Three takeaways from No. 3 Washington's win over No. 5 Oregon in final Pac-12 title game
No. 3 Washington capped off an undefeated 13-0 season, winning the final Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday after knocking off No. 5 Oregon, 34-31. Here are three takeaways from the Huskies' historic win, ending an era:
Did Michael Penix Jr. improve Heisman Trophy chances? Not only did Penix lead Washington to a spotless record in arguably the toughest conference in the nation, but he saved his best performance for last. In true Penix fashion, his numbers weren't overwhelming, but his impact was. Penix finished 27-of-39, throwing for 319 yards (8.2 YPC) with a touchdown and an interception. He was named the Pac-12 title game MVP while his teammates chanted "Heisman."
Overall, Penix led Washington to the most wins in program history and five over ranked opponents, taking down Oregon twice, No. 11 Oregon State, No. 18 Utah and No. 20 USC. And Penix has helped the Huskies punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff.
Season goes down in flames for Oregon: Despite entering the game as favorites behind Heisman Trophy-hopeful QB Bo Nix, Oregon failed to realize expectations. The Ducks fell to Washington by three points for the second time this season, ending any hopes of a College Football Playoff berth.
Oregon trailed Washington by 10 early and played catchup for most of the game. Behind three touchdowns from Nix, the Ducks battled back, eventually taking a 24-20 lead with under two minutes left in the third quarter. Ultimately, Washington outscored Oregon 14-7 in the final stanza. Running back Dillon Johnson tallied a rushing score and Penix connected on a TD pass to tight end Quentin Moore, sealing the win and essentially ending the Ducks' season.
Pac-12 goes out with a bang: The Pac-12 is no more. Next season, Washington and Oregon will move to the Big Ten while the rest of the conference finds new homes in the ACC and Big 12. The conference boasted legendary matchups and players throughout the years, but the evolution of college football, right or wrong, will make it obsolete.
The teams will all move on to new beginnings while continuing to cross paths. However, it won't be the same. 108 years of tradition ended on Friday night, but Washington and Oregon, two founding schools, helped the conference go out with a bang.
Fittingly, the two teams capped things off with an instant classic, combining for 65 points in a physical and dramatic back-and-forth battle typical of the conference.
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