No. 5 Oregon Clashes With No. 3 Washington in the Pac-12 Championship

The Ducks smell blood in the water ahead of Friday night's game in Las Vegas.

No. 5 Oregon (11-1, 8-1 in Pac-12 play) will have to beat the only team they’ve lost to all season, No. 3 Washington (12-0, 9-0 in Pac-12 play), in order to clinch a college football playoff berth for the first time since 2014.

This will be the first top-five matchup in the historic rivalry between these two programs and the first time both teams are playing each other for a Pac-12 Championship. Oregon is 4-1 in Pac-12 Championship games, while Washington is 2-0.

The only other time two top-five ranked Pac-12 teams faced each other in a Pac-12 Championship was in 1976 between No. 3 USC and No. 2 UCLA, a game the Trojans won 24-14.

Since Oregon’s 36-33 loss to Washington in October, the Ducks have won six straight games while averaging a point differential of 26 points.

In the loss, the Ducks failed to convert on key fourth downs and missed field goals which ultimately resulted in a three-point loss to the Huskies.

“I just think the whole operation as far as making explosive plays, staying on the field on fourth downs,” quarterback Bo Nix said. “I think that's where, you know, ultimately we lost last time. And I think we have been more prepared now.”

Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix runs for a touchdown against the Oregon State Beavers at Autzen Stadium :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Oregon was 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions in the previous meeting and two of those fourth down turnovers were in the red zone. One of them was the last play of the first half where the Ducks could’ve attempted a field goal, but instead Dan Lanning opted for the fourth down try and the Ducks came up empty-handed, going into the trailing 22-18.

"The one before half is where you can say let's take that field goal," Lanning said after the loss to Washington. "And it's something I'm going to assess. Go evaluate for me. We checked to see if we liked the look. We liked the look before we ran the play. We just didn't execute."

Under Lanning, Oregon has been aggressive and routinely gone for it on fourth down.  Lanning’s aggressive playcalling has typically paid off, but against Washington the Ducks just shot themselves in the foot over and over again, eventually missing a field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. 

The Ducks haven’t lost a game since October 14, as Nix and wide receiver Troy Franklin have been putting up some of the best numbers in the country at their respective positions.

Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin celebrates a touchdown against the Oregon State Beavers :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Nix leads the country in passing yards with 3,906 on the season and has the second-most passing touchdowns with 37. Franklin has set Oregon program records for the second-most receiving touchdowns (14) in the country and ranks third in the country with 1,349 receiving yards.

But there’s a reason why Washington gave Oregon its only loss of the season. Well, actually two. Those two reasons are quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze, and just like Nix and Franklin, that Washington duo’s stats are top-five in the country in touchdowns and receiving/passing yards.

Penix threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns the first time these two faced and Odunze had 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

While Oregon has dominated their opponents since Washington, the Huskies have struggled, beating their competition by an average point differential of 6.5 points. Washington barely came away with wins in their last two games, beating Oregon State by two points and winning the Apple Cup on a game-winning field goal.

Oregon Ducks safety Evan Williams against the Oregon State Beavers :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

“I think a lot of people have taken our game plan of bringing pressure on first and second down and forcing [Penix] to get off his spot,” safety Evan Williams said of what’s changed for Washington since their win over Oregon.

This will be the last Pac-12 game and it'll be for all the marbles between these two rivals as the two programs head off to the Big Ten conference. Whichever team wins will have a spot in the college football playoff and to top it off, the winning team will could have this year’s Heisman Trophy winner.

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