2 of this year’s top QB draft prospects face off in Raiders home stadium Friday night for Pac-12 Championship
The talk surrounding the quarterback talent in this year’s draft has been going on since this time last year. Three have emerged atop this year’s Heisman Trophy race as we head for bowl season. Two of them are playing in Las Vegas tonight in the Pac-12 Championship.
Oregon’s Bo Nix is the Heisman favorite right now. His Ducks will face off against the Washington Huskies led by Heisman candidate Michael Penix Jr.
This game could go a long way in deciding if either Nix can clinch the award or if Penix can overtake him and LSU’s Jayden Daniels to take home the most prestigious award in college football.
Also potentially riding on their performance on this big stage is their place in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Among those teams who will be in the market for a QB come April’s draft are the Raiders who, should they wish to get an up close and personal look at Nix and Penix in this game, need only head down the street to their home stadium.
The draft’s top two quarterbacks are USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. They are currently expected to go in the top three, and potentially the top two.
Currently the Raiders hold a 5-7 record, which has them in line to draft outside the top ten. Therefore Williams and Maye would be out of reach barring a big trade up.
But the likes of Nix or Penix could absolutely be in play at the Raiders do end up drafting. So, some in-person scouting tonight will likely be in order.
Championship weekend is finally here in college football, so let’s take a look at how we think it will play out.
While the Oklahoma Sooners finished their regular season at 10-2, they did not make it to the [autotag]Big 12 Championship[/autotag]. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t games that matter to the Sooners this weekend.
For instance, the [autotag]SMU Mustangs[/autotag], a team Oklahoma beat, will take on the [autotag]Tulane Green Wave[/autotag]. That matters because if SMU wins, they most likely will be ranked and represent the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl game. That would go down as a ranked win for Oklahoma and boost their resume.
Also, if the Texas Longhorns win and then make the College Football Playoff, that could also boost Oklahoma’s resume and maybe get them into a New Year’s Six game as well. So, there is still a lot for Oklahoma fans to keep an eye on and cheer for this weekend.
So, let’s take a look at how I think the games will play out, and we’ll go in the order of when they will be played.
3 Keys to victory for the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship
When the Oregon Ducks lost to the Washington Huskies on Oct. 14, it felt for a moment that their season was over. But just for a moment. After the game, quarterback Bo Nix was asked what it felt like for Oregon to lose control of its playoff path.
“We do control our own destiny,” Nix responded. “We could win out.”
It’s six weeks later, the regular season is over and the Ducks won out. On Friday night, Oregon will get the second chance against the Huskies we’ve all wanted to see, this time in Las Vegas.
And the Ducks will be looking to split the series.
Oregon has looked sharp during the second half of the season, while Washington seems to be fading, but this will be a fight. Below, are the three biggest things the Ducks need to do to be successful.
Shutting down Odunze (and company)
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The entire game could come down to this.
Washington has some of the best wide receivers in college football and one of the best quarterbacks. Six weeks ago, that passing game was what beat the Ducks.
On Oct. 14 in Seattle, none of Michael Penix’s passing TDs were thrown to receivers with several steps of separation; they were all guarded somewhat closely. When Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan are catching the ball, they don’t need yards of separation because they are skilled enough to win the catch with strong coverage.
What does that mean for the Ducks?
Oregon’s CBs will need to play as tightly as they can and look to make plays on the ball. Oregon’s pass rush will also need to pressure Penix consistently because he will punish the Ducks’ defense if they give him time.
A passing game of their own
Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports
Containing the Huskies’ receivers is the first key, but unleashing Oregon’s receiving corps is the next step to victory for the Ducks. The Bo Nix passing attack has been in full force in the second half of the season, with Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson seeing a lot of that production.
Washington’s secondary isn’t its defensive strong suit, so I’d love to see the Ducks’ receivers finding space and generating yards after the catch. I’d also love to see Oregon’s speedsters getting over the top of coverage, and Nix taking it long.
Kicking stability
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Whether it’s off the kickoff tee or on a place kick, Camden Lewis is struggling. He’s in a slump. Slumps happen in sports, and while a slump is ongoing, it seems unending. But in reality, cold streaks can end as quickly as they begin, and that’s what I’m hoping for Camden this Friday. Lewis’ struggles hurt Oregon against Washington in October, but they’ll need him to make a positive impact this time around.
Some opinions and predictions ahead of the Pac-12 Championship Game between the No. 5 Oregon Ducks and No. 3 Washington Huskies.
