Washington running back Dillon Johnson (7) reacts after scoring a touchdown against Oregon during the first half of the Pac-12 championship on Friday in Las Vegas.
David Becker | AP photo
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Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson (3) flies over Washington cornerback Kamren Fabiculanan (13) on Friday.
David Becker | AP photo
LAS VEGAS — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 319 yards and a touchdown, Dillon Johnson ran for 152 yards and two TDs and No. 3 Washington wrapped up a spot in the College Football Playoff, beating No. 5 Oregon 34-31 on Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship.
The game was likely the final Pac-12 Championship given 10 of the 12 teams will be playing in different conferences next season. Only Oregon State and Washington State will remain as they try to find a way to keep the tradition-rich conference together in some form.
Washington (13-0) was the last Pac-12 team to make the CFP — in the 2016 season.
The Huskies, who were 9 1/2-point underdogs, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to take a 34-24 lead. Oregon (11-2) scored a late touchdown for the final score, but failed to recover the onside kick, ending the Ducks’ six-game winning streak.
Two Washington receivers had more than 100 yards — Jalen McMillan (nine receptions for 131 yards) and Biletnikoff finalist Rome Odunze (eight for 102) who was returning to his hometown.
Oregon’s Bo Nix, the favorite entering the game to win the Heisman Trophy according to FanDuel Sportsbook, passed for 239 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 69 yards.
If it was indeed the final title game for the conference, it was quite a way to go as Oregon and Washington again played a high-scoring game with big plays throughout. The Huskies won their regular-season meeting 36-33 in Seattle.
Washington took a 20-3 lead before the Ducks scored a touchdown with nine seconds left to get to within 10 points.
That score got Oregon going, converting two fourth downs on the opening drive of the second, including a 2-yard touchdown from Nix to tight end Terrance Ferguson to get within three points. The Ducks took the lead at 24-20 with 1:51 left in the third quarter on Jordan James’ 6-yard TD run.
The lead didn’t last long as Washington scored on its next drive to take the lead for good.
This is the second time both teams have been ranked in the top 10 when they have played each other. The other time was the first meeting this season.
Washington improved to 3-0 in the Pac-12 Championship; Oregon is 4-2.
OSU, WSU DEAL WITH MWC
Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West announced a football scheduling agreement Friday for the 2024 season that gives the two remaining Pac-12 schools six opponents each and positions them to operate as a two-team conference for at least a year.
All 12 Mountain West schools will be involved and Oregon State and Washington State will each play three home games and three road games against members of a conference that includes: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Wyoming, Nevada, UNLV, San Jose State, Utah State, Fresno State and New Mexico.
Oregon State and Washington State will pay about $14 million to the Mountain West next year as part of the agreement, Washington State athletic director Pat Chun confirmed.
“We are still focused on re-building the Pac-12, and continue to prioritize the student-athlete experience at Oregon State,” Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said.
Barnes said a full football schedule will be released soon and will include five Power Five opponents, six from the Mountain West and one FCS school. For its part, the Mountain West will play a seven-game conference schedule and the games against Oregon State and Washington State will not count in the league standings.
Washington State athletic director Pat Chun said the Cougars have 11 of their 12 games filled now on their schedule and hope to have the final game solidified in the coming weeks.
“This is a unique and unprecedented opportunity for Oregon State and Washington State to play against highly competitive Mountain West football programs in 2024,” Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. She said the agreement expands the conference’s footprint and strengthens its nonconference schedules.
Oregon State and Washington State are trying to plot a path forward after the Pac-12 was torn apart by conference realignment. Ten Pac-12 schools are joining new Power Five leagues in 2024.
There has been speculation about a combination of some kind between the two remaining schools and the Mountain West, including scheduling agreements in other sports, as the sides explore options.
Oregon State and Washington State, however, want to rebuild the Pac-12 and NCAA rules allow for a conference to be as small as two schools for a two-year period. Chun said the Cougars will continue to use the Pac-12 marks and logo on its field and uniforms next season. He also reiterated that this is only a one-year agreement with the Mountain West to provide non-conference games.
“It’s definitely a partnership that allows the two schools to get to know Commissioner Nevarez and the Mountain West Conference a little bit better,” Chun said. “But the reality is the amount of instability in the FBS and in all conferences is a real issue for college athletics and we’re going to make sure that we position ourselves in the most strategic manner going forward.”
The Pacific Northwest schools are currently in a legal battle with the Pac-12 and the 10 departing schools to determine who runs the conference and has control over potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in assets.
It is unclear how the additional games could impact the Mountain West’s television agreement with Fox and CBS, which runs through the 2025 football season. The Pac-12 has no television contract in place beyond this season. The league’s failure to land a deal competitive with other Power Five conferences was a primary factor in the breakup of the Pac-12.
The departures started in 2022 when Southern California and UCLA announced they would join the Big Ten in 2024. The pace picked up this fall.
Oregon State and Washington State sued the Pac-12 and departing members in September, claiming those schools relinquished a right to be on the conference board of directors and vote on league matters when the announced they were leaving.
The exiting schools say they should still be able to vote until they officially leave in August 2024. Currently, any decisions made in the Pac-12 have to be by unanimous consent of all 12 members.
A judge ruled last month in favor of Oregon State and Washington State, but the conference and departing schools have appealed to the Washington Supreme Court and t he lower’s court ruling has been put on hold.
The departing schools hailed the football announcement.
“The unanimous support for this agreement from all 12 current Pac-12 members demonstrates that OSU and WSU can successfully plan for their future while all members continue to have a say in Pac-12 decisions impacting the current athletics year,” the schools said in a statement. “The nine-figure annual revenues the Pac-12 was already contracted to receive in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 athletics years will support this agreement and any other future plans for the conference.”