The Pac-12 is likely to be gone, however it received’t be forgotten throughout bowl season. According to Motion Community’s Brett McMurphy, the ten faculties that left the Pac-12 this season will nonetheless play in Pac-12 affiliated bowl video games as a substitute of their new convention’s bowl tie-in.
Contracts between conferences and bowls don’t finish till the 2025 season. With Oregon State and Washignton State as the one two remaining Pac-12 faculties in 2024, the Pac-12’s six bowl affiliations can’t be met with out participation from the previous faculties.
2023 noticed the near-complete dismantling of the Pac-12 resulting from convention realignment. USC and UCLA brokered an settlement to go away for the Massive Ten, with Oregon and Washington following them shortly thereafter. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado all left for the Massive 12, whereas Stanford and Cal left for the ACC.
At present, the best answer can be to have the ten absconded faculties fill within the remaining spots.
“Out of a series of not-great options, the most workable — short of blowing up the bowl system and the (35 non-playoff) bowl contracts — is to have the former Pac-12 schools sent to Pac-12 bowls for two more years,” an nameless supply informed Motion Community.
Some stakeholders, nevertheless, usually are not as eager on the concept. The inclusion of a number of conferences probably implies that bowl choice for these wouldn’t have the ability to be decided by convention report the best way they usually would. One alternate answer may by permitting the bowls to hand-pick their collaborating Pac-12 group, permitting a bowl to choose a 7-5 group over a 10-2 group. Present bowl contracts with conferences forbid groups from skipping over groups with not less than two fewer wins
The Pac-12’s present remaining bowl affiliations are the Alamo, Vacation, Las Vegas, Solar, and Los Angeles for the subsequent two years, with the addition of the Independence Bowl in 2024 and an ESPN-affiliated bowl in 2025.
Most of those bowls function Energy 5 conferences that simply took on former Pac-12 groups, throwing one other wrinkle into bowl planning. The Vacation and Solar Bowls each function ACC groups reverse the Pac-12, which means their planners would probably not wish to have Cal or Stanford because the Pac-12 consultant. The 2025 Las Vegas Bowl is in opposition to the Massive Ten, which might probably not function USC, UCLA, Oregon, or Washington within the Pac-12 slot.
The Alamo Bowl — a Pac-12 vs. Massive 12 matchup — is very distinctive from a matchup perspective. In response to the Motion Community, the uncertainty across the Pac-12’s bowl standing has led to Alamo Bowl officers eager to lock in Oklahoma and Texas because the Massive 12 representatives for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The one downside is each groups simply left the Massive 12 for the SEC. Each the SEC and Massive 12 at the moment oppose this proposal, however there’s a small chance we get convention expats on each side of the bowl. Followers will sadly be robbed of the prospect to see an all-Massive-Ten Rose Bowl as a result of the sport is now a part of the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
