2013 Pac-12 Football Wrap Up Report

Did you see the BCS Championship football game on Monday night? If you're a sports fan, football fan or just fan of live human drama...wow, what a spectacle. Ups, downs, adversity, triumph and a last second finish that resulted in Florida State winning the game and securing the BCS national championship for the 2013 football season.

And what of the Pac-12? How did its teams fair during bowl season and, consequently, the final rankings. Lets check it out...

Overall. The Pac-12 had nine of its teams in bowl games this season. The only squads missing out were Cal, Utah and Colorado. And the league performed well, going a combined 7-2.

Oregon. The Ducks just missed out on a BCS bowl game and instead appeared in the Alamo Bowl against Texas. The Ducks emerged victorious by winning 30-7 on the strength of QB Marcus Mariota and their Defensive performance.

• Final record: 11-2
• Final national ranking: #9
• NOTES: This is the fifth season in a row the Duck have been the top rated Pac-12 team and fourth in a row they've finished in the Top 10. And, UO is the only Pac-12 team finishing in the Top 10 this season.

Stanford. The Cardinal won the league title and appeared in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 against Big 10 champ Michigan State. They lost that game.

• Final record: 11-3
• Final national ranking: #11
• NOTES: A disappointing end to a season that could have been so much more.

UCLA. The Bruins appeared in the Sun Bowl against Virginia Tech and ran over the Hokies big time, concluding what by all measures was a very good season for the resurgent UCLA squad.

• Final record: 10-3
• Final national ranking: #16
• NOTES: Can UCLA continue their upswing next season?

USC. The Trojans rolled the higher-ranked Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl to cap off a very nice rebound following a dismal start to their season.

• Final record: 10-4
• Final national ranking: #19
• NOTES: Will this sleeping giant wake up in 2014 with new coach Steve Sarkesian? Or, will replacing the coaches who orchestrated the comeback in 2013 work against them?

Arizona State. The Sun Devils lost the Holiday Bowl to Texas Tech, but still landed in the final rankings.

• Final record: 10-4
• Final national ranking: #21
• NOTES: They hype started to match the on-field product in 2013, but the bowl loss is not great.

Washington. The Huskies beat BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco. The victory notched the first nine win season in a long time.

• Final record: 9-4
• Final national ranking: #25
• NOTES: A bitter-sweet finish for UW because the good record and national ranking earned is tempered by the upcoming loss of many key players to the NFL or graduation and change-over in the coaching staff.

Out of the Rankings. Pac-12 bowl teams who - regardless of their performance in their game - missed out on the final polls were: Arizona, WSU, Oregon State.

And that's it folks. I'll be back in the spring with a few thoughts on the Pac-12 squads as they finish up spring practices.

Before the schools hit the field for fall practices later this year, I urge you to enjoy some great upcoming sporting events in 2014, such as:

• Pac-12 basketball and March Madness
• The 2014 Winter Olympics - lots of great competition to see.
• The 2014 World Cup - Team US is in it!
• The 2014 Tour de France - always, always a compelling competition...with beautiful views all along.