Pac-12 bowl games: Clarity comes (mostly) to 2026 lineup, which includes both legacy teams and newcomers

If you thought the bowl selection process for the 10 former and two remaining Pac-12 teams was complicated in 2024 and 2025, we have news: The situation will be exponentially more confounding this fall.

The rebirth of the conference means all 18 teams (the legacy schools and newcomers alike) will be tossed into a giant pot of bowl selection stew.

The five-dimensional postseason chessboard exists because the only conference realignment of significance in 2026 involves the rebuilt Pac-12 and retooled Mountain West.

Membership changes to the other eight Football Bowl Subdivision conferences were either non-existent or so minor as to be immaterial. Executives in charge of the postseason (e.g., bowl and ESPN officials) were not inclined to overhaul dozens of conference tie-ins simply because two of the 10 leagues restructured.

So the Pac-12 and Mountain West affiliations were adjusted, but everything else has remained effectively the same.

At this point, we will attempt to sort through the selection process for the 10 departed Pac-12 schools, the two holdovers and the six newcomers.

Be aware that the situation is somewhat fluid — to the point that two weeks from the start of the regular season, several bowls still have not officially revealed their conference tie-ins.

(We have noted those instances in the information below.)

The top of the postseason food chain remains the same: Any College Football Playoff participants will be removed from the bowl selection process and sent directly to the CFP as automatic qualifiers or at-large teams.

That could be Oregon or USC through the Big Ten, for example, or Arizona or Utah through the Big 12.

It could also mean the champion of the rebuilt conference (hello, Boise State!), since there is a playoff spot reserved for the top team from the Group of Six, which includes the new Pac-12.

Another provision that remains the same: For the Pac-12 legacy schools, bowl selections will be based on overall record, not conference record.

First, let's run through Pac-12 bowl comings-and-goings:

– The Alamo, Las Vegas, Holiday and Sun are once again affiliated with the conference.

– The LA Bowl is no more, having shut down last winter after five years of competition.

– The Independence Bowl is expected to return to the Pac-12 rotation following a two-year break.

– Although not official yet, the Poinsettia Bowl, which is played in San Diego and operated by the Holiday Bowl, reportedly will be revived after a nine-year slumber.

– Also not official: The Hawaii Bowl is expected to host one of the new Pac-12 teams.

(There were reports earlier this year about a new bowl game in Denver involving the Pac-12, but it never materialized.)

Next, here's the projected selection order and matchups, excluding the College Football Playoff:

1. Alamo (old Pac-12 vs. Big 12)
2. Las Vegas (old Pac-12 vs. SEC/Big Ten)
3. Holiday (old Pac-12 vs. ACC)
4. Sun (old Pac-12 vs. ACC)
5. Poinsettia (new Pac-12 vs. old Pac-12)
6. Independence (old Pac-12 vs. Big 12)
7. Hawaii (new Pac-12 vs. Mountain West)
8. ESPN bowl pool

Who goes where? (This would be a good time for a dose of Excedrin.)

We'll break the teams down into three groups: the 10 departed schools; the six new schools; and the two holdover schools, because Washington State and Oregon State have a unique process.

— The 10 departed schools are tied to the Alamo, Las Vegas, Holiday, Sun and Independence Bowls and, once again, won't be affiliated with the selection process for their current conferences.

Additionally, there is a slot in the Poinsettia for a former Pac-12 team.

If there are more bowl-eligible teams than spots available, those not selected for the bowls listed above will be placed into the so-called ESPN bowl pool, with a specific destination based on availability.

(The pool is expected to include the Armed Forces, Gasparilla and First Responders Bowls, plus several others.)

— Washington State and Oregon State are part of the old Pac-12 selection process, including the ESPN pool, with one exception:

The Cougars and Beavers could be on the new Pac-12 side of the Poinsettia in the unlikely event either 1) wins the conference but 2) doesn't make the CFP and 3) is passed over by the top bowls available to the old Pac-12 teams.

They cannot compete in the Poinsettia on the old Pac-12 side. That spot is reserved for the 10 departed schools.

— For the new Pac-12 teams, the situation is as follows:

If one of the six wins the conference but does not reach the CFP, it will be sent to the Poinsettia Bowl to face one of the 10 departed teams.

If the champion advances to the CFP, the No. 2 team would move into the Poinsettia.

Additionally, one of the new Pac-12 teams likely will be sent to the Hawaii Bowl.

Beyond that, the bowl-eligible teams would enter the ESPN bowl pool.

Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are not tied to Mountain West bowls, and Texas State isn't tied to Sun Belt bowls.

Got it? Good. Quiz tomorrow.

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