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By Andy Baeuerle
Championship Week 2023 held a lot more on the lines besides a conference title. Nine teams would play for a conference championship and a win would make a better case for any of the nine to appear in the 2023 College Football Playoff. Also, due to conference re-alignment, the final PAC-12 Championship was held between Washington and Oregon, two of the teams leaving the conference for the Big Ten in 2024. But what an interesting week.
13th PAC-12 Championship: #3 Washington 34, #5 Oregon 31
Under second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Washington Huskies have grown quickly to become one of the top teams in the country. Armed with Heisman Trophy nominee Michael Penix, Jr. at quarterback, the Huskies racked up impressive regular season wins over #11 Oregon State and #20 USC. The Oregon Ducks have lingered in the Top 25 for the past few years, but have failed to get any major work done. However, with second-year head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks seemed to have found a spark, taking down ranked opponents such as #19 Colorado and #13 Utah.
Michael Penix and the Huskies took off to a rocket start, holding a 10-0 lead over the Ducks heading into the second quarter. While the Ducks scored 10 points, the Huskies’ offense kept the fire going, taking a 20-10 lead at the half. As the case with other football games, the Huskies came back out looking tired and let the Ducks run up 14 points to make it a 24-20 Oregon game. In the final 15, Washington managed to put ten more on the board to give them a 34-24 lead, and, following only one more Oregon touchdown, the Huskies sealed their third and final PAC-12 Championship.
Sunday, after the game, it was announced Washington secured the #2 spot in the College Football Playoff, and will face off against 12-1 #3 Texas on New Year’s Day 2024 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Oregon dropped from #5 to #8 and will face off against undefeated #23 Liberty in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day.
#1 Georgia 24, #8 Alabama 27
In 1992, after 60 years of the top team being declared the conference champion each season, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) created the SEC Championship to determine who would be the top team between the East and West Divisions. However, with the SEC expanding to 16 teams in the 2024-25 season, it has been decided the divisions will be done away with and the two top teams overall will play for the SEC title. Last weekend, we saw the final East vs. West championship take place between Georgia and Alabama. From 1992 to 2023, the West Division held a 20-12 record over the west.
Coming into this game, a Georgia win would give the Bulldogs their 30th straight win, their 5th SEC title, and secure their spot in the CFP. An Alabama win would give the Tide their 11th SEC title, and a potential boost into the CFP. Coming out of the gate, these two teams showed their great strength on both sides of the ball, leaving the first quarter with a 7-3 Georgia lead. In second quarter, Alabama was done playing around. The Tide ran up two more touchdowns on the Bulldogs to lead the game 17-7 at the half. This speed kept up during the third and fourth quarters, with Alabama leaving Atlanta with a 27-24 win and ending Georgia’s reign at #1.
Following this win, Alabama climbed to #4 and was announced to play against #1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl, a CFP Playoff game, on New Year’s Day. Georgia dropped out of the top 4, to #6 and will face #5 Florida State in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day as well.
Other Championship Week Scores
- Conference USA Championship
- #24 Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35
- Big Ten Championship
- #2 Michigan 26, #16 Iowa 0
- Atlantic Coast Conference Championship
- #4 Florida State 16, #14 Louisville 6
- American Athletic Conference Championship
- SMU 26, #22 Tulane 14
- Big 12 Championship, Presented by Dr. Pepper
- #7 Texas 49, #18 Oklahoma State 21
- Mid-America Conference Championship
- Miami OH 23, Toledo 14
- Mountain West Conference Championship
- Boise State 44, UNLV 20
- Sun Belt Conference Championship
- Troy 49, Appalachian State 23
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