* The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published each Monday-Wednesday-Friday during the college sports season (and twice-a-week in the summer). This edition, from June 4, has been made available in archived form.

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Vegas, baby (an update)

More than one year after the news broke of an upgraded matchup for the Pac-12 in the Las Vegas Bowl, we have full clarity.

The conference will face opponents from the SEC or Big Ten each December, starting in 2020, in the Raiders’ new stadium.

“The experience of hosting some of our premier Pac-12 events in Las Vegas has been tremendous for our student-athletes, universities and fans,” commissioner Larry Scott said Tuesday, “and to have the opportunity to play in such an incredible stadium against top quality competition on a national stage through ESPN will be welcomed by our student-athletes and fans.”

In addition, the Pac-12 will drop the Cheez-It Bowl from its lineup in the 2020-25 cycle of games, per Stadium’s Brett McMurphy, and add the Los Angeles and Independence bowls. (The former will be played at the Rams’ new facility.)

Based on the known developments — not all the partnerships are official — here’s the likely Pac-12 lineup starting in 2020:

1. Rose Bowl vs. Big Ten
2. Alamo Bowl vs. Big 12
3. Las Vegas Bowl vs. SEC/Big Ten
4. Holiday Bowl vs. ACC
5. Redbox vs. Big Ten
6. Sun vs. ACC
7. Los Angeles Bowl vs. Mountain West
8. Independence Bowl vs. ACC

Reaction to the news:

• The L.A. Bowl is essentially the current Las Vegas Bowl, but in a better stadium.

• Fans might cringe at the Independence Bowl’s return, but it’s better than the Cheez-It from a recruiting standpoint. The Pac-12 doesn’t need exposure in Phoenix, but a postseason toe in the fertile south-central portion of the country is important.

• In general, the new lineup will be an indisputable upgrade over the current arrangements, in large part because of the Las Vegas Bowl’s elevated role.

However, we should note the specifics of that pairing. The SEC and Big Ten will alternate as the Pac-12 opponent — SEC in even years, the Big Ten in odd — and neither will send a top-tier team.

The SEC’s participant, for example, will come from the pool of teams not playing in the CFP, the New Year’s Six or the Citrus Bowl. (Details here.)

Apply those parameters to the 2018 season, and the SEC teams available for the Las Vegas Bowl would have been Mississippi State (8-4), Texas A&M (8-4), Missouri (8-4), South Carolina (7-5) and Auburn (7-5).

(The Big Ten has a similar pool process after its premium games.)

Ideal? Nope, but ideal wasn’t an option — the Citrus wasn’t losing its place in the SEC pecking order.

An improvement? Unquestionably. — Jon Wilner

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Hot off the Hotline

We’re in revision season, folks …

• The Hotline tweaked its projections for Pac-12 basketball next season based on developments off the court over the past two months. Arizona rose, Oregon fell, and there’s a new frontrunner.

• We followed the order-of-finish picks with our selections for the all-conference teams. After a deep dive into the rosters, it’s clear the conference will need its freshmen to play like first rounders.

• ICYMI I: The NBA Finals are in full swing. The Pac-12 has more players than any other conference … and it’s not close. That says something about the long– and short-term pipelines and about the current state of play.

• ICYMI II: The Friday newsletter provided an assessment of the NBA Draft damage, which was significant but could have been worse. Previous editions of the newsletter are available in archived form.

Why we need your support: Like so many other providers of local journalism across the country, the Hotline’s parent website, mercurynews.com, recently moved to a subscription model. A few Hotline stories will remain free each month (as will this newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe at a rate of just 12 cents per day for 12 months. And thanks for your loyalty.

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Huddle Up

• The College Football Hall of Fame unveiled its candidates for induction in 2020. A slew of Pac-12 alums are on the list, including Cal tight end Tony Gonzalez, Oregon State receiver Mike Hass and USC quarterback Carson Palmer.

• Arizona State coach Herm Edwards plans to build on the foundation laid over the past 18 months.

• USC receiver Velus Jones is staying with the Trojans after a lengthy stay in the transfer portal. Call the move a half-Bru.

• Colorado has bolstered its back line with the addition of Mikial Onu, a graduate transfer safety from SMU.

• Former Arizona coach Dick Tomey also led the San Jose State and Hawaii programs. Those school will play for a trophy in his honor. Nice.

• Athlon’s full Pac-12 season preview, with unit rankings, division picks, award winners and more.

• Intriguing suggestion from Sports Illustrated columnist Andy Staples: Allow schools to publicize scholarship offers, which would hold both recruits and recruiters accountable. (Makes too much sense. The NCAA will never agree.)

