5 Things To Watch: Pac-12 Title Game

LAS VEGAS — A battle of top-five teams with enormous stakes is at hand for the Oregon football team, which meets Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday in Allegiant Stadium.

The No. 5 Ducks went 11-1 in the regular season, their only loss to the No. 3 Huskies, who completed a 12-0 regular season. Friday's winner will have a strong case for a College Football Playoff berth, while quarterbacks Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix Jr. of UW can make final cases for consideration for the Heisman Trophy.

Washington leads the all-time series between the two, 62-48-5, including 17-5-1 at neutral sites. The Huskies have won two straight and four of the last seven in the series.

ABC will televise Friday's game at 5 p.m., with play by play from Chris Fowler, analysis by Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporting by Holly Rowe.

Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …

1. For the Ducks, among the many opportunities presented by Friday's game is a chance to avenge their 36-33 loss in Seattle on Oct. 14.

But it's a fine line between being motivated to prepare well, and letting emotions get carried away once the game begins. UO coach Dan Lanning wants to see his team play with focus and composure come Friday evening.

"We've got great energy; I don't think it's really my job to necessarily temper the energy, but more so make sure that we maintain the focus on where it needs to be," Lanning said. "And our guys have done a great job of that. They realize that energy doesn't win games — execution does."

2. Coming into this week, Nix is considered the favorite for the Heisman Trophy by some pundits, though Penix also has a strong résumé. And while LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels' team didn't make this week's SEC championship game, his numbers on the season are impressive as well.

So along with all the implications for Oregon as a team Friday, there's the chance for Nix to make one last case for his Heisman candidacy.

"He's been playing at a really, really high level the entirety of the season, and he's playing as good as anybody in the nation right now," Lanning said. "It's really apparent."

3. This week the finalists for the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver were announced, and though Oregon's Troy Franklin was a worthy candidate, he did not make the cut.

Among the trio who did was Washington's Rome Odunze, who had two touchdowns in the Huskies' win over the Ducks in October. When Penix is in trouble, Odunze is the receiver he targets.

How will the Ducks defend him this time around?

"If you double him, then you're gonna be short in the run game," Lanning said. "If you don't double him, then he has a one-on-one (matchup that) he has an opportunity to win. He attacks the ball in the air extremely well. He's got great speed. He kind of runs every route in the route tree. And he has a quarterback that can give it to him."

4. Oregon's secondary, meanwhile, played last week without a key piece, nine-game starter at cornerback Jahlil Florence.

Into the lineup stepped Dontae Manning, who made one of the biggest defensive plays of Oregon's win over Oregon State, an interception in the end zone during the fourth quarter. That could be massive for Manning's confidence and development.

"You do everything you want to replicate that in practice, (but) it's hard to replicate," Lanning said. "It really happens in the game experience. So, having some of that experience, he started making some of the plays that we certainly expect him to be able to make, and look forward to seeing him continue to grow as a player for us."

5. Given all that's at stake, the Ducks could be forgiven for feeling the pressure of the moment Friday evening.

But no one player shoulders that pressure alone. This is a group that's fully bought in on the culture of connection Lanning has sought to create the last two years. Now is a time when that can pay dividends.

"There isn't selfishness on this team," Lanning said. "There aren't a lot of 'me' guys. It's really about the team. They spend time with each other outside of the building. It's not just football — they watch movies at each other's house, they go out and eat together. They have real relationships. It's not just, go to your dorm room and shut the door. And that's something I certainly appreciate."