Utah continues to be left out of bowl game projections

[dystopiamembrane]

espn.com article

[astUTE]

So, if we assume that we don’t make a bowl game, what’s to stop the PAC12 from simply scheduling another conference game with another PAC12 team that is not invited to a bowl?  In the craziness that is 2020, and based on the fact that we have will have only played 5 games, what’s to stop this? 

Is there an official NCAA season deadline?

 

Just wondering…

[dystopiamembrane]

It’s not a general practice.

[Anonymous]

Nothing’s general practice right now. We don’t even know for certain who will play in the PAC-12 championship game less than a week out.

[dystopiamembrane]

Agreed, sorry. I was about to add that D-IAA, D-II, and D-III teams routinely schedule post-regular season games once the tournament participants have been decided. So, it’s not without precedent.

[Central Coast Ute]

Not sure the players want it this year. See Covey’s post game interview and schools like BC opting out of bowls.

[dystopiamembrane]

This board doesn’t generally care about or is openly hostile toward what the players want, @flip2848.

[Cesar Chavez]

If we beat WSU this saturday, Utah will be in a bowl game, Possibly the Idaho Potato Bowl against BYU. Hurray!

[Anonymous]

Not that again

[Matthew Thomas Castleton]

Nope. BYU is heading to the Boca Raton Bowl. I think if Utah beats Wazzu and ends 3-2, depending on the results of the other games, there’s no way they don’t find a bowl landing spot. Hell, with Stanford opting out of a bowl this year, that leaves these Pac-12 teams currently bowl eligible:

USC 5-0
Washington 3-1
Colorado 4-1
Oregon 3-2
UCLA 3-3
Utah 2-2

ASU can get bowl eligible with a win @ Oregon State. UCLA would stay bowl eligible if they beat Stanford. Here are my predictions in the games this week:

USC over Washington
Oregon over Colorado
Stanford over UCLA
Utah over Wazzu
Oregon State over ASU

That would make the final conference standings as follows:

North:

Oregon 4-2
Stanford 4-2
Washington 3-2
Oregon State 3-4
Wazzu 1-3
Cal 1-3

South:

USC 6-0
Utah 3-2
Colorado 4-2 (3-2 Pac-12)
UCLA 3-4
ASU 1-3
Arizona 0-5

Again, remember, Stanford has already announced that they are not going to play in a bowl game. That would leave the Pac-12 with five bowl-eligible teams:

USC 6-0
Oregon 4-2
Colorado 4-2 (3-2)
Washington 3-2
Utah 3-2

Stanford would do Utah a huge favor by beating UCLA, because that would eliminate the Bruins from bowl eligibility (you must have at least a .500 or better record and UCLA wouldn’t). Oregon State would also keep ASU from getting bowl eligible with a win over the Sun Devils. The Pac-12 is currently contracted to four bowl games that have not been canceled due to COVID-19:

NY6
Alamo Bowl
Independence Bowl
Armed Forces Bowl

Now, if USC wins on Friday, they’re obviously going to the Pac-12’s NY6 Bowl. Oregon at 4-2 would likely go to the Alamo Bowl. As Washington beat Utah, that would likely land them a birth in the Independence Bowl. That would leave Utah or Colorado to go to the Armed Forces Bowl. As Utah would finish within one game/tied in the conference standings with Colorado (making them eligible to be selected ahead of CU), coupled with the fact that Utah has a 17-point victory over the Buffs in Boulder, I think that the AF Bowl would choose Utah over CU, leaving the Buffs to find a bowl game that needs a team to fill an empty slot.

[2008 National Champ]

Most bowl games are money losers in a good season due to travel costs and the ticket buy requirements. Hard to believe it will be any better this season.

Pac-12 has also had at least 3 bowls that they are tied to cancelled so the options are very attractive for the 6th or 7 ranked team in the conference.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Darn right it doesn’t matter what the players want. They exist to serve us!

[Author]

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