Halloween is a little more than a week away, and the Pac-12’s College Football Playoff dreams have already turned into a pumpkin.
As one could have foreseen weeks ago, Washington State is the last one-loss team standing, and it’s only a matter of time before the Cougars “Coug it” and join the rest of the Pac. If they’re on brand, that probably happens this weekend at Stanford.
So, without a playoff spot to worry about, now is as good a time as any for the Omelette of Champions to look into our crystal ball and make a few postseason predictions.
In just six short weeks, the conference’s division champions will play before hundreds at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the right to go to the Granddaddy (aka, the Rose Bowl). After that, the conference’s bowl lineup shakes out as follows: No. 2 – Alamo Bowl, No. 3 – Holiday Bowl, No. 4 – Red Box Bowl, No. 5 – Sun Bowl, No. 6 – Las Vegas Bowl, and No. 7 – Cheeze-It Bowl.
Two teams are already bowl eligible and four more are just one win away. Unless something crazy happens — and this being the Pac-12, it would be foolish to rule that out — it appears likely the conference will fulfill its bowl obligations. And who knows? They might even win a bowl or two.
It’s happened before. Just not recently.
Cheeze-It Bowl, 7 p.m. Dec. 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix — Colorado vs. TCU: A chance for the Buffs to springboard into the offseason on a positive note with a victory over a top-tier program. Win this, and CU becomes a chic Rose Bowl pick for 2019.
Las Vegas Bowl, 1:30 p.m. Dec 15 at Sam Boyd Stadium — USC vs. Fresno State: Trojans fans celebrate the end of the Clay Helton era with a weekend on the Strip. Everyone wins. Except for poor Clay Helton.
Sun Bowl, noon Dec. 31 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas — Stanford vs. Miami: Scholars vs. Ballers. Expect lots and lots of… empty seats.
Red Box Bowl, 1 p.m. Dec. 31 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. — Washington State vs. Michigan State: If all we got was the Mark Dantonio-Mike Leach joint press conference, that would be enough.
Holiday Bowl, 5 p.m. Dec. 31 at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego — Oregon vs. Penn State: Not only do we get two of the best quarterbacks in college football in Justin Herbert and Trace McSorley, but also the Ducks’ gaudy uniforms vs. Penn State’s unassailable blue-and-whites.
Alamo Bowl, 7 p.m. Dec. 28 at Alamodome in San Antonio — Utah vs. Texas: It’s not the Rose Bowl Utes fans so desperately crave, but a shot at the Longhorns isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Rose Bowl, 3 p.m. Jan. 1 at Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. — UW vs. Michigan: The Huskies and Wolverines renew a rivalry that once defined this game in the early 1990s. Can Chris Petersen finally knock off a giant at UW?
—, The Denver Post
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Quick Hits
+ Amid all the good feelings of a 3-0 start, the Nuggets were dealt some bad news with word Will Barton would be out until at least December.
+ The status of three Broncos injured in Thursday’s win over Arizona remained uncertain Monday when the team returned to work.
+ Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas responded to trade rumors Monday: “I would love to be here.”
+ Remember all that chatter about Rockies pitcher Seunghwan Oh going back to South Korea next season? Forget about it.
+ Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week.
+ Not to be outdone, Avs’ Gabe Landeskog earns NHL “Three Stars” of the week honor.
+ Colorado Buffaloes football has plenty at stake down the stretch.
+ Speaking of the Buffs, the offense know it needs to get things back in order after a couple of rough games.
+ Colorado State football coach Mike Bobo announced a change at starting quarterback.
+ Atlanta’s Matt Ryan came up big in a battle of disappointing NFL teams Monday night.
+ There’s long-distance running, and then there’s whatever you call .
+ The Red Sox and Dodgers have been around for a long time. But World Series meetings between the two storied franchises are few and far between.
+ Your No. 1 team going into the 2018-19 men’s college basketball season: the Kansas Jayhawks.
+ Broncos Mailbag: Have a question about the team? .
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Parting Shot
World Series Bark Park: Rick Porcello’s puppy romps around Fenway
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Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me .
