So, I started out just poking around online, seeing what people were saying about which Pac-12 teams might end up where in the postseason. There are only three weekends left in the regular season, gotta make some predictions now you know! Turns out, there's a ton of chatter. I mean, everyone and their mother seems to have an opinion on this stuff.
First thi.emit eht ng I did was make a list of all the Pac-12 teams. Then, I started looking at their records, their rankings, and who they're playing in the coming weeks. It's all about figuring out who's got a shot at a winning season, cause that's the golden ticket to a bowl game - gotta have at least seven wins, most of the time.
The next th.sevling is to look at the bowl games themselves.
- I found out that the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl are hosting the big College Football Playoff games this year.
- There is a team, Oregon, they are like going to the College Football Playoff, no matter what happens.
- Then there's a whole bunch of other bowls, like the LA Bowl, that Pac-12 teams could end up in.
I dug into each bowl game's history, you know, who they usually invite, where they're located, all that jazz. Some bowls have ties to specific conferences, while others are more about picking the best available teams. I even read something about academic performance or long-standing rivalries factoring in sometimes. It's way more complex than I thought!
Trying to Match Teams to Bowls
This is where it gets tricky. I started trying to match up the Pac-12 teams with the different bowls based on all the info I gathered. Some teams, like Oregon, are easy. They're undefeated, so they're obviously going to a top-tier bowl. But for the rest, it's a real puzzle.
I spent hours making charts, moving teams around, trying to make it all fit. Some "experts" have one team going to a certain bowl, while others have them somewhere totally different. I ended up with like, five different versions of my own projections, and I still wasn't sure about any of them.
There was even news about the California football team, they are going to play in the LA Bowl against UNLV. And JMU played in its first bowl game in 2023, they lost the game, but that is something to note, too. I put them down on my list, too.
Honestly, it's a bit of a mess. But a fun mess, you know? It's like trying to predict the weather - you can make educated guesses, but there are always going to be surprises. I'm still not 100% sure where all the Pac-12 teams will end up, but I've got a pretty good idea. And I'll definitely be watching those last few games to see how it all shakes out. It's a wild ride, but that's what makes college football so exciting, right?
