The conference announced Monday that Oregon will replace Washington as the Pac-12 North representative in the conference championship football game.
Due to the positive lawsuits for COVID-19 and the associated contact-tracking protocols, it was determined that the Huskies would not be able to field the 53 scholarships required to play, the conference said. There were more huskies than the number needed for a particular level group.
“Our goal is to win the Back-12 Championship every season,” Washington head coach Jimmy Lake said in a statement. “I’m very proud of the work our team and staff have put us into achieving that goal. Unfortunately, the virus is still on our track. There is no way forward to practice or play. Our focus is now on getting everyone healthy, so we can resume football activities and get ready for a potential bowl game “We are so frustrated that we can not bring home the Pack-12 trophy for our fans, staff and players.”
In a zoom call with reporters, Lake said the team’s full offensive line, including walks, is currently unavailable and the team has not been training since Wednesday. Huskies are expected to be able to play in a bowl game, Lake said.
The runner-up instead of the division champions dictates the rules of the conference, resulting in Oregon (3-2) USC (5-0) in Los Angeles on Friday, for the title, Pack-12 said.
The chance is clear since Huskies (3-1) were forced to cancel the game against Oregon last week, which would have sent the winner to the championship game if it had been played. Back-12 announced Sunday that Oregon will play Colorado in Los Angeles, which was done to allow Oregon or Colorado to be used as a substitute team.
It is unclear whether Colorado (4-1, 3-1 Pac-12) will play this week, while UCLA is scheduled to play Stanford, Washington State in Utah and Arizona State in Oregon. California-Arizona, which was announced Saturday, was also canceled on Sunday.