Pac-12 bowl projections: Utah climbs into the Alamo, ASU heads to Las Vegas while Washington slips

The Pac- dissolved in but one vestige of the former conference remains relevant to the college football season unfolding this fall the bowl lineup The legacy teams are locked into the postseason arrangement that existed prior to collapse Each week the Hotline will project and assess the postseason status for all teams Last week s projections can be exposed here College Football Playoff Unit Oregon Comment The Ducks - are building a resume that resembles Indiana s profile in when the Hoosiers finished with one loss but no wins over ranked teams They were seeded th in the CFP and played a road tournament in the opening round Alamo Bowl Squad Utah Comment With three games left against middle-of-the-pack Big opponents the Utes - are tracking for wins and would be attractive to the Alamo especially because they have not participated since Las Vegas Bowl Band Arizona State Comment Even without Sam Leavitt the Sun Devils - will be favored in their final three games They have a narrow path into the Big championship and a manageable return to the CFP If it widens Saturday because of results elsewhere we ll delve into the scenarios next week Holiday Bowl Crew USC Comment The range of landing spots for USC - is considerable given the challenging finishing schedule It could propel them into the CFP or produce a steep fall down the bowl lineup The Holiday feels like a reasonable compromise at this point Sun Bowl Unit Washington Comment Our outlook for UW - hasn t changed materially the Hotline continues to project eight or nine wins But the landscape has shifted following victories by Utah and Arizona State which could easily finish with gaudier records than the Huskies and therefore be more attractive to the Alamo and Las Vegas Bowls LA Bowl Unit Arizona Comment Thanks to the blowout win in Boulder Arizona s bowl math has turned exponentially easier as the Wildcats - enter a finishing stretch featuring a handful of toss-up games ESPN bowl Squad Cal Comment Good chance the slumping Bears - will be dropped to the tier of non-qualifiers starting next week In fact we wouldn t be surprised if Cal loses its last three and finishes below ESPN bowl Group Washington State Comment Yes the offense was offensive in Corvallis But the Cougars - built enough cushion to qualify for the postseason Protect the home field against Louisiana Tech and Oregon State and they will be bowling yet again Non-qualifier Band Colorado Comment Deion Sanders was roundly celebrated for his ability to rapidly remake the roster and turn the Buffaloes into contenders in two years Welp he s equally responsible for the second-rate depth chart CU is trotting out this season on a weekly basis Non-qualifier Organization Oregon State Comment The competition for coaches at the sub-Power Four level could turn stiff and costly for the Beavers once the hiring process begins at the top of the sport and sparks a chain reaction that results in vacancies at schools with profiles similar to Oregon State Non-qualifier Organization Stanford Comment If not for Notre Dame s visit at the end of the regular season the Cardinal - would have a navigable path into the postseason But the Irish will be playing for a CFP bid and well Non-qualifier Organization UCLA Comment The Bruins might have the opportunity to play the spoiler role not once but twice thanks to their dates with Washington home and USC road on the final two Saturdays Related Articles Big Ten power rankings Indiana on top ahead of first CFP reveal Big power rankings BYU on top as TTU Utah climb and Cincinnati slides Pac- power rankings San Diego State on top after Boise State s loss as the CFP path continues to narrow Week recap Sanders and CU struggle Arizona and ASU rise on the road Mailbag Coaching carousel edition with Fisch Riley Wilcox and more Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline