The invention provides seeds and plants of pepper hybrid SVPB8973 and pepper line SBO-8T15-6368. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid SVPB8973 and pepper line SBO-8T15-6368 and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another plant, such as a pepper plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to plants, seeds, plant parts, and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid pepper hybrid SVPB8973 and pepper line SBO-8T15-6368 comprising introduced beneficial or desirable traits.