Pac-12 Championship Game Thread

Since the conference expanded to twelve teams, only Stanford and Oregon have won the Pac-12 title. That changes tonight, when either Washington or Colorado will take home the trophy.

#8 Colorado vs. #4 Washington, Pac-12 Championship, 6:00pm PST, FOX. The Huskies were 2016’s preseason darlings and lived, mostly, up to the hype. The Buffaloes were 2016’s biggest surprise. Picked to finish last in the division by pretty much every Pac-12 pundit, Mike MacIntyre’s turnaround from 1-8 to 8-1 and tops in the division earned him the Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award.

Chris Petersen’s Huskies have not only the conference title to play for, but perhaps a spot in the College Football Playoff—that’s right, perhaps. With their light non-conference schedule and their lone blemish convincingly dealt by the late-season surge of Clay Helton’s Trojans, even with a conference title, the Huskies could be sweating through Sunday morning.

High chaos indeed would have to ensue on Saturday for Colorado to earn a spot in the playoff. A Buffalo conference championship may do more to bolster the resume of Michigan—their regular season in the books—than their own. But if Clemson and Oklahoma lose, and if Wisconsin beats Penn State, the Buffaloes could conceivably earn a spot, depending on the whims of a dozen or so people in Grapevine, TX.

Watching? Let us know what you think.

Washington vs. Colorado! Petersen vs. MacIntyre! Browning vs. Liufau! Lots of empty seats!

The Huskies are favored by 9.

GO BRUINS.