Now that Oregon has defeated Oregon State, the PAC-10 bowl picture clears up a little. If California beats Washington, the PAC-10 will have four teams tied for second place. Those four will be Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and the USC/Arizona winner. If Cal loses, then you have three teams tied for second and two teams tied for fifth. It is my understanding, and I could be wrong in this, that there are no tie breakers for second or third place or lower and that the bowls then get to choose which team they think will be best for them. The PAC-10 has six bowl commitments.
1. Oregon is in the Rose Bowl...that will not change. Ohio State will be their opponent. This has not yet been formalized, but it is all but set in stone.
2. Holiday Bowl. If USC is one of the four tied for second place, the Holiday Bowl will invite the Trojans. They are the closest to San Diego and will sell the most tickets. If USC looses to Arizona then the Holiday Bowl will pick Stanford. Stanford will be difficult for Holiday Bowl to pass up. Their head coach, Jim Harbaugh, is a former Charger and could generate some local interest in the game. This is where I disagree with others. Should Nebraska loose to Texas, this will be the other team. Otherwise, it will be Missouri or Texas Tech.
2. Sun Bowl. If Arizona is among the choices, then they will pick the Wildcats as they are the closest school to El Paso. If the choice will be between Cal, Stanford and Oregon State the I suspect they will choose Cal. If the choice is between OSU and Stanford, then they could take the feel-good story Cardinal over the Beavers. But this, in reality, is the real wild card in this entire scenario. Who does the Sun Bowl take if Arizona is not one of their choices? In my opinion, I find here the reason why the Sun Bowl and the Pac-10 have ended their agreement. I think they thought that Arizona or Arizona State would be here more often. Oklahoma seems destined to El Paso regardless of who wins the Big XII title game.
3. Emerald Bowl. If there is a Bay-area team still available, Cal or Stanford, this is where they will go. Otherwise, they will choose the Beavers. Boston College is slotted to be the other team.
4. Las Vegas Bowl. This game has never had a match up between two ranked teams before. Therefore, if Oregon State is available, they will choose the Beavers. If not, their choice will be Arizona as they have the potential to sell more tickets in Las Vegas than anyone else from the PAC-10. The third choice has to be USC over California, if both are losers on Saturday. This is logic based upon more recent history. The MWC choice is between BYU and Utah. Both are ranked and either will likely ensure a sold-out venue. BYU will be the choice unless Arizona is the PAC-10 team. BYU and Arizona met in the Las Vegas Bowl last year and the organizers may not want a rematch.
5. Poinsettia Bowl. They get what's left in the PAC-10. They can choose UCLA who is also bowl eligible, but I doubt they will. Utah or BYU will be the opponent.
If Cal and USC win. The Bears and the Trojans are the favorites on Saturday.
1. Rose Bowl...Oregon vs. Ohio State
2. Holiday Bowl...USC vs. Nebraska
3. Sun Bowl...California vs. Oklahoma
4. Emerald Bowl...Stanford vs. Boston College
5. Las Vegas Bowl...Oregon State vs Brigham Young
6. Poinsettia Bowl...Utah vs. Arizona
If Cal and Arizona win.
1. Rose Bowl...Oregon vs. Ohio State
2. Holiday Bowl...Stanford vs. Nebraska
3. Sun Bowl...Arizona vs.Oklahoma
4. Emerald Bowl...California vs. Boston College
5. Las Vegas Bowl...Brigham Young vs. Oregon State
6. Poinsettia Bowl...USC vs. Utah
If Washington and USC win.
1. Rose Bowl...Oregon vs. Ohio State
2. Holiday Bowl...USC vs. Nebraska
3. Sun Bowl...Stanford vs.Oklahoma
4. Emerald Bowl...Oregon State vs. Boston College
5. Las Vegas Bowl...Utah vs. Arizona
6. Poinsettia Bowl...Brigham Young vs. California
If Washington and Arizona Win
1. Rose Bowl...Oregon vs. Ohio State
2. Holiday Bowl...Stanford vs. Nebraska
3. Sun Bowl...Arizona vs.Oklahoma
4. Emerald Bowl...Oregon State vs. Boston College
5. Las Vegas Bowl...USC vs. Brigham Young
6. Poinsettia Bowl...Utah vs. California
Update: Notre Dame will forgo their bowl game this year. UCLA could be their replacement.
No comments:
Post a Comment