Pac-12 Championship: Oregon clinches rematch vs. Washington in final season
The Pac-12 Championship is set. As they both prepare to leave for the Big Ten, Oregon and Washington will square off in Las Vegas for a Pac-12 title in their final seasons in the league before heading to the Big Ten.
The Ducks secured their appearance in the championship game with a huge victory over Oregon State as part of the Civil War rivalry game. Led by 367 yards and three total touchdowns from Bo Nix, who continues to make a case for the Heisman Trophy, Oregon got its 11th win of the season with a 31-7 victory over the rival Beavers in Eugene.
That now sets up a rematch against Washington, which clinched its spot in the Pac-12 title game last week with a 22-20 win over Oregon State in Corvallis. It was the Huskies’ third straight ranked victory, which helped them move into the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings this week.
Armed with a Heisman contender of its own in Michael Penix Jr., Washington has been one of the top teams in the country all year and got its biggest victory of the season over the Ducks in Week 7. That game — a 36-33 thriller — saw Penix complete 22 of 37 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns. Nix countered that showing with a 33-of-34 showing for 337 yards and two touchdowns in one of the most exciting games of the year.
Now, they’ll get ready to square off once again at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The winner will likely secure a bid to the CFP, which add to the stakes.
Washington entered its Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington State with its Pac-12 Championship appearance locked up. But for Kalen DeBoer, the key for his group was to stay focused and avoid looking ahead — whether the Huskies drew Oregon or Arizona in the championship.
“It’s one game at a time and this game means something to the rivalry that we’re playing in. It means something to winning 12 games, being 12-0. There’s a lot we’re playing for and obviously big picture with the Playoff and things like that too,” DeBoer said.
“We’ll have some fun with the rivalry with having the alumni speak to our team and showing them the importance of it, especially for those who are new to it, whether it be freshmen or transfers or anything like that. So, it’ll be fun and we’ll be up for it. We’ll be ready. It’s going to be a beautiful day at Husky Stadium, place is going to be rocking.”