Mailbag: Pac-12 bowl games for 2026, CFP expansion, Big Ten schedule timing, Lanning’s contract, Gould’s performance and more

The Hotline mailbag publishes weekly. Send questions to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline.

Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.

If you missed it, last week’s mailbag focused on TV ratings and viewership trends from the 2025 regular season.

Which bowl games will partner with the new Pac-12 in 2026 and beyond? — @CelestialMosh

First, let’s address the timing of the conference’s new bowl lineup, because it’s more complicated than you might think in this regard: The reconstructed Pac-12 might not have a dedicated set of bowl games if the College Football Playoff sticks with a 12-team field for 2026.

Conference commissioners, with the SEC’s Greg Sankey and the Big Ten’s