Washington defense too much for Colorado in Pac-12 championship game

And they looked more than deserving of a spot in the College Football Playoff on December 31.

Washington coach Chris Petersen told Fox after the win there’s “no doubt” his team belongs in the playoff.

Browning is now one of the top QBs in the country, throwing for 40 touchdown passes with at least three in nine different games. Luckily for Browning and the offense, Washington tailbacks Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman each reached the 100-yard plateau on the ground.

Washington did lose starting linebackers Joe Mathis and Azeem Victor to injuries during the season, but redshirt freshman D.J. Beavers is making the most of his new opportunity.

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney won the award past year. Unlike a few seasons at Boise State, Petersen was granted a mulligan for that one loss, and took advantage of it. “I’m happy with being Pac 12 champs right now”. Rose Bowl officials have said they will take the highest ranked Pac-12 team available if Washington ends up in the playoff. The Pac-12 Championship was on the line, a playoff berth, and getting a shot at getting into a major bowl game.

If Penn State beats Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions will have wins over two Top 10 teams – Wisconsin and Ohio State – but a blowout loss at MI hurts, as does the loss at Pittsburgh, despite the Panthers creeping into the Top 25 this past week, since it means two losses, rather than one. By the end, the Huskies were up 41-10 and Colorado was left scratching their heads wondering where things went wrong. The loser of the Big Ten title game is eliminated.

What about USC? What about the Trojans?

Colorado’s 2016 season was the best Colorado season since 2001, the year the Buffaloes finished 10-3 after a loss in the Fiesta Bowl to Oregon. Alabama beat USC 52-6.

The Washington Huskies are a flawless 6-0 straight up and against the spread in their last six games against the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffaloes’ group, featuring Tedric Thompson, Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon, are the engines that drive the nation’s No. 20 passing defense, as well as the sixth-best turnover-generating defense.

How good are the Huskies? The Buffaloes have a defense strong enough to slow down Washington’s high-powered attack and an offense capable of shooting out if it comes to that.

The teams play in the sixth Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. ESPN’s FPI gives the Buffs a 28.6-percent chance to win the game, so although the mathematical models say that a Colorado win is unlikely, they certainly suggest it’s possible.

Two interceptions by Washington defensive back Taylor Rapp early in the second half helped to break the game open, as they led to scores that expanded the Huskies’ 14-7 halftime lead to 24-7. They are solid on both sides of the ball. Wisconsin’s two losses are 140-7 at MI and 30-23 versus Ohio State. Much has been written about the Huskies’ key losses on defense – they’ve been playing without leading pass-rusher Joe Mathis and leading tackler Azeem Victor – but it didn’t matter on this night. If Washington draws the Crimson Tide, then it’ll be a heavy underdog, just like everybody else.