Pac-12 sends record 10 teams to bowl games
SAN FRANCISCO -- Pac-12 Champion STANFORD (11-2) earned its third Rose Bowl Game appearance in four years after a 41-22 victory over USC in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. The No. 6 Cardinal will face No. 5 Iowa (12-1) in the College Football Playoff’s New Year’s Six Bowl on Fri, Jan. 1, 2016.
Stanford will be making its 15th Rose Bowl Game appearance, second most among all Pac-12 teams, and is one of a Pac-12 record 10 teams to participate in college football’s postseason.
No. 15 OREGON (9-3), which finished second to Stanford in the Pac-12 North Division, was selected to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl where it will meet No. 11 TCU (10-2) from the Big 12 Conference on Sat., Jan. 2, 2016. The Ducks will be making their second trip to the Alamo Bowl and 11th consecutive bowl appearance.
The Holiday Bowl will pit No. 25 USC (8-5) vs. Wisconsin (9-3) on Wed., Dec. 30. It’s a repeat trip for USC as the Trojans defeated Nebraska, 45-42 in last year’s Holiday Bowl game. USC is second among all FBS teams with 33 bowl victories.
UCLA (8-4) has been selected to play in the Foster Farms Bowl opposite the Big Ten’s Nebraska (5-7) on Sat., Dec. 26. It’s the third appearance for the Bruins in the San Francisco Bay Area bowl game, having appeared in the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl and the 2006 Emerald Bowl.
The three remaining Pac-12 contracted bowls chose their Pac-12 participant based on order of final Conference standings. The Hyundai Sun Bowl selected WASHINGTON STATE (8-4) to face Miami (8-4) of the ACC on Sat., Dec. 26. The Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl will match UTAH (9-3) with independent BYU (9-3) on Sat., Dec. 19. The Motel 6 Cactus Bowl slots ARIZONA STATE (6-6) opposite the Big 12 Conference’s West Virginia (7-5) on Sat., Jan. 2.
The Pac-12 had three additional bowl eligible teams and agreements were made with the following bowls – The Gildan New Mexico Bowl, the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, and the Lockhead Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
The New Mexico Bowl picked ARIZONA (6-6) to oppose New Mexico (7-5) on Sat., Dec. 19; The Heart of Dallas Bowl matched WASHINGTON (6-6) against Southern Miss (9-4) on Tues., Dec. 26; The Armed Forces Bowl selected California (7-5) to play Air Force (9-3) on Tues., Dec. 29.
The Pac-12 places eight or more teams into bowl games for the fourth consecutive season.
The 2015-16 Pac-12 Bowl Schedule:
| Date | Bowl Game | Local/Pacific Time | TV |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Gildan New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, N.M. (University Stadium) | ||
| New Mexico (7-5) vs. ARIZONA (6-6) | 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nev. (Sam Boyd Stadium) | ||
| BYU (9-3) vs. No. 22 UTAH (9-3) | 12:30 p.m. PT | ABC | |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Hyundai Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas (Sun Bowl) | ||
| Miami (8-4) vs. WASHINGTON STATE (8-4) | 12 noon MT/11 a.m. PT | CBS | |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl – Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl) | ||
| Southern Miss (9-4) vs. WASHINGTON (6-6) | 1:20 p.m. CT/11:20 a.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Sat., Dec. 26 | Foster Farms Bowl – Santa Clara, Calif. (Levi’s Stadium) | ||
| Nebraska (5-7) vs. UCLA (8-4) | 6:15 p.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Tues., Dec. 29 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl – Ft. Worth, Texas (Amon G. Carter Stadium) | ||
| Air Force (9-3) vs. CALIFORNIA (7-5) | 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Wed., Dec. 30 | Holiday Bowl – San Diego, Calif. (Qualcomm Stadium) | ||
| Wisconsin (9-3) vs. No. 25 USC (8-5) | 7:30 p.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Fri., Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual – Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl) | ||
| No. 5 Iowa (12-1) vs. No. 6 STANFORD (11-2) | 2 p.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Sat., Jan. 2 | Valero Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome) | ||
| No. 11 TCU (10-2) vs. No. 15 OREGON (9-3) | 5:45 p.m. CT/3:45 p.m. PT | ESPN | |
| Sat., Jan. 2 | Motel 6 Cactus Bowl – Phoenix, Ariz. (Chase Field) | ||
| West Virgina (7-5) vs. ARIZONA STATE (6-6) | 8:15 p.m. MT/7:15 p.m. PT | ESPN |