Pac-12 Championship History

2011 Pac 12 Championship Game Preview:
The stage is set for the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game, which will pit the winner of the conference’s North division—the nationally ninth-ranked Oregon Ducks (10-2; 8-1 Conference)—against the South-winning UCLA Bruins (6-6; 5-4 Conference).

While the Ducks tied the BCS Bowl-bound Stanford Cardinal for the lead in the North, a win over Stanford earlier in the season punched their ticket in. Head coach Chip Kelly is looking for a win to end his season bowling for Roses, as a win puts his Ducks, led by juniors quarterback Darron Thomas and running back LaMichael James, in the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2012. 

The Bruins took a more circuitous route to secure their entry, being the beneficiary of both a Utah loss in the last week of the regular season and the ineligible status the USC Trojans, who actually led the South with a 7-2 in-conference record. Many expect this to be the last game for head coach Rick Neuheisel (unless the Bruins receive a bowl-eligibility waiver), so expect him to throw everything including the kitchen sink to thwart Oregon’s chances at playing on the Bruin’s home field during Bowl Season.

Expect a high-scoring affair at Autzen Stadium on Friday, December 2.