Oregon
Oregon to the Rose Bowl, OSU becomes a lock and Cal’s prospects deteriorate
The Pac-12 hasn’t positioned a staff within the Faculty Soccer Playoff in six years. The convention’s New 12 months’s Six drought is nearly as prolonged.
Each streaks — or just one — may finish this yr.
The CFP stays a risk, notably for the Los Angeles faculties.
So is lacking the CFP once more however sending a non-champion to the Cotton Bowl, which is a part of the New 12 months’s Six and has two at-large slots out there this season.
The opposite may go to a Pac-12 staff that finishes with one or two losses however doesn’t win the convention title — one more potential profit to having a top-heavy convention.
Over the eight years of the New 12 months’s Six format, the Pac-12 has solely produced two at-large groups: Arizona went to the Fiesta Bowl in 2014, and Washington adopted three years later.
Due to the choice course of, the Pac-12 may very well be higher off having its second-highest-ranked staff not advance to the convention title recreation.
If the playoff isn’t an possibility, then a loss in Las Vegas may eradicate that staff from the New 12 months’s Six pool.
It’s another piece to a fluid however fascinating stretch run.
To the bowl projections …
Rose Bowl
Crew: Oregon (5-1/3-0)
Residence video games remaining (three): UCLA, Washington, Utah
Street video games remaining (three): Cal, Colorado, Oregon State
Remark: The Hotline hasn’t been fallacious about something in two or three minutes, nevertheless it’s tough to examine Oregon receiving a playoff invitation — even at 12-1 and carrying a Pac-12 title. The Georgia loss was just too damaging.
Cotton Bowl
Crew: USC (6-1/4-1)
Residence (three): Cal, Colorado, Notre Dame
Street (two): Arizona, UCLA
Remark: Our present projections name for USC to complete third within the Pac-12 race however return to the Cotton, the place the Trojans misplaced to Ohio State within the 2017 season.
Alamo Bowl
Crew: UCLA (6-0/3-0)
Residence (three): Stanford, Arizona, USC
Street (three): Oregon, Arizona State, Cal
Remark: No staff has a wider vary of touchdown spots than the Bruins, who may attain the playoff or slide to Las Vegas or El Paso, partly as a result of the Vacation desires no a part of them.
Crew: Utah (5-2/3-1)
Residence (two): Arizona, Stanford
Street (three): WSU, Oregon, Colorado
Remark: Yet another loss and the Utes are out of the New 12 months’s Six chase. And since they’ve performed within the Alamo and Vacation bowls lately, they might slide to Las Vegas if a return to the Granddaddy isn’t their future.
Las Vegas Bowl
Crew: Washington (5-2/2-2)
Residence (two): Oregon State, Colorado
Street (three): Cal, Oregon, WSU
Remark: So long as the Huskies get to the excessive facet of .500 in convention play, Las Vegas is an possibility, How about Mississippi State (and Mike Leach) because the opponent? That may generate some curiosity.
Solar Bowl
Crew: Oregon State (5-2/2-2)
Residence (three): Cal, Colorado, Oregon
Street (two): Washington, ASU
Remark: The Beavers are a postseason lock after the victory over WSU. It’s solely a matter of how excessive they climb — and that might hinge on the result of the Nov. 4 duel in Husky Stadium.
LA Bowl
Crew: Washington State (4-3/1-3)
Residence (three): Utah, ASU, Washington
Street (two): Stanford, Arizona
Remark: The Cougars want two wins to qualify and will likely be favored, or a slight underdog, in 4 video games. We like their probabilities (though not as a lot as we did just a few weeks in the past).
Non-qualifier
Crew: Arizona (3-4/1-3)
Residence (three): USC, Washington State, ASU
Street (two): Utah, UCLA
Remark: Whereas Arizona’s place right here stays unchanged, its underlying odds have deteriorated considerably. Successful zero extra video games is simply as possible as successful three extra.
Crew: Arizona State (2-4/1-2)
Residence (two): UCLA, Oregon State
Street (4): Stanford, Colorado, WSU, Arizona
Remark: Growing the victory whole by 50 % this week — from two to a few — would enhance ASU’s prospects for the postseason by an equal quantity. Win at Stanford, and the maths will get simpler.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Cal (3-3/1-2)
Residence (4): Washington, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA
Street (two): USC, Oregon State
Remark: The Hotline envisions a state of affairs wherein Cal misses a bowl berth by one recreation and Colorado solely wins one recreation. And we will’t be the one ones anticipating that end-game.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Colorado (1-5/1-2)
Residence (three): ASU, Oregon, Utah
Street (three): Oregon State, USC, Washington
Remark: The ground for CU is now 1-11, however the ceiling is 2-10.
Non-qualifier
Crew: Stanford (2-4/0-4)
Residence (three): ASU, WSU, Brigham Younger
Street (three): UCLA, Utah, Cal
Remark: We’re saying there’s an opportunity, however solely as a result of we’ve truly watched ASU, WSU, BYU and Cal play a number of instances.
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