Sometimes in life you just get lucky. That goes for sports as well. Earlier this year, we got lucky with the fact that the game between the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies was among the best of the year. We also got lucky with the fact that both of those team took care of business from that point in the season on, and now we are just a mere hours away from watching them square off again, this time for the last-ever Pac-12 Championship, and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
For one of these teams, the luck is about to run out, though, and the season is going to come to an end on Friday night.
Which team will it be? That’s what we’re here to try and predict. To preview the game, we go through our weekly roundtable with the writers from Ducks Wire. Here’s our Pac-12 Championship edition roundtable of the year.
No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon collide in Las Vegas with not only the last Pac-12 title on the line, but a College Football Playoff spot.
Here it is. We’ve all been waiting for this game since Oregon lost, 36-33, in Seattle in early October. Maybe we, as football fans, should consider ourselves lucky that this opportunity has come up because this doesn’t happen too often.
A rematch with your most bitter rival with nearly everything on the line is a scenario that is rare in most sports, especially in college football.
No. 3 Washington faces No. 5 Oregon in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship. That alone would be enough hype for anyone in both fan bases to handle. But with the College Football Playoff rankings as they are, the winner will most likely advance to the playoff in January with a chance to win the national championship.
Oh, and there’s that little honor called the Heisman Trophy on the line. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is favored to win the award. With a good game, and a win, Nix should become the second Duck in a decade to hold up the Heisman.
The injury report for Oregon is relatively short, but could be potentially impactful on Friday vs. Washington.
Considering it’s just about December and conference championship time in college football, it’s a minor miracle the injury list isn’t a mile long.
Both Oregon and Washington head into the Pac-12 title game and the second contest between the two teams relatively healthy. The Huskies look to have almost everyone available and while a few players are uncertain for Oregon, the list of ailments is relatively short.
Truth be told, that’s exactly how both teams want it. You never want to have an injury excuse for the loser of a game such as this. Each team wants the other as healthy as humanly possible and leaves it all out on the field.
Some of the biggest questions that Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks need to answer this Friday in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The entire back-half of the season has seemingly been leading up to this for the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies. Ever since that Week 7 thriller in early October gave us one of the best games of the year — a 36-33 Washington win in Seattle — there was hope for most that these two teams would meet again in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas.
That meeting has been set, and the eyes of the college football world will descend on Allegiant Stadium for a matchup that will send one team to the College Football Playoff, and potentially crown a Heisman Trophy winner as well.
With a loss to Washington the last time these two played, what needs to change for Oregon this time around? What do they need to do differently, and what questions do they need to answer on Friday night?
We’ve got some that have bubbled to the surface. Here are our biggest questions for Friday and the ensuing Saturday games as well:
More from @PatrickConnCFB on Ducks-Huskies this Friday.
USC expected to be where Oregon and Washington are this season: playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, December 1 in Las Vegas.
The Ducks and Huskies are playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The winner is almost certainly in. The only potential scenario which could lock out the Pac-12 champion is if Oregon beats Washington while Florida State, Michigan and Texas all win their conference championship games and Alabama knocks off Georgia in the SEC title game. The selection committee might put Georgia or Texas in ahead of Oregon, but the likelihood is that Oregon still gets in under that scenario.
Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire has a preview of Oregon-Washington with a lot of statistical breakdowns at the various position groups. The obvious featured attraction is the battle between two quarterbacks who are both certain to be Heisman Trophy finalists in December. Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix of Washington are battling Jayden Daniels of LSU for the stiff-arm trophy this year. The Pac-12 Championship Game has a conference title, a playoff berth, and a Heisman on the line.
Pretty big game. It’s where USC was supposed to be when this season began.
Besides the usual names, these five Huskies need to be stopped or at least slowed down if the Ducks want to become Pac-12 champions.
When Oregon first played Washington, we identified the five Huskies the Ducks needed to stop in order to come out victorious. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out too well as Oregon suffered its only loss of the season.
So instead of going through the usual suspects from Seattle, we have identified five more Husky players that the Ducks can’t let sneak up on them to win.
Those big names such as quarterback Michael Penix and receiver Rome Odunze obviously can’t be ignored or Oregon will go down in a big way. For Washington, it might be someone such as Patrick Herbert they don’t want to come out of the blue and have a big game. They can ask Arizona State how that worked out.
Here are five other Huskies Oregon can’t let have big days in order to become the last Pac-12 football champions.
