Pac-12 rewind: Washington wins in the rain, Arizona slays again, Nix shines in blowout and Williams (probably) waves goodbye

One participant is set for the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas

Recapping the Pac-12’s Week 12 action…

This week’s theme is “No. 1 seed set.”

Washington clinched a spot in the conference championship game and will be the home team in Las Vegas with a 22-20 victory over Oregon State, which was every bit as difficult as expected. The Huskies will face either Oregon or Arizona in their next game. The Ducks clinch with a win over Oregon State or a loss by Arizona at ASU; the Wildcats must beat ASU and the Ducks must lose. According to FanDuel, Oregon is a 13.5-point favorite over the Beavers.

Theme of the week II: This is goodbye

USC finished its regular season with a dreadful performance against UCLA on Saturday, which appeared to be quarterback Caleb Williams’ final college game. (We expect him to forego USC’s bowl game and enter the NFL Draft instead.) While some of his actions were less than admirable, such as writing four-letter words on his fingernails, there is no denying that he is a phenomenal, otherworldly, generational talent.

Game of the week: Washington 22, Oregon State 20

Week 12 featured five lopsided games and one thrilling matchup. The battle in Corvallis went exactly as planned, with a steady rain adding to the fun. Wisconsin led 22-10 at halftime and did not score again in the second half. However, the defense stood tall when called upon, and despite a subpar evening (due largely to the rain), quarterback Michael Penix Jr. delivered when his team needed it the most.

Team of the week: Washington State

The Cougars defeated Colorado 56-14 on Friday night, snapping a six-game losing streak and moving within one win of a bowl berth. They scored two touchdowns on defense and one on special teams in the process. And if you have any doubts about what happened, just ask the Cougars. They most likely have receipts.

Team of the season: Arizona

The Wildcats (8-3/6-2), who were picked to finish eighth in the conference in the media poll, are alone in third place and have a reasonable path to a nine-win season and the conference championship game. Every year has an upbeat surprise and a downbeat disappointment. The former is the Wildcats, while the latter is USC. And Jedd Fisch is one of two Pac-12 Coach of the Year candidates, along with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer.

Washington is the era’s team.

The Huskies are one victory away from becoming the first Pac-12 team to go undefeated in conference play. Since the conference’s inception in the early 2000s, 14 teams have gone 8-1 in league play. UW would become the first team to go 9-0 if it defeated Washington State on Saturday (at home).

Salt (in the wound) of the week: Arizona

The Wildcats did not take a knee in the final seconds of their 42-18 victory over Utah, instead opting to throw a 51-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tetairoa McMillan from backup quarterback Jayden de Laura. Unnecessary? Without a doubt. Is it their right? Absolutely. “That’s the play they want to run, and we have to defend it,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. It’s as simple as that.” However, the Utes will not forget.

Offensive player of the week I: Oregon QB Bo Nix

Individual performances in blowouts do not have the same impact as in close games, so we prefer not to honor them. However, Nix deserves an exception after completing six touchdown passes in the first half of Oregon’s 49-13 win over Arizona State. In total, he completed 24-of-29 passes for 404 yards against ASU coach Kenny Dillingham, a friend and former playcaller.

Offensive player of the week II: Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan

In the win over Utah, the 6-foot-5 sophomore averaged 14.5 yards on eight catches and scored with his hands and arm. McMillan caught a 51-yard touchdown pass at the end of the game, but he also threw a 21-yard scoring strike on a trick play that started the scoring.

Offensive player of the week III: Cal TB Jaydn Ott

The underrated sophomore rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown on 36 attempts as the Bears defeated Stanford 27-15 for their third consecutive Big Game victory and moved within one win of a bowl berth. Ott has 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns in a season worthy of Cal’s illustrious tailback history. He’s averaging 118 yards per game, which is fourth in the nation.

Defensive player of the week I: Washington CB Jabbar Muhammad

The Oklahoma State transfer has been impressive all season, but he was especially impressive against Oregon State on Saturday night, recording two interceptions and four pass breakups. For good measure, Muhammad also recovered a fumble. Remove any of his plays from the equation, and the game could have gone either way for OSU.

Defensive player of the week II: WSU DE Brennan Jackson

The senior made his final home game count with two scoop-and-score touchdowns of 48 and 78 yards in the Cougars’ rout. Jackson added four tackles and 1.5 sacks to his total. He is only the second player in Pac-12 history to have two scoop-and-scores in the same game, according to the Pac-12.

Defensive player of the week III: UCLA DL Laiatu Latu

The future first-round pick was dominant in the win over USC, recording two sacks of Caleb Williams and seven total tackles. Latu has 13 sacks and 20.5 tackles for loss, which is impressive for a player who thought his career was over after suffering a neck injury two years ago.

Collapse of the month: USC

The Trojans were 6-0 and in the thick of the playoff race not long ago. However, they have lost five of their last six games and are winless in November, falling to Washington, Oregon, and UCLA by an average of 12.3 points. After an 11-3 debut season, Lincoln Riley is 7-5 with a bowl game remaining.

Collapse of the season: Colorado

Following a hot start that made them the talk of the sport, the Buffaloes have dropped seven of their last eight games, one conference win, and another last-place finish. Rarely has a single game produced a more flawed narrative than CU’s season-opening victory over TCU. The team of Coach Deion Sanders was never as good as the media made it out to be.

Stat of the year I: Washington

The Huskies have won 18 straight games, the second-longest streak in the country, trailing only Georgia, and the second-longest streak in school history since World War II. (They won 22 straight games from 1990 to 1992, including the national championship in 1991.) Penix and company have not lost a game since losing to Arizona State on October 8, 2022.

Stat of the year II: USC

Lincoln Riley’s Trojans are now 6-8 against winning teams after their loss to UCLA. They went 5-3 last year and are now 1-5 this year. When competing against top-tier opponents, defense is critical. Riley may decide to prioritize the trenches at some point.

Stat of the century: Arizona

The Wildcats’ victory over Utah was their fourth over a ranked opponent this season, a feat not accomplished in Tucson since 1989. Oregon State, UCLA, Washington State, and Utah have all been defeated by the Wildcats, with three of the four victories coming at home. They were also only a few plays away from beating both USC and Washington.

Game of next week: Oregon State at Oregon (Friday)

The rivalry formerly known as the Civil War (and still without a new name) has huge implications for the Ducks as well as the Beavers. The logistics favor the home team, which had a relatively easy afternoon at ASU, whereas the Beavers battled Washington and now have a short week of rest and preparation. It should also be noted that OSU has not won in Eugene since 2007.