Nick Daschel is a veteran sports writer and columnist who has worked on the West coast for nearly three decades. Nick has covered the Pac-10 for about 15 years, primarily focusing on the Northwest schools.
Took a week off from bowl projections, and things have become so much clearer. It’s obvious UCLA is going nowhere, and Arizona State will struggle to win another game despite beating Washington by pulling a shamrock out of its behind. Washington is likely to lose this Saturday to Oregon, yet I still think the Huskies get to a bowl game. It also appears that the Pac-10 will have seven bowl eligible teams, but Oregon and USC could help by each getting to a BCS game.
Here’s my latest stab at Pac-10 bowl projections:
FORECASTED PAC-10 STANDINGS
League
Overall
Oregon
8-1
10-2
USC
7-2
10-2
Arizona
6-3
8-4
OSU
6-3
8-4
Stanford
5-4
7-5
Washington
5-4
6-6
California
4-5
7-5
UCLA
5-7
2-7
ASU
2-7
4-8
WSU
0-9
1-11
Rose Bowl: I’m predicting a league loss for Oregon, but not the big one: USC. The Ducks can afford a non-USC loss and still smell Roses on Jan. 1. I’m going to ride the Oregon train until the Ducks show their defense can’t hold up. By the way, if Jeremiah Masoli plays Saturday, Oregon hangs at least 40 on the Huskies. Pick: Oregon
BCS at-large: The Trojans are a lock to get an at-large berth as long as their only slip-up the remaining six games is Oregon. USC is a bowl magnet. Attractive team, coach, uniforms, television market. And if the Trojans run the table, I say don’t count them out of Rose Bowl II, the BCS Championship game. A USC-Florida or USC-Alabama championship game would break all TV bowl ratings records. Pick: USC
Holiday Bowl: The Wildcats defense had better pick it up if UA wants to nab the Pac-10’s No. 2 bowl, but I think it will. It pains me to see Arizona take off, because Mike Stoops was such a convenient whipping boy. But I’m about to concede he’s got things turned around for good in Tucson, now that it finally became apparent Nick Foles is the program’s quarterback. Pick: Arizona
Sun Bowl: Here’s where the juggling begins. Oregon State would typically get this slot, but because of the Beavers having played in the Sun Bowl in 2008 and the no-repeat rule, they’ll have to go elsewhere. I’m going a little bit on the limb picking Stanford here, thinking that the Cardinal have way too much offense to finish up as a loser again. Surely they’ll find enough defense to beat Arizona State, Cal and Notre Dame to reach postseason play for the first time since 2001. Pick: Stanford
Emerald Bowl: It’s going to get dicey in Seattle after this weekend when the Huskies lose to Oregon, but I still think Washington is good enough to pick off three more wins. The likely candidates? UCLA, Washington State and California. For the Emerald, it’s a pick between OSU and the Huskies, but since the Beavers were there in 2007, I envision a backroom deal with the Vegas Bowl to swap teams. Pick: Washington
Las Vegas Bowl: Sun, Emerald, Vegas. Wash, rinse, repeat for the Beavers. Some day they’ll aspire to get to the Holiday, and maybe it’s this year, but I think that loss to Arizona is going to get in the way. So, the Pac-10 mediocre bowl favorite is off to Vegas to win its sixth consecutive postseason game. Pick: Oregon State
Poinsettia Bowl: Cal is really inconsistent, but the Bears are too darn good to stay home for the holidays. After beating the Cougars this Saturday, Cal ought to be able to find one more win the rest of the way to become bowl eligible. That’s good for the Pac-10. Jeff Tedford is deadly in bowl games, and we could all use one more Jahvid Best showcase. Pick: California
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