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Pac-12 bowl projections: Pressure builds as Washington State looks to keep Alamo hold

By Jon Wilner Bay Area News Group

In one regard, the Pac-12 hasn’t splintered: All 12 schools remain tied to the bowls that have been affiliated with the conference in recent years. Exceptions are made for teams that qualify for the College Football Playoff as conference winners or at-large entrants. Otherwise, what’s past is present for the 2024-25 seasons.

Here are the latest weekly projections:

College Football Playoff

Team: Colorado (Big 12 champion)

Comment: Good chance the Buffaloes (8-2) reach the CFP with just one victory over a ranked opponent (whichever team they face in the Big 12 championship). They lost to Kansas State and do not play Arizona State, Brigham Young or Iowa State during the regular season which, crucially, isn’t their fault.

College Football Playoff

Team: Oregon (Big Ten runner-up)

Comment: Our forecast goes something like this: A rematch against Ohio State for the Big Ten title leads to the first loss for the Ducks (11-0), which leads to the No. 5 seed in the CFP, which leads to a home playoff game against No. 12 seed Boise State, which leads to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 4 seed Colorado, which leads to the semifinals – and a third date with Ohio State.

Alamo Bowl

Team: Washington State

Comment: With the loss at New Mexico derailing their playoff drive, the Cougars (8-2) must beat Oregon State and Wyoming and hope that 1) Colorado reaches the CFP and 2) Arizona State loses twice. Otherwise, WSU could get bumped out of the Alamo.

Holiday Bowl

Team: Arizona State

Comment: It’s late November, the Sun Devils (8-2) are alive and well in the CFP race and Kenny Dillingham is making a great case for Big 12 Coach of the Year. What planet are we on?

Las Vegas Bowl

Team: UCLA

Comment: Our hunch is the USC-UCLA winner would be the preferred pick of Las Vegas Bowl officials over Washington due to the L.A. media market (for TV ratings) and the easy drive (for ticket and hotel sales).

Sun Bowl

Team: Washington

Comment: From the CFP championship game to the Sun Bowl in a single year. But hey, it beats being home for the holidays – not because Husky fans have their sights set on New Year’s in El Paso, Texas, but because Washington (6-5) needs the extra practices to get started on next season.

Nonqualifiers

Teams: Arizona, Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, USC and Utah.