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Pac-12 flourishes in its bowl season swan song before 10 teams take flight

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Pac-12 flourishes in its bowl season swan song before 10 teams take flight

Out with the old, and before we move on to the new, let’s tally how well that moribund football conference last known as the Pac-12 fared in bowls.

Washington’s exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal over Texas and Oregon’s ho-hum Fiesta Bowl spanking of clearly inferior Liberty on Monday lifted the conference bowl record since its inception in 1916 to 157-150-5, a .511 winning percentage.

This holiday season the Pac-12 is a respectable 5-3 with the CFP championship game between Washington and Michigan to play Monday. USC and UCLA did their part, with victories in the Holiday and LA bowls, respectively, that capped seasons of dismay with smiley faces.

The showing is the best since 2015, when the Pac-12 set a record by playing in 10 bowls and posting a 6-4 record — no thanks to USC and UCLA, which both lost mid-tier bowls. As recently as 2021 the Pac-12 was 0-5 in bowls (as well as 0-2 in 2020), although the Trojans and Bruins can’t be blamed because neither team played in a bowl either year.

That COVID-colored stretch also produced the only overall records under .500 posted by the conference since 1983 and contributed to the perception that the Pac-12 was spiraling toward oblivion. The conference was 103-113 in 2020-21, its combined strength of schedule dipped to a historic low and no conference team had qualified for the CFP since 2016.

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The short answer as to why the Pac-12 has been reduced to Washington State and Oregon State is that the conference was unable to negotiate a television deal that could compete with contracts already in place in other Power 5 conferences.

Now 10 of the 12 teams will begin the 2024 season elsewhere. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are headed to the Big Ten, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah jumped to the Big 12, and Stanford and Cal will join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

All of which saps any pride and joy the conference might feel about its resurgence in 2023. Washington and Oregon are a combined 26-2 with both losses a result of the Huskies beating the Ducks. Arizona and Oregon State enjoyed solid years, Colorado brought the buzz of coach Deion Sanders, and the Pac-12’s overall record of 89-65 is its best since 2014.

Sanders, at least, explained the exodus as succinctly as possible, saying, “All this is about money, you know that. It’s about a bag, everybody’s chasing the bag.”

Dismissing Pac-12 teams is an easy default because for practical purposes it no longer exists. Unbeaten Washington was an underdog to Texas, and the early line on the CFP championship game has Michigan a 4.5-point favorite.

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Can the self-proclaimed “Conference of Champions” — a slogan built primarily on the undisputed success of nonrevenue sports — disband amid the glory of a national football title? Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is doing all he can to make it a reality.

“The job’s not finished,” Penix said. “I feel like it’s definitely going to take more. I’m going to push myself to get this team more next week. And, man, we’re just super excited for the opportunity.”

In addition to adding to the Pac-12’s current bowl victory total of 157, a win over Michigan would improve the overall record of the Pac-12 and its predecessors over the last 108 years from its current 5,744-4,682-306.

That’s a lot of football for a conference known as the Pacific Coast Conference through 1958, the Athletic Assn. of Western Universities from 1959-1967, the Pacific-8 Conference from 1968-1977 and the Pacific-10 Conference from 1978-2010.

What it will go by in 2024 is unclear. Calling the leftover teams in Corvallis, Ore., and Pullman, Wash., the Pac-2 seems almost cruel. Yet that is precisely what Oregon State and Washington State are, especially after the Washington Supreme Court two weeks ago lifted a stay that was preventing the two schools from taking action to secure the future of the conference.

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The short-term solution is the scheduling agreement the Beavers and Cougars entered into with the Mountain West Conference for 2024. And it could result in a more permanent relationship between the schools and conference.

Until that is sorted out, the prospect of the conference shuttering for good remains. The overall and bowl records would be etched in stone, with game No. 10,733 and bowl No. 313 in the hands of an eminently capable Washington team playing for a national championship.

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Josh Allen reflects on growth he’s made since joining Bills and becoming expectant father

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Josh Allen reflects on growth he’s made since joining Bills and becoming expectant father

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had a terrific 2025.

He and his wife, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, got married in June and last week he announced the two were expecting their first child together. Not to mention, he started the year being awarded the NFL MVP trophy.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Allen expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.

“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said Wednesday. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”

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As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”

Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.

Allen is a three-time Pro Bowler and coming off an MVP season. While he’s done more than enough to warrant talk of back-to-back MVPs, Allen shook that notion off going into Week 16.

“I’m just trying to do my job, just trying to find a way to get in the playoffs here,” he said.

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Beating the New England Patriots last week after being down 21 points was a good first step. Buffalo has had ups and downs all season long but the team seems to be hitting its stride now with four wins in their last five games.

