Pac-12 Bowl Projections: December 1

December is here, and we are now just days away from finding out where Pac-12 teams will be going for the postseason. This post takes a look at just exactly where each team might end up.

Rose Bowl - Stanford (vs Ohio State)

Unless there are some upsets in the ACC and SEC Championship games this weekend, the winner of Saturday's Pac-12 title game will be headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. We expect that to be Stanford, which is riding a two-game winning streak and already has a 10-point road win against USC so far this season.

Alamo Bowl - Oregon (vs TCU)

Washington State blew its chance at an elite bowl with a blowout defeat on Friday in Seattle. That leaves Oregon, a hot team that continues to climb in the national rankings. Assuming TCU doesn't sneak into a New Year's Six bowl, the Alamo will jump at the chance to pit two high-powered offenses against each other.

Holiday Bowl - Utah (vs Wisconsin)

This one is tough. Utah, USC, and Washington State all remain on the board, but I think the Utes win out. Like I noted above, that Apple Cup loss really hurt the Cougars.

Foster Farms Bowl - USC (vs Illinois)

The Foster Farms will be ecstatic to grab the Trojans if they are still available here. Their opponent will likely be a 5-7 Illinois team (who gets in because of a high APR score), setting up a rematch of the 2008 Rose Bowl.

Sun Bowl - Washington State (vs Louisville)

Starting here, the bowls select in order of conference finish. The Sun will gladly take Washington State, giving head coach Mike Leach a homecoming of sorts as he returns to the state of Texas.

Las Vegas Bowl - UCLA (vs BYU)

That leaves Vegas for the Bruins. Their opponent will be either BYU, San Diego State, or Air Force, but the Cougars seem like the most attractive option.

Cactus Bowl - California (vs West Virginia)

The Cactus can take either California, Arizona State, or Washington. It is safe to assume they will pass on the Huskies, since they played in this game and last year (and also just played in Tempe last month).

That leaves the Golden Bears and Sun Devils. Quotes like this one, grouped with the fact that the area would lose out on a lot of tourism money if the hometown team is selected, leaves me to think Cal will get the nod. They also have the head-to-head victory, which does not matter much but could come into play as it is fresh in everyone's minds.

Armed Forces Bowl - Arizona State (vs Air Force)

That does it for the Pac-12 affiliated games. Making projections at this point is all about trying to find the best fits for each team, and the Armed Forces makes a lot of sense for the maroon and gold.

The Falcons should be headed to Fort Worth as well if they lose in the Mountain West title game, and this matchup could give Todd Graham headaches after struggling with a couple of other triple option teams earlier in the year.

Cure Bowl - Arizona (vs South Florida)

The Wildcats aren't going to be one of the most sought after at-large teams after dropping four of their last five games to end the season. Look for them to be shipped out east, either to the Cure or Independence bowls.

Heart of Dallas - Washington (vs Western Kentucky)

Finally, we get to Washington. At this point, it is purely a guessing game as to what random game the Huskies will end up in. The Heart of Dallas and New Mexico bowls seem to be the two most likely options.