Oregon State's dramatic rally, combined with Washington's win, sends Utah into the championship game.
Instant reaction to Pac-12 developments on the field …
1. A fitting conclusion
The final conference game of the year provided the perfect ending to a riveting three months.
Washington outlasted WSU for a 51-33 victory in the highest-scoring Apple Cup in history, a result that knocked Oregon out of the Pac-12 race, sent Utah to Las Vegas and positioned the Huskies for the Rose Bowl.
We’ll address the details momentarily. But let’s first acknowledge the most entertaining Pac-12 regular season in years — one loaded with high-level offense, terrific quarterback play, a slew of pulsating games and (for once) national relevance.
The best of the bunch this week unfolded in Corvallis, where Oregon State rallied from 21 points down in the third quarter to shock Oregon 38-34. (More on that momentarily, as well.)
With only championship week remaining, the conference is on the brink of its first College Football Playoff berth since 2016.
It should have six entries in the CFP rankings next week (again), and it’s guaranteed to have six teams with at least nine victories for the first time since 2014.
Parity crashed and burned this season, leaving a top-heavy conference that produced top-tier entertainment.
Too bad it’s over.
2. They’re back!
Utah entered the week needing an unlikely but not implausible series of results in order to qualify for the conference championship.
A victory over Colorado was just the start.
The Utes also needed UCLA to beat Cal and Oregon State to beat Oregon and Washington to beat WSU — a combination of results that would create a three-team tie for second place and give Utah the tiebreaker advantage based on strength of schedule.
Kyle Whittingham and Co. went 4-for-4 and now have a chance to defend their Pac-12 title, return to the Rose Bowl and knock their opponent in Las Vegas, USC, out of the playoff race.
(This is Utah’s fourth appearance in the championship game in the past five years.)
The bar is high for the rematch. Utah’s 43-42 victory over the Trojans in October was one of the best games of the season.
USC is better now than it was at the time — quarterback Caleb Williams has been sensational in recent weeks — but we’re not sure the same is true of the Utes.
In our view, the Trojans should be favored by four or five points.
Unless quarterback Cam Rising raises his play to a level we haven’t seen since the first USC game, the Utes are in serious trouble.
3. One step away
The Pac-12 is on the verge of ending its playoff drought, thanks to USC’s impressive victory over Notre Dame and a series of fortuitous results in other conferences:
— LSU lost for the third time, eliminating the Tigers from the CFP race even if they beat Georgia in the SEC championship.
— Clemson lost for the second time and won’t make the playoff as an 11-2 ACC champion.
— Ohio State lost for the first time — to Michigan, decisively — and won’t claim a Big Ten division title.
We do not foresee the selection committee inviting the 11-1, trophy-less Buckeyes over 12-1 USC, which would have a Power Five title in tow.
Only a loss to Utah will prevent the Trojans from making their first CFP appearance and ending the Pac-12’s drought.
And what if they qualify for the CFP? How would the Rose Bowl go about replacing the Trojans?
In our opinion, bowl officials would select Washington, not Utah, to fill the vacancy.
The Huskies would have a better record than Utah (10-2 vs. 9-4) and would be coming off a win, whereas the Utes would be fresh off a loss in Las Vegas.
Without a head-to-head result to sway the decision and assuming the teams are close to each other in the CFP rankings — and wary of having Utah for the second consecutive year — the Rose Bowl might very well favor the Huskies.
There is no rule that states the loser of the Pac-12 title game must fill the void in the Rose Bowl if the winner moves into the playoff.
Granddaddy wants the best matchup, first and foremost.
4. Crazy times in Corvallis
Oregon State’s 38-34 victory over the Ducks combined the most breathtaking rally of the season with the most stunning collapse.
The Beavers trailed 31-10 late in the third quarter, then scored 28 of the last 31 points in a finish we still don’t fully comprehend.
As is typically the case in a dramatic plot twist, both parties contributed.
The Beavers kept their poise and executed brilliantly over the final 18 minutes, while the Ducks crumbled in every regard.
OSU won despite relying exclusively on the run in the fourth quarter. The Ducks knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.
Meanwhile, Oregon coach Dan Lanning whiffed on a crucial fourth-down call for the second time in three weeks. The bungled conversion, at Oregon’s 29 yard-line, set up the Beavers’ game-winning touchdown.
As a result, OSU secured its first nine-win season since 2012 while the Ducks locked up a disappointing year under their rookie coach.
Three games mattered more than any others (Georgia, Washington and OSU), and Oregon lost all three.
5. Stanford stunner
The final game of the regular season produced the expected result: Stanford lost to Brigham Young 35-26 to finish with a 3-9 mark for the second consecutive year.
The true shocker came after the game, when longtime coach David Shaw announced he was stepping down.
Shaw is the winningest coach in school history and a four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year winner.
As Shaw said, “it’s time.”
The program has regressed dramatically in recent years, in part because of poor recruiting, and the changing dynamics within the sport — especially the transfer portal — have created additional obstacles.
Along with Chip Kelly, Shaw played a key role in keeping the Pac-12 relevant nationally following the end of USC’s dynasty under Pete Carroll.
He had numerous opportunities to jump to the NFL but instead remains in charge of his alma mater.
Stanford athletic director Bernard Muir is expected to lead the search for a replacement. His first call should be to Chris Petersen, the former Washington coach whose philosophy meshes well with Stanford’s ethos.
Shaw’s departure leaves three vacancies in the conference, although Arizona State is reportedly set to introduce Oregon playcaller Kenny Dillingham as its new coach.
The third opening belongs to Colorado, which fired Karl Dorrell early in the season and is reportedly in discussions with Deion Sanders.
In every case, two deadlines loom: Dec. 5, when the transfer portal opens, and Dec. 21, when the early-signing period begins.
Things are about to get busy in the Pac-12.
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