Pac-12 Bowl Preview: Armed Forces-Cactus Bowl
By Mike Vamosi
With the PAC-12 Conference not being in this seasons College Football Playoff Saturday will be the last day of the 100th season of football. That said there are some great match-ups to close things out, five games in the league is 4-1 with only UCLA losing in Santa Clara.
More from Autzen Zoo
- Oregon football: Ducks and Coach Prime playing it cordial leading up to Saturday
- Oregon Basketball: Non-conference slate features Michigan coming to Eugene
- Oregon football: Ducks find complete game effort in win vs Hawaii
- Oregon Ducks must get run game going against Hawaii
- 8 Pac-12 teams represented in Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2
While there’s not a CFP team they’re some games that will get national attention with the Holiday, Rose and Alamo Bowls featuring opponents from the Big Ten and Big XII. That said here’s how the final five bowls look like which begins today.
Pac-12 Game of the Week
Who: 6 Stanford Cardinal (11-2) v. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes/Big Ten (12-1)
What: 102nd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
When: Friday, January 1 at 2 pm
Where: Pasadena, California/Rose Bowl
Why: Match-up of two evenly matched top 10 teams on New Years Day
TV: ESPN
Pac-12 Games You’re Watching Anyway
Tuesday, December 29
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: California Golden Bears (7-5) v. Air Force Falcons/MWC (8-5), 11 am/ESPN
– An early kickoff for two teams from the Mountain and Pacific time zones in Fort Worth but shouldn’t affect the service academy team in Fort Worth. Which Cal team will we see? The one that started off strong or the one who limped to the finish? Will this be the last we see of Jared Goff for the Golden Bears?
Wednesday, December 30
National Funding Holiday Bowl: 25 Southern California Trojans (8-5) v. Wisconsin Badgers/Big Ten (9-3), 7:30 pm/ESPN
– San Diego gets another great Holiday match-up even if this is the Trojans second straight appearance in the game. USC will face a physical no-frill Big Ten team with Wisconsin who might not match the talent but will punch you in the mouth if not ready. Cody Kessler final season had higher aspirations but this will be a good final test.
Saturday, January 2
Valero Alamo Bowl: 15 Oregon Ducks (9-3) v. 11 TCU Horned Frogs/Big XII (10-2), 3:45 pm/ESPN
– Had we not included the Rose Bowl this is easily our game of the week, which will still be a blast to watch. This will be Oregon’s second trip in three seasons to San Antonio but the Ducks defense best be ready for what the Horned Frogs will do on offense. Buckle up and get ready for 60-minutes of back and forth action!
Games Friends/Family/Alumnus Interested In
Saturday, January 2
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl: Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) v. West Virginia Mountaineers/Big XII (7-5), 7:15 pm/ESPN
– These two teams will meet at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix at the home of the Diamondbacks. This game will follow our previously mentioned game and might not have the luster but certainly has the makings of giving the scoreboard a workout. It’ll pretty much be a home game for ASU playing not far from Tempe, however don’t undersell the Mountaineers.
Mike’s Bowl Picks – Bowls (3-2)/Overall Regular Season (61-24)
December 26 Correct (1): Washington State
December 26 Wrong (2): Southern Miss, UCLA
California 20 v. Air Force 24, USC 27 v. Wisconsin 21, Stanford 28 v. Iowa 21, Oregon 42 v. TCU 35, Arizona State 38 v. West Virginia 31
Again the Oregon Ducks and TCU kickoff at 3:45pm Pacific Time on ESPN.