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Why shouldn’t the Pac-12 Finals be an instant classic?
Friday was the final Pac-12 championship game as we know it, as 10 of the schools in the conference move to either the Big Ten, SEC or ACC next season — No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon, though not me won’t leave without one last epic conference battle.
And it was a good thing: After the Ducks erased a 17-point deficit, the Huskies staged their own comeback and won the Pac-12 championship 34-31, all but cementing their spot in the College Football Playoff.
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Washington dominated the first 28 minutes of the game, forcing three Oregon punts and holding them to just 87 yards while leading 20-3 with 1:39 left in the first half. But the Ducks were able to go 70 yards and find the end zone in just 90 seconds, leaving them with a 10-point deficit heading into the locker room.
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Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after a touchdown by Germie Bernard #4 in the second quarter during the Pac-12 Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at Allegiant Stadium on December 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images)
The Ducks got the ball early in the second half and kept the drive alive after a 4th-and-5. Ten plays later, they opted for fourth-and-goal, and the bold decision worked as Bo Nix found Terrance Ferguson in the end zone for the second straight game, which came after a 15-play march down the field.
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Both teams traded interceptions before Washington turned the ball over on downs at Oregon’s 28 yards. The Ducks needed just four plays to take the lead thanks to Nix running 44 yards – Jordan James scored the touchdown that put Oregon up 24-20 with 1:51 left in the third.
The Huskies finally stopped the bleeding and responded with Dillon Johnson’s second touchdown on the ground to regain a three-point lead early in the fourth period and immediately forced a three-and-out to get the ball with 9:04 left to win back the ending. Washington went down the field wasting a lot of time, and with 2:44 left, Penix threw a ball to Quentin Moore for a two-yard touchdown, giving Washington a 34-24 lead.
But it wasn’t the icing on the cake that Washington thought it was – on the second play of their next drive, Traeshon Holden scored on an impressive 63-yard catch-and-run, cutting Oregon’s deficit to three with 2:14 left.
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Jabbar Muhammad #1 of the Washington Huskies reacts after breaking up a pass in the second quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium on December 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
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However, it wasn’t enough. The Ducks’ onside kick was unsuccessful, and after Washington got two first downs (the second was a 15-yard rush on 3rd-and-9), the Huskies were Pac-12 champions.
In a battle of Heisman hopefuls, Penix completed 27 of his 39 passes for 319 yards, but Johnson stole the show with his 152 rushing yards on 28 carries, two of which were scores.
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In a losing effort, Nix threw three touchdowns on 21 of 34 passes. The Husky defense held Bucky Irving to just 20 rushing yards on nine carries and Troy Franklin to just four catches for 34 yards.
Washington Huskies running back Dillon Johnson (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the Pac-12 Conference championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies at Allegiant Stadium on December 1, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The loss likely spells the end of any College Football Playoff hopes for Oregon, which fell to 11-2 with both losses coming at the hands of the Huskies — already ranked No. 5 in the country, it’s hard to imagine them getting enough help everyone else would this weekend to sneak in.
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As for Washington, it looks more likely they will face No. 2 Michigan in the semifinals, but that will be officially announced Sunday. Assuming the Huskies are there (they’re 13-0 and conference champions), it would be their first CFP appearance since 2016 and their second overall.