Oregon won their 12th Pac-12 Championship tonight after dismantling the only team that beat them this year as the Ducks took down the Arizona Wildcats 51-13 in the Pac-12 Championship Game. If you were thinking, “Ouch”, you are not alone.
The Oregon Ducks are clearly the best team in the conference and should deservedly go to the first ever College Football Playoffs. Though there is a full schedule of college football on Championship Saturday and it seems like the Pac-12 has their representative for the first ever playoffs. Now that is all fine and dandy, but what we here at Go Joe Bruin want to know is, what does that mean for UCLA football?
Betsided
It has been speculated that if Arizona was blown out by Oregon, that it would be very favorable for the Bruins. Well, the Ducks blew out the Wildcats, so now what? Well, as Go Joe Bruin, Bleacher Report and ESPN all speculated, if this reckoning upon Arizona was to happen, that UCLA could sneak into one of the four premier non-playoff bowls, specifically, the Fiesta Bowl.
But first, let us assess the situation.
Right now it seems that Oregon has punched their ticket to the first College Football Playoff. As for Arizona, they now have 3 losses, which matches that of UCLA. In head-to-head competition, the Bruins man-handled the Wildcats 17-7 in an early November meeting. Advantage Bruins.
As of now, that puts UCLA in a more favorable light. With a spot open in the Fiesta Bowl, which is to be decided by the College Football Playoff committee, it seems this blowout has put a big dent in Arizona’s resume. Losing to UCLA does not help either. At this point, the Bruins look like the second best team in a conference that has been struggling for respect all season.
Fiesta Bowl Bound?
Oct 25, 2014; Boulder, CO, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora watches his team warm up prior to game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Byron Hetzler-USA TODAY SportsNow it has been speculated that Arizona could take a trip to the Fiesta Bowl after their magnificent season, but after this loss, it makes their argument for a chance at a respectable bowl weaker. Right now, it could be perceived that the Bruins are more deserving of a trip to Glendale, Arizona.
It can also be seen as a toss up for who is the second best team in the Pac-12 and because of that, the overall resume of the conference could be looked down upon. Not that we are saying that the conference is weak in the eyes of the “experts”, but if the Bruins are not bound for Tempe, what else remains for UCLA if the Fiesta Bowl is not in the cards?
What Bowls Remain?
If the Fiesta Bowl is not in play, then the next best choice is the Alamo Bowl, which has the first choice at the remaining Pac-12 Conference teams available. Now depending on where the College Football Playoff committee sets the top 12 teams they deem worthy of post-season recognition, there is a chance the Pac-12 is overlooked. That would give the Valero Alamo Bowl a chance to choose between Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State and USC. Whoever, in their eyes, is the next next team behind Oregon, will get that January 2 bowl game, if the Fiesta Bowl is occupied.
After that, the selections shift down to the Holiday Bowl and the Foster Farms Bowl. The problem is that there are eight Pac-12 Conference teams that are bowl eligible, so placing each and everyone of them into a bowl is going to be a task, which we here at Go Joe Bruin are not very interested in.
What we are interested in is UCLA Football and there is no reason they get by-passed and dropped down to, at the very least, a Foster Farms Bowl selection.
So Where Does UCLA Football Go?
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Good question. That all depends on if the College Football Playoff committee thinks UCLA is better than Arizona and if they are good enough for a premier bowl game.
There is the outside chance the Bruins make the Fiesta Bowl, but there seems to be the given that the Alamo Bowl is the post-season destination for UCLA. It may not be the bowl that Bruin fans hoped for at the beginning of the season, but equally, it is the most glamorous bowl that UCLA will go to in the Jim Mora era.
Still, there is a lot of football to be played on Saturday so stay with Go Joe Bruin for any and all new information regarding UCLA Football. Hopefully, the ball bounces UCLA’s way.
Go Bruins!