Former Schools Likely to Continue Playing in Pac-12 Affiliated Bowl Games: Report
According to Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, 10 schools are set to leave the Pac-12 this summer, but its virtual death might not affect the bowl games that are tied to the vanishing league.
McMurphy’s sources have indicated that the schools leaving the Pac-12 are still likely to play in Pac-12 affiliated bowls the next two seasons and not in bowl tie-ins with their new conferences.
Of course, that is all contingent on the departing schools not making the newly expanded playoff field sometime during the next two seasons. McMurphy says that there are “multiple reasons” for the teams not to play in bowls tied to their new conferences.
Contracts between the bowls and the conferences aren’t up until after the 2025 season, and with Oregon State and Washington State being the only remaining Pac-12 programs, there’s a void with six bowl games with Pac-12 ties.
McMurphy says that stakeholders involved in this issue are looking for a temporary solution until new contracts can be worked out in 2026.
“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,” one source indicated to Action Network.
After a 12-team field is selected for the College Football Playoff, former Pac-12 teams that are bowl-eligible will find themselves in familiar tie-ins. In case you’ve struggled to keep up with all the moving pieces, the departing teams and their destinations are:
- Arizona (Big 12)
- Arizona State (Big 12)
- Cal (ACC)
- Colorado (Big 12)
- Oregon (Big Ten)
- Stanford (ACC)
- UCLA (Big Ten)
- USC (Big Ten)
- Utah (Big 12)
- Washington (Big Ten)
The six bowl games with Pac-12 tie-ins in 2024 and 2025 are the Alamo, Holiday, Las Vegas, Sun, Los Angeles, and Independence Bowl (in 2025). The Rose Bowl, now part of the CFP rotation, is no longer tied to the Pac-12.
As was the case with the Pac-12 media rights deal though, the long-term agreement that would resolve this issue is taking forever to be resolved. Dragging feet and clammy handshakes seem to be a trend with the decision-makers out West, and that’s unfortunately still the case with teams that are still trying to get out from under the Pac-12 umbrella.
“There has to be some realignment of the bowls (in 2024 and 2025); something has to happen,” a source said. “At some level, there has to be some degree of cooperation by the displaced bowls and the Pac-12. A shared agreement has to happen.”
