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Associated Press News
College Football Picks: Why Pac-12 needs Washington to win
If the Pac-12 wants to maximize its damaged hopes of placing a team in the College Football Playoff, No. 7 Washington needs to beat No. 17 Oregon on Saturday.
The Huskies (5-1, 3-0) and Ducks (4-1, 1-1) meet in Eugene, Oregon, in a game that could go a long way to determining which team wins the Pac-12 North. After years of dominance by the Ducks, the Huskies flipped the rivalry the last two seasons, winning both games by a combined 108-24.
The Ducks’ lone loss this season was a heart-breaking giveaway to Stanford. The Huskies have not lost since the opener against Auburn in Atlanta.
The best either team can do is “12-1 Pac-12 champion,” but Washington’s resume would look much better than Oregon’s. The Ducks, thanks to Texas A&M bailing on a series, were stuck with one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country. They also, by luck of the draw, have a Pac-12 schedule that has neither Southern California nor No. 19 Colorado. Good for racking up wins, but not necessarily for impressing the selection committee.
The Huskies, meanwhile, host unbeaten Colorado next week and have already won at Utah. The Auburn game was a loss, but traveling cross-country and playing a Top 25 team (for now) in its backyard is probably better than beating up a cupcake at home — which is all the Ducks have to show. The Huskies could also get a little boost from their win over BYU if the Cougars finish out the season strong.
Colorado is the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 but, again, the schedule gods did the Buffaloes no favors. Rival Colorado State is mediocre at best and their big nonconference opponent, Nebraska, is in the midst of a historically bad season. Colorado probably needs to run the table to get serious playoff consideration, and
it would probably bolster the Buffs’ case if Washington was as good as possible.
Many wanted to bury the Pac-12 as soon as the Huskies lost to Auburn. That waspremature. Even now there are enough twists and turns possible to pave the way for the conference to put its champion in the playoff — but the chances are much better if that champion is Washington.
OREGON 45 UWUB 17