Saturday, December 02, 2023

The Conference of Champions Put on a Game for the Ages at its Wake. Oh the Irony!


This is the best video recap. It captures all of the great play and great emotion.

https://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=39024191

 

Washington beats Oregon in stirring Pac-12 finale, sharpening playoff picture


LAS VEGAS — As two fan bases thundered [The stadium was electrified] and season-long fates teetered through a goose-bump Friday night near The Strip, they played a Pac-12 football championship so hypnotic that it almost grew possible to forget the conference’s impending death and the winner’s impending playoff posture. It seemed almost as if a dazzling collection of athletes got done making plays back and forth and then looked up and said, Where do we stand?

Here’s where they stood after No. 3 Washington led and then withstood No. 5 Oregon, 34-31: Pac-12 football ended up worth mourning as the league disintegrates in realignment, and the College Football Playoff had its first ironclad qualifier. That would be the Huskies (13-0), whose second three-point win over Oregon (11-2) this season means they’ll join the final foursome for the program’s second time, become the first Pac-12 entry in the four-team playoff since the Washington team of 2016, stand as the first unbeaten Pac-12 team in the playoff era and never forget the night the confetti rained purple indoors.

“All right,” second-year Oregon coach Dan Lanning began, “this one hurts.”

Nix and Lanning and their Ducks reached Las Vegas as the team with the greater hipness, their romp through the schedule since a 36-33 loss to Washington on Oct. 14 pleasing football eyes across the nation, their average win 42-16 in their previous six games. Las Vegas oddsmakers favored them by nine or 10, perhaps a gift to a 12-0 team with technically the higher ranking. The Huskies quickly behaved as if miffed, [The players played with intensity and emotion.] sharply holding the ball for the first 7:26, hurrying toward that 20-3 lead and a 255-142 advantage in first-half yardage.