Washington holds off Oregon to win final Pac-12 championship, all but secure College Football Playoff spot

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Why wouldn't the Pac-12 finale be an instant classic?

Friday marked, as we know it, the final Pac-12 championship game, as 10 of the schools in the conference are defecting to either the Big Ten, SEC, or ACC next season - but No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon weren't departing without one final epic conference battle.

And it was a good one - after the Ducks erased a 17-point deficit, the Huskies made a comeback of their own to win the Pac-12 championship, 34-31, to all but cement their spot in the College Football Playoff.

Washington dominated the first 28 minutes of the game, forcing three Oregon punts and holding them to just 87 yards as they led 20-3 with 1:39 to go in the first half. But the Ducks were able to go 70 yards in just 90 seconds and find the end zone to make it 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 to start the second half and kept a drive alive after a 4th and 5 conversion. Ten plays later, they opted to go for it on 4th and goal, and the gutsy call worked, as Bo Nix found Terrance Ferguson in the end zone for a second drive in a row, making it a 20-17 game after a 15-play march down the field.

Both teams exchanged interceptions before Washington turned the ball over on downs at Oregon’s 28. It took the Ducks just four plays to take the lead, thanks