Analysis: Evaluating Washington Huskies’ 2024 bowl options
Jedd Fisch has pondered Washington’s potential bowl destinations.
The UW coach said he’s fully focused on preparing his team for the season finale against No. 1 Oregon next week, but that hasn’t kept him from glancing at the bowl list and considering where the Huskies might end their season.
“When they tell us where we’ll be playing,” he said on Monday, “we’ll start our 15 days of practice then to see how good we can become and what game we’ll play in.”
UW’s 31-19 win against UCLA on Friday was Washington’s sixth victory of the season, gaining bowl eligibility with one game to spare in Fisch’s first season. Now, the only question is where UW will end up playing its final game.
The bowl games available to UW are still familiar. Washington, along with the other departing Pac-12 schools, is still tied to the bowl games affiliated with its former conference until those contracts expire after the 2025 season.
That means there are six bowl games available to the Huskies (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) outside of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff: The Alamo Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl, the Sun Bowl, the LA Bowl and the Independence Bowl.
Fisch said athletic director Pat Chun and football chief of staff Aaron Knotts have already been in discussions about UW’s bowl future. Bowl matchups will be officially announced on Dec. 8, following the conclusion of conference championship weekend.
So here’s a breakdown of where the Huskies might end up and what may determine UW’s bowl destination:
The bowl games
While there are six bowl games with Pac-12 ties, they’re not equal. There’s a pecking order.
Originally, teams were selected by their place in the conference standings. However, there are no longer standings to rank the teams, so the bowls are simply allowed to select teams in their traditional order. Additionally, bowl games want to avoid picking schools that played there a year earlier.
The CFP gets the first pick — possibly picks depending on how many former Pac-12 teams it wants for its inaugural expanded playoff. The Alamo Bowl, which UW won in 2022 by defeating Texas 27-20, has the next selection, followed by the Holiday Bowl, where Washington hasn’t played since 2010 when it beat Nebraska 19-7.
UW, entering bowl season with six wins and having seven at most, is likely out of contention for the Alamo Bowl and the Holiday Bowl. That leaves four options:
Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 27 vs. SEC at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas: This is the highest bowl the Huskies can realistically achieve this season, and it likely requires two former Pac-12 teams making the playoff or a UW upset win against Oregon.
Washington’s most recent trip to the Las Vegas Bowl was in 2019, when the Huskies beat Boise State 38-7 in former coach Chris Petersen’s final game. It was also the last Las Vegas Bowl played at Sam Boyd Stadium, as the game shifted to Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Northwestern defeated Utah 14-7 during the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl.
Sun Bowl
Dec. 31 vs. ACC at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas: One of the oldest bowl games in the country, the Sun Bowl was moved down a spot in the Pac-12’s bowl order when the Las Vegas Bowl moved to Allegiant Stadium. Washington’s most recent Sun Bowl appearance was in 2002, when UW lost 34-24 to Purdue in a rematch of the 2001 Rose Bowl.
Notre Dame beat Oregon State 40-8 during the 2023 Sun Bowl.
LA Bowl
Dec. 18 vs. Mountain West at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.: This game is essentially the old Las Vegas Bowl, pairing a Pac-12 legacy team against the Mountain West champion. It’s been played three times since its inception in 2021, and is officially sponsored and hosted by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
UCLA became the first Pac-12 team to win the LA Bowl in 2023, beating Boise State 35-22.
Independence Bowl
Dec. 28 vs. American Athletic Conference at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, La.: The Independence Bowl is the last game with a Pac-12 legacy tie. The game has a rotating set of conference tie-ins and won’t feature a legacy team next season. Washington has played in the game once, beating Tulane 24-12 in 1987.
It most recently featured Texas Tech beating California 34-14.
What to watch
Washington’s bowl fate isn’t in its own hands. The Big 12 title race, in particular, may affect UW’s bowl destiny.
Oregon, with its perfect record and Big Ten championship berth, has likely sealed its spot in the CFP. But the Ducks may not be the only Pac-12 legacy school included.
No. 16 Colorado is enjoying a second-year resurgence under coach Deion Sanders, and are on the verge of a conference championship. The Buffaloes (8-2, 6-1 Big 12) are on a four-game winning streak and can secure a spot in the Big 12 championship game by winning out. Four-win Kansas and Oklahoma State, winless in conference play, are the only teams remaining on Colorado’s schedule.
Colorado may meet an old Pac-12 foe in the Big 12 championship game. No. 21 Arizona State has been one of the biggest surprises of the season under second-year coach Kenny Dillingham. The Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) are currently third in the Big 12, and ASU faces No. 14 BYU, the conference’s top team, on Saturday.
If Colorado or Arizona State wins the Big 12 and gets an automatic bid to the CFP along with Oregon, the six bowls with legacy tie-ins will have limited choices to fill their Pac-12 slots.
Washington State and Washington are the only other former Pac-12 teams who’ve reached bowl eligibility. Stanford was eliminated from bowl contention weeks ago.
Cal and USC have a chance to join the bowl eligible teams with rivalry games this weekend. The Golden Bears (5-5, 1-5 ACC) host the Cardinal in Berkeley, Calif., while the Trojans (5-5, 3-5 Big Ten) travel to the Rose Bowl to play the crosstown-rival Bruins.
Both Cal and USC need wins this weekend because they face No. 13 SMU and No. 6 Notre Dame, respectively, to end their seasons.
UCLA, however, can take another step closer to bowl eligibility by beating USC at home, then taking down Fresno State in its final game to reach six wins. Reaching bowl eligibility would be a remarkable turnaround for first-year coach DeShaun Foster since the Bruins (4-6, 3-5 Big Ten) were 1-5 to open the season.
Utah, Arizona and Oregon State — all 4-6 — also have outside shots at bowl eligibility, but each face a ranked team in its final two games.
So determining UW’s bowl destiny essentially comes down to how bowl executives view Washington against the other six-win teams — probably Cal and UCLA or USC, assuming there are no major upsets.
If two Pac-12 legacy teams reach the CFP, then Washington may end up as high as the Las Vegas Bowl. If the Big 12 champion isn’t Colorado or Arizona State, then UW is potentially in contention for the Sun Bowl or LA Bowl, since UCLA can’t be selected for the LA Bowl in consecutive seasons.