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Friday, December 2nd - 9:00 PM ET, FOX
#4 Washington [11-1] v. #8 Colorado [10-2]
Washington: The Huskies are playing not only for a Pac-12 Championship but for their College Football Playoff lives as well, as one of the best seasons in the history of the Washington program will reach it’s pivotal moment on Friday night. Quarterback Jake Browning, who along with stand-out receivers John Ross and Dante Pettis, have led a prolific Washington offense all-season long and the star gunslinger now sits just three touchdown passes away from tying former California quarterback Jared Goff’s Pac-12 record for most touchdown passes in a season. If the Huskies can continue their steady brand of balanced football, an intriguing match-up with the top-ranked team in the country in Alabama could be in the cards, with a National Championship birth on the line. However, Washington must first be focused on slowing down an upstart Colorado program with nothing to lose heading into this one.
Colorado: After being projected to finish dead last in the Pac-12 South before the start of the season, the fact that Colorado is even playing in this game is a surprise to just about everyone besides Pac-12 Coach of the Year, Mike MacIntyre, who never seemed to waiver with his faith in his team. Somehow. Someway. Colorado made it. The Buffs did a stellar job of navigating a rugged conference slate, finishing the season with consecutive wins over ranked opponents in Washington State and Utah, that kept their slim lead in the standings over a surging USC in tact. Now, the storybook team has a chance to cap their campaign off in style. Knocking off Washington and playing in the Rose Bowl could be a fitting end for the Buffs, who were hands-down the most astonishing story to come out of the conference this season.