Pac-12 Championship Preview: No. 3 Washington vs. No. 5 Oregon

One of the most exciting games of the season this year is getting a well-deserved rematch but this time, front and center stage for the PAC-12 Championship Game.

Not only does this game have potential playoff implications, it may also determine who walks away with the Heisman Trophy this season.

Some of the most common picks for three of the four finalists for the award this season are both Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix as well as LSU QB, Jayden Daniels but with his regular season coming to an end, either player can make the final push to come out on top.

The Washington Huskies and the Oregon Ducks face off for the second time this season after their last match-up ended in a nail-biter where Penix came up big completing a touchdown pass to WR, Rome Odunze with 1:36 left on the clock in the 4th.

Despite finishing the season undefeated, The Huskies have had a challenging road to the PAC-12 Championship Game.

Their last double-digit win aside from scrapping by USC 52-42, came from defeating an unranked California team 59-32 and since then has been hard fought battle after battle.

Washington had three games this season where they've won by three points or less and they managed to stay in these games and come out on top through the elite play of Penix who has been a top Heisman candidate since Week 1.

To say the Huskies and the Ducks have had very different paths to success this season is almost an understatement as while the Huskies have fought week in and week out, the Ducks had a fire lit under them in the second half of the season and dominated.

After losing to Washington, no team aside from USC who was defeated 36-27, came within double digits of Oregon and Nix solidified himself as a Heisman finalist with the second-best QBR in college football and finished with an astonishing 78.6% completion percentage which led college football.

With Oregon substantially improving their play since facing Washington, one factor that may end the Huskies' season is their lack of defense.

The Ducks finished as a top 15 school in total defense meanwhile the Huskies barely cracked the top 100 clocking in at 93 which led to them having played so many close games.

The X-factor in this game will be if Penix can rise to the occasion and once again overcome a complete Oregon team. We’ve seen pressure get to Penix before despite his incredible season, and this time it could lead to his first loss all season.

With all the implications in place with this game, no matter the outcome, no game will shape the end of this college football season more than this one.

John Maldonado is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jim6132@psu.edu