PAC 12 Champion Should Get into the Playoff
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Friday night is the kickoff to Conference Championship week in college football. But it is also kicking of the College Football Payoff… sort of. Washington (12-0) takes on Oregon (11-1) in Pac 12 Championship Game. And it amounts to a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal with the winner likely in. Or at least the PAC 12 Champion should get into the playoff. The ESPN Allstate Playoff Predictor gives the Ducks a 69.8% chance at getting it. They are big favorites over the Huskies on Friday night (I’ve seen it from 8.5-9.5 points), which factors into the Huskies chance being 26% chance. That’s almost 96% when you add the two up. The PAC 12 Champion should get into the playoff and break the six year drought the conference has in the CFP.
Huskies Schedule
However if the Huskies win on Friday night and beat the Ducks for a 2nd time, they would end the season with one of the best resumes in CFP history. In fact ESPN Analytics would rank the 2023 Washington Huskies as the most impressive resume ever. The average Playoff contender would only have a 1.1% chance to go 13-0 against the Huskies schedule. The PAC 12 Champions should be in the playoff and I can not think up the scenario where the winner of this game ends up in a meaningless bowl game.
Heisman
It’s not just a playoff spot that is on the line Friday night. The Heisman Trophy could also be decided in this matchup. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is the current betting favorite to win the Heisman at -130 (Lay $130 to win $100). Michael Penix Jr. is not out of the race thought. He has the third shortest odds to win at +1500 ($100 bet wins $1,500). LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels is a small underdog to Nix at +110. There will be a lot on the lines Friday night in Las Vegas in the PAC 12 Championship Game. Bo Nix could lead his team to the playoffs and solidify his college career with a Heisman Trophy. Michael Penix should get into the playoffs with a win, and with a spectacular performance could steal the Heisman from under “Bo’s Nose”.
How the Top-8 Teams Make the Playoffs
The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings are out. And it appears that there are 8 teams who have a shot at the Playoff. And I’ll explain how the top-8 teams make the playoffs. The four Power-5 undefeated teams take up the 1-4 spots. Georgia remains #1 while Michigan, Washington, and Florida State round out the top-4. That’s all well and good. However the placement of the next four is the more interesting discussion. Oregon remains at #5, followed by Ohio State falling to #6 with Texas and Alabama falling in the 7 and 8 spots. Michigan seems to be the closest team to a lock on this list. They’re somewhere around a three and a half touchdown favorite over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The first step for how the top-8 teams make the playoffs is to win your game this weekend (sorry Ohio State).
Oregon and Washington will start the playoff elimination series on Friday night in the PAC-12 Championship. This basically amounts to a CFP elimination game. Looking at what the committee did beyond the top-8 is just as interesting. I have long held the opinion that the committee stacks the deck to fit the narrative they want. Florida State fans should feel relieved that Louisville only fell 4 spots to 14. The SEC continues to get a ton of respect from the committee. Some would argue too much respect. Regardless the conference still has 5 of the top-11. Is this the committee stacking the deck so the conference champ gets in no matter what? Or stacking the deck so the loser has a shot? Here’s how the top-8 teams make the playoffs heading into Conference Championship weekend.
Chris has been on ESPN Soutwest Florida in one way or another dating back to 2010. As a Southwest Florida native, Chris understands what's important to the locals. He is a huge football fan; both professional and college. Although he has a special place for the Miami Dolphins and the entire SEC. He is also very into golf, both playing it locally and covering it on a global scale. Sports are supposed to be fun, and Chris likes to reflect that in the way he covers it. Chris writes about sports news and opinions.