Pickings are slim, but Pac-12 teams are in bowls
The Pac-12 season started last among the Power-5 conferences, never sniffed the playoff and doesn’t have a top-10 team. But it’s part of the 2020 college football postseason.
You just have to look carefully to find the evidence.
There are 56 teams participating in the bowl season. Two are from the Pac-12; Oregon and Colorado.
That total is the lowest in the Power Five, by far, and it’s tied with the MidAmerican for the lowest participation in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
We’re not here to render judgment. Some teams aren’t healthy enough to play; others are simply exhausted.
The season was arduous, the cancellations were spirit-sapping, and several bowl games based inside the footprint went on hiatus.
The players were part of the decision-making process -- a good thing -- and, in many cases, were more interested in seeing their families for the first time in months than traveling thousands of miles for what was effectively a road game.
Three days in Shreveport, Louisiana doesn’t sound real good right about now.
WLST WLTS>> The Hotline has been picking Pac-12 bowl games since before the Pac-12 even existed.
Our first attempt was back in the late 2000s, at the end of the Pac-10 era.
This year, it’s the Pac2. With only Oregon and Colorado participating after five eligible teams declined invitations for various reasons related to COVID-19, we’ve adjusted. Instead of limiting the Hotline picks to Pac-12 games, we’ve added the two semifinals and two wild cards.
Last week: 3-1... Season: 18-11-1.. Five-star special: 3-3
All picks against the spread. Lines taken from vegasinsider.com ARMY (+7.5) VS. WEST VIRGINIA (LIBERTY BOWL,
DEC. 31)>> Imagine being West Virginia, thinking you have a showdown against an SEC school. Then the Vols withdraw and you get ... Army, with its nine wins, superb discipline and triple option. The Black Knights will be ready; they were desperate to play anyone after their date in the Independence Bowl was aborted because the Pac-12 didn’t have a team. The Mountaineers? Not so much. Pick: Army
COLORADO (+9.5) VS. TEXAS (ALAMO BOWL, DEC. 29)>> The Longhorns lost three games, but two were to teams (No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 12 Iowa State ) and both were close.
Meanwhile, the Buffaloes won’t have star linebacker Nate Landman and were exposed by Utah in their last game, two weeks ago. The line opened at 11 and has inched down to a reasonable level. But we’re not convinced the Buffaloes have the personnel to hold up for four quarters. Pick: Texas
CINCINNATI (+7.5) VS. GEORGIA (PEACH BOWL, JAN. 1)>> The disparity in talent will be offset by the difference in motivation: Sixthranked Cincinnati (9- 0) is playing for respect after being left out of the College Football Playoff. Georgia views any bowl outside the playoff as a step down. Also, watch Luke Fickell out- coach
Kirby Smart. Pick: Cincinnati.
OREGON (+4.5) VS. IOWA STATE (FIESTA BOWL, JAN. 2)>> The Ducks drew the best possible opponent. Oklahoma or an SEC team would have posed far greater trouble on the size-and-speed front. ISU coach Matt Campbell is one of the best in the country. He has one of the top players in tailback Breece Hall and a veteran quarterback in Brock Purdy. But Oregon’s roster is more talented. And the Cyclones are coming off a loss in the Big 12 title game. Pick: Oregon
NOTRE DAME (+19.5) VS. ALABAMA (CFP/ROSE BOWL)>>
We’ve seen this show before -- Notre Dame on the biggest postseason stage -- and it’s not a pleasant sight. The oddsmakers are daring the public to take the points (19.5!), but the right move is to give them all ... and more, if necessary. Pick: Alabama.
OHIO STATE (+7.5) VS. CLEMSON (CFP/SUGAR BOWL)>>
The Buckeyes are’t exactly stout in the secondary, and that’s problematic against Trevor Lawrence and Co. This won’t be like last year’s semifinal thriller. Not even close. Pick: Clemson.
STRAIGHT-UP WINNERS >>
West Virginia, Texas, Cincinnati, Oregon, Alabama and Clemson.
FIVE-STAR SPECIAL >> Or
egon.