This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Pac-12 moved to 4-0 in bowl games with Stanford's 45-21 pounding of Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl. Now, the level of competition starts rising, with Wednesday's Fiesta Bowl of Arizona vs. Boise State (2p.m. MST, ESPN). So does the degree of difficulty in picking these games, after I almost automatically went with the Pac-12 contestant in each of the previous four games. Those judgments were as clear as the would-be touchdown scored by LSU's Brad Kragthorpe in the Music City Bowl against Notre Dame – except the Pac-12 replay official failed to overturn the call, depriving my nephew of his big moment. Not that I'm bitter toward the conference or anything, but as a protest, this will be my final Pac-12 blog entry – of 2014. On to Wednesday's pick: The Fiesta Bowl should be entertaining. There's always some mystery about how Boise State measures up to Power 5 conference teams, but the Broncos should have enough offense to make Arizona nervous. The Wildcats have improved defensively in the past couple of seasons, enabling them to beat Oregon and win the Pac-12 South title, both major achievements in 2014. But they also were overwhelmed by Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, with the biggest surprise being Arizona's offensive struggles. Boise State's defense has been all over the map this season, with horrible performances against Nevada and New Mexico mixed with some solid efforts. As long as Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon regains his confidence after playing poorly against Oregon, the Wildcats should move the ball consistently and score some points. And if the Wildcats truly are the Pac-12's second-best team, they should take care of any Mountain West opponent. The pick: Arizona 34, Boise State 24. – Kurt Kragthorpe