Pac 12 Schedule: 12/29 - 1/4

12/29
USC at California
Oregon State at Washington
Oregon v Washington State
UCLA at Stanford

12/31
UCLA at California
Arizona State at Arizona
Utah at Colorado
Oregon State v Washington State
USC at Stanford
Oregon at Washington

Pac 12 Big 10 Interconference Games

The Pac 12 and the Big 10 announced that the two leagues would join forces for annual interconference games. The details are pending, but we do know the interconference games will not happen until 2017.

What are your thoughts on the interconference games?

Pac 12 Bowls

Excited for the Pac 12 Bowl games? You should be - they are right around the corner!

There are some concerns about the Pac 12 teams in their respective bowls. First off, the Pac 12 is an underdog in six of the 7 bowl games (Oregon is favored over Wisconsin). If the Pac 12 were to leave with a winning record, 4-3, there would need to be at least three upsets. A winning record would really bring some some respect to the Pac 12.

Secondly, though Oregon is favored over Wisconsin, there is some cause for worry. Five od Chip Kelly's six losses have come to teams with extra time to prepare: Boise State, LSU, Ohio State, Auburn and Stanford.

There are also exciting games featuring some of the best players in the college game. Andrew Luck has the chance to leave Stanford with a bang. He has been celebrated (and #trending) all year for his return to the Cardinals. Now that he is headed to the NFL, the Fiesta Bowl is his last chance... it would be a shame if the Cardinals lost and his college career ended with a loss.

RG3 (Robert Griffin III) is this year's Heisman Trophy winner. Can he back up that honor with a Baylor win over Washington?

The bowl games are exciting and I can't wait to see what happens!

ASU Hires Todd Graham

Arizona State has been looking for a coach to replace Dennis Erickson. That search has apparently come to a close as ASU settled on Todd Graham of Pitt. Graham had been with the Panthers for only one year and is the fourth new coach named in the Pac 12 in recent weeks. He should be the last.

Graham is a Texas native who developed his coaching career working his way through Texas high schools. Graham was an assistant at Tulsa from 2003-05, head coach at Rice in 2006, and then headed the Tulsa program for four years.

Interestingly, Pitt marks the second head coaching job Graham has left in the last five years after just one season.

My Pac 12 Bowl Rankings

1. Rose Bowl Game: Oregon (11-2) vs Wisconsin (11-2)
- the Ducks have lost two BCS bowl games in a row, so they will need to win to make a firm claim at being one of the nation's elite.

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State (11-1) vs Stanford (11-1)
- Yes, I know both of these teams have better records than my No. 1 ranked game, but I just love watching Wisconsin!

3. Valero Alamo: Baylor (9-3) vs Washington (7-5)
- Baylor will most likely be featuring the Heisman Trophy winner: QB Robert Griffin III. Need I say more?

4. Bidgepoint Education Holiday: Cal (7-5) vs Texas (7-5)
- There's a rivalry angle here.

5. Hyundai Sun: Georgia Tech (8-4) vs Utah (7-5)

6. MAACO Las Vegas: Boise State (11-1) vs Arizona State (6-6)

7. Kraft Fight Hunger: Illinois (6-6) vs ULCA (6-7)

Pac 12 Coaching Changes

It has been a whirlwind week in the Pac 12, making the Conference's first championship game seem a bit anticlimactic. Here is a summary of what happened:

Rick Neuheisel of the UCLA Bruins was fired following last weekeend's 50-0 loss to No. 9 SoCal.

Dennis Erickson was fired from Arizona State around the same time.

Paul Wulff was dismissed from Washington State while the Cougars hired Mike Leach, former Texas Tech coach.


Rick Neuheisel is headed for his last game with the Bruins (6-6, 5-4), and a challenging one at that as he faces the Oregon Ducks (10-2, 8-1).