Week 4 of the Pac-12 season will be known as the week the conference’s slim College Football Playoff hopes officially dried up. Thankfully for viewers, the league did not go out with a whimper, but with a bang. Oregon State’s heart-stopping win over rival Oregon—the Pac-12’s highest-ranked team in the initial CFP rankings—was the sweet kiss of death for the conference’s already remote chances at competing for a national title. It also very well could end up being the league’s best game of the season when the dust settles.
Coupled with USC’s current issues with COVID-19 keeping the Trojans off the field, it appears the Pac-12 will not be participating in the playoff yet again this season.