowl – Arizona State vs. Michigan State
Holiday Bowl – Stanford vs. Miami (Fla.)
Sun Bowl – Utah vs. Virginia Tech
LA Bowl – Washington vs. Fresno State
First Responder Bowl – Oregon State vs. San Diego 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): Cotton Bowl, Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. Pacific time or 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Arlington, Texas (AT&T Stadium), ESPN, and Orange Bowl, Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. Pacific time or 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Miami Gardens, Fla. (Hard Rock Stadium), ESPN.
1. Rose Bowl: Jan. 1, 2 p.m. Pacific time, Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl Stadium), ESPN – Pac-12 vs. Big Ten.
2. Alamo Bowl: Dec. 29, 6:15 p.m. Pacific time, San Antonio (Alamodome), ESPN – Pac-12 vs. Big 12.
3. Las Vegas Bowl: Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m. Pacific time, Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium), ESPN – Pac-12 s. Big Ten
4. Holiday Bowl: Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, San Diego (Petco Park), FOX/FS1 – Pac-12 vs. ACC
5. Sun Bowl: Dec. 31, 9:30 a.m. Pacific time, El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl Stadium), CBS – Pac-12 vs. ACC
6. LA Bowl: Dec. 18, 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, Inglewood, Calif. (SoFi Stadium), ABC – Pac-12 vs. Mountain West.
First Responder Bowl -- The Pac-12 might occupy a spot in this bowl against a team from the ACC, American Athletic or Big 12.
Gasparilla Bowl -- The Pac-12 might fill an opening in this bowl against a team from the Big 12, ACC or SEC.
The Redbox Bowl (also known as the San Francisco Bowl) would have been No. 7 in the pecking order of Pac-12 bowls and was to match a Pac-12 team against a Big Ten team, but it has been canceled for the second straight year.
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Cover photo of Cal's Daniel Scott is by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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