The most successful Pac-12 regular season in years hasn’t resonated with the postseason oddsmakers.
Combine several difficult matchups with significant quarterback attrition (hello, USC and Oregon State) and the conference is favored in just half of its eight bowls.
This, after it posted a 29-7 record in non-conference games from September through November.
But the underdog role creates the opportunity for upside surprises, especially in the matchups against marquee foes Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas.
Our picks …
Season: 42-38-1
Five-star special: 7-6
All picks against the spreadLines taken from BetMGM (via VegasInsider.com)
*** Games listed in chronological order
LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State
Kickoff: Dec. 16 at 4:30 p.m. (ABC)Line: UCLA -4 (total: 48.5)
Comment: Things only got worse for the Bruins after the season-ending loss to Cal with substantial player and staff departures. (Star edge rusher Laiatu Latu, for example, has opted out of the game.) As a result, we’re avoiding them at all costs in the LA Bowl. Meanwhile, Boise State finished with four consecutive wins and is rallying around Spencer Danielson, who was recently promoted from interim to permanent coach. One team has loads of motivation; the other has none. Also, the Mountain West is 2-0 against the Pac-12 in the LA Bowl.
Pick: Boise State
Independence Bowl: Cal vs. Texas Tech
Kickoff: Dec. 16 at 6:15 p.m. (ESPN)Line: Cal +2.5 (total: 57.5)
Comment: Like UCLA, the Bears have been whacked by staff and player defections. Unlike UCLA, they finished the season with momentum and have coalesced around quarterback Fernando Mendoza. (Bowl games are as much about desire as talent.) Cal’s opponent was 6-6 in a lesser conference, the Big 12, and battered 57-7 in its regular-season finale. This feels like the end of 2019 all over again for the Bears, and that’s a good thing for coach Justin Wilcox.
Pick: Cal
Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Northwestern
Kickoff: Dec. 23 at 4:30 p.m. (ABC)
Line:…
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