• Finally: The Big Ten has a new commissioner: Kevin Warren, the COO of the Minnesota Vikings. A disciple of ex-SEC boss Mike Slive, Warren is the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference.

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Recruiting Trail

• Cal landed a quarterback in the class of 2020: Zach Johnson of Hart High School, which produced Kyle Boller and Joe Kapp. Writes 247 sports analyst Greg Biggins: “(Johnson) is a very solid pickup for Cal. He has an athletic 6-0, 185 pound frame and the arm to make every throw on the field. Perhaps his size scared a few schools away but Johnson can play and has all the tools to be very productive at the next level.

• The Rivals 100 has been updated. Five of the top-10 prospects in the rising senior class are in the Pac-12 footprint. Have we mentioned the next nine months are important for the conference?

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ADs Corner

• Utah athletic director Mark Harlan participated in a Q&A with the Deseret News. Full article is here. Key comment on state of the conference: “We’ve got to get better collectively in football. Say what you want about this decision or that decision, at the end of the day if your football programs aren’t competing and winning these non-conference games at a high level it hurts the brand … Same goes with men’s basketball. We have to do a better job there. I think we’ve taken some steps administratively to improve our scheduling … When you have both down it makes it very difficult.” Truth.

• Washington State AD Pat Chun did the same with KREM: “We know we have to continue to invest in our program. I think there was a direct correlation with our football success with the renovations in Martin Stadium, building this football operations building, and hiring an elite coach like Mike Leach.” (The Hotline would argue the lack of investment in facilities in the early 2000s was partly responsible for WSU’s pre-Leach struggles.)

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On the Hardwood

• Colorado agreed to a home-and-home series with a fairly decent opponent: The Buffs will visit Allen Fieldhouse in December, with Kansas returning the favor in 2020-21.

• Oregon is a possible, if not likely, destination for New Mexico’s top scorer, guard Anthony Mathis. (There are plenty of minutes available in Eugene.)

• Arizona coach Sean Miller has a new lead assistant, and he’s a familiar face in Tucson: Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy, who spent eight years working for Lute Olson.

• College basketball is rapidly headed toward a humdrum existence due to the talent drain, writes CBS Sports columnist Matt Norlander. (Some might argue it’s already there.)

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Dirty Play

• Scandal-plagued USC is all-in with the victim card in the basketball corruption case, arguing that former assistant Tony Bland caused significant harm to the program. “The actions of Mr. Bland and his co-conspirators have significantly damaged the reputation of USC as an institution, the USC athletic department, and its men’s basketball program,” according to an impact statement obtained by the L.A. Times. “Further, their actions have prompted an NCAA investigation that may result in penalties. Lastly, USC was forced to expend significant amounts of money to investigate Mr. Bland’s conduct and to cooperate with the government as it has prosecuted this case.”

• Arizona applied the same strategy, per Wildcat Authority: “Mr. (Book) Richardson’s actions have caused – and continue to cause – significant damage to the reputation of the University, it’s athletics program, and most specifically to a men’s basketball program that had previously enjoyed a stellar record of success, on and off the court.” The Hotline finds the victim route to be both smart legal maneuvering but also laughable moral posturing for any school … Arizona, USC, Kansas, any of ’em … caught in the FBI probe.

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Medal Stand

A section devoted to content on Pac-12 Olympic sports …

• UCLA plastered top seed Oklahoma in Game 1 of the WCWS finals. Game 2 is tonight.

• The No. 1 pick in the Major Lleague Baseball draft was from Oregon State: junior catcher Adley Rutschman (by the Orioles).

• First baseman Andrew Vaughn, who went No. 3 overall to the White Sox, is the highest-draft Golden Bear ever.

• Meanwhile, ASU’s Hunter Bishop, a Bay Area native, went to the Giants with the 10th pick. (If he shows any power, he’ll play 162 and bat cleanup … tomorrow.)

• Updating the Oregon baseball coaching search.

• Washington’s women’s rowing teams swept the NCAA championships. Again.

• Arizona senior Tatum Waggoner has a busy week at the NCAA track and field championships.

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Looking Ahead

What’s coming on the Pac-12 Hotline:

• Planned for Wednesday: Are there ways for Pac-12 football to increase its national TV exposure in coming years? The Hotline has a suggestion that’s far, far outside the box. (Our favorite type.)

• The final piece of our revised college basketball projections — an update top-25 ranking — is slotted for Thursday.

• Now that the NCAA will open/renew its investigations into programs implicated in the basketball scandal, are there any lessons that can be applied to Arizona’s predicament?

• How impactful is the Pac-12’s new intra-conference transfer policy? We’ll provide a morsel of context based on the data.

The next newsletter is scheduled for Friday. Enjoy the newsletter? Please forward this email to friends (sign up here). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.