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Buffalo will go up against the Cleveland Browns on the road on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Broncos edge Jaguars

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NFL Week 16 picks: Rams defeat Seahawks; Broncos edge Jaguars

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Sunday, 10 a.m. TV: CBS, Paramount+.

Line: Bills by 10½. O/U: 41½.

After an amazing comeback against a really strong New England team last Sunday, the Bills are emboldened and Josh Allen is on an MVP pace. Cleveland relies on its stout defense, but that unit didn’t show up in Week 15 against Chicago, surrendering 31 points. Buffalo, which is 7-2 outside the division, wins this going away.

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Pick: Bills 27, Browns 16

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Heisman Trophy voter blasts Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia for F-bomb remark in fiery column: ‘Punk move’

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Heisman Trophy voter blasts Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia for F-bomb remark in fiery column: ‘Punk move’

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One Heisman Trophy voter isn’t staying silent after seeing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s message about finishing second over the weekend to Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Chase Goodbread of The Tuscaloosa News, who has a Heisman vote, wrote a piece this week about Pavia saying “F— all the voters” after finishing a distant second behind Mendoza. Pavia wrote it in the caption of an Instagram story post with a picture of his Commodores teammates.

While Pavia apologized for his initial response to the loss in New York City, Goodbread wasn’t impressed by what Pavia had to say.

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Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores poses with the Heisman Memorial Trophy before the 2025 Heisman Trophy presentation at Marriott Marquis Hotel Dec. 13, 2025, in New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)

“He’s a big boy now,” Goodbread wrote in his column. “Old enough to have more than one college degree. Old enough to beat the NCAA in court to gain extra eligibility, and old enough to make the pile of NIL money that came with that. Old enough to know better. And old enough to handle some criticism.

“It was a punk move, Diego. This voter wasn’t sitting right next to Mendoza Saturday night, but my congrats for him are at least genuine.”

Goodbread added that Pavia’s behavior was “jackassery,” saying, “After 6 years in college, you’d think Pavia would’ve signed up for at least one course in humility by now.”

DIEGO PAVIA KNOWS EXPLICIT OUTBURST AGAINST HEISMAN VOTERS WAS ‘UNACCEPTABLE,’ VANDERBILT AD SAYS

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Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes to Pavia’s 189.

The Vanderbilt athletic director released a statement on Monday after Pavia’s comment.

“Diego knows his actions were unacceptable, and he has apologized,” athletic director Candice Lee said in a statement to The Tennessean Monday. “I know he is contrite and regrets the hurt he caused. He is a passionate and authentic competitor, and while his authenticity has been nurtured and celebrated here, it does not change the responsibility that comes with representing Vanderbilt University.

“We believe in growth and accountability, and we will continue to support Diego as he learns from this moment.”

Pavia later apologized for his comments on X.

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Diego Pavia of the Vanderbilt Commodores warms up before a game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium Nov. 29, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

“I didn’t handle those emotions well at all and did not represent myself the way I wanted to,” he wrote in a statement. “I have much love and respect for the Heisman voters and the selection process, and I apologize for being disrespectful. It was a mistake, and I am sorry.

“Fernando Mendoza is an elite competitor and a deserving winner of the award. I have nothing but respect for his accomplishments as well as the success that Jeremiyah [Love] and Julian [Sayin] had this season. I’ve been doubted my whole life,” he wrote.

“Every step of my journey I’ve had to break down doors and fight for myself, because Ive learned that nothing would be handed to me. My family has always been in my corner, and my teammates, coaches and staff have my six. I love them — I am grateful for them. — and I wouldn’t want anything to distract from that. I look forward to competing in front of my family and with my team one more time in the ReliaQuest Bowl.”

Pavia, playing in his second season at Vanderbilt after starting at New Mexico State, led the SEC with a 71.2% completion rate with 27 touchdowns, 3,192 yards passing and nine rushing scores. He rushed for 826 yards on 152 attempts.

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Pavia’s reaction to the voting results wasn’t much of a shock, though. He has always been self-confident to the point he kept telling voters to send him to New York City because he felt he deserved the Heisman.

Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia throws to an open teammate against South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 9, 2024. (Imagn)

“The Heisman Trophy winner goes to the best player in college football,” Pavia said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic.” “I believe that to be myself. You check the numbers, and especially — there’s two things that don’t lie to you: Numbers and tape. I’ve been taught that since I was young. You go check that out. I feel like I’m undoubtedly the best player in college football.”

Vanderbilt had a 10-2 record on the year, ranking No. 14 nationally at the end of the regular season.

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