Washington State looks like Pac-12 favorite after crushing Oregon
By Logan Woods
After a dominating first half and in front of a raucous home crowd, Washington State looks like the favorites in the Pac-12.
Oregon looked like the only glimpse of hope the Pac-12 had of getting a team into the college football playoff, but after being shut out in the first half against Washington State, the conference seems to be eliminated.
This looked like it would be a competitive matchup, but no one could have foreseen complete domination in favor of the Cougars. This game proved to be a major statement to the rest of the Pac-12 for the Cougars as they finished the game strong against the Ducks, winning 34-20.
Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew, who leads the nation in passing yards by over 60 yards per game, put up another strong performance with 323 passing yards and four touchdowns. His emergence has been a major factor for Washington State being in the position they are in.
The defense has also been noticeably stronger under first-year defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys, only giving up two touchdowns against a powerful Oregon offense. The offense and defense are both becoming dominate at the perfect time for the Cougars.
With a win, Washington State is now the only one-loss team in the conference, and they control their own destiny in the competitive north division. The Cougars face a tough road ahead, with games against Stanford, Colorado, and Washington still remaining.
If they can find a way to win these games, the Cougars will most likely find themselves in a rematch with USC in the conference championship. Washington State’s only loss came early in the season against USC in a high scoring back and forth affair, with the final score being 39-36 in favor of the Trojans.
Washington State does not have a path into the college football playoff, even with these victories. There are too many other conferences with dominate teams this season, so even if the Cougars make a late-season magical run, the best they can hope for is a Rose Bowl bid.
Washington State has won eight or nine games in the last three seasons, so this would be a great step for Mike Leach in his seventh season as head coach to finally break through the 10 win barrier.