Around the Pac-12: All eyes on Oregon-Washington; Bo Nix Heisman odds; Colorado Buffaloes recruits are bailing on Deion Sanders

And, finally, here we are.

After 13 weeks, 144 games and too much drama and entertainment to count, the Pac-12 football regular season has come to a close. It was the last football season of the Pac-12 as we know it, of course, as schools from the conference are scattering across the country in the wake of conference realignment, taking up residence in the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and — in the case of Oregon State and Washington State — an uncertain new home.

The reality that this is the end, that more than a century of history is imploding, would have been enough to keep things interesting. Add in that the season was wildly successful and exceedingly fun and, well, that made the Pac-12 must-watch television.

The conference boasted a record-setting number of ranked teams , a surplus of Heisman Trophy candidates and a pair of teams in the College Football Playoff hunt. There were historic comebacks, dramatic finishes and every week seemed to feature a marquee matchup. The No. 3 Washington Huskies (12-0, 9-0 Pac-12) somehow managed to survive undefeated, setting up a fascinating rematch against the No. 5 Oregon Ducks (11-1, 8-1) in the Pac-12 championship game.

The winner will likely cement a date in the College Football Playoff and that team’s quarterback — Oregon’s Bo Nix or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. — would put himself in the drivers’ seat to win the Heisman.

The title game pairing has seemed inevitable since the teams met on an October Saturday in Seattle, where two impressive quarterbacks, a couple of questionable fourth-down decisions, a botched last-second field goal and an impassioned postgame message from Nix helped produce an instant classic .

But along the way, there was plenty of weekly drama to keep us occupied.

Arizona rose from nothing to win its final six games and become the biggest surprise in the conference. USC tumbled from national championship consideration to the middle of the pack, losing five of its final six games, to become the biggest disappointment in the conference.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox entered the season on the proverbial hot seat, but carried the Bears to a surprising 6-6 record and bowl game berth. UCLA coach Chip Kelly guided the Bruins into the top 20 midway through the season, then sputtered down the stretch, sending him to that hot seat in Wilcox’s place. Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith bolted the Beavers at their darkest hour — following back-to-back losses to the Huskies and Ducks, a day after their final regular season game — to take a job at Michigan State.

Oh, and did I mention Deion Sanders and the sideshow at Colorado? Perhaps you heard that Sanders coached at Colorado this season? Maybe someone mentioned that the Buffaloes opened with a stunning 3-0 record and surged into the national rankings? He was the talk of college football, you know ... and then the Buffaloes lost eight of nine, including their final six games, to sputter to the bottom of the conference standings.

Point is, it’s been quite a final season in the conference. There will be much time to dissect things in the days and weeks ahead, as the CFP semifinalists are settled, bowl game pairings are locked and coaching moves are finalized.

In the meantime, let’s take a spin Around the Pac-12:

• All eyes are on Oregon and Washington , writes ESPN.

• Nix remains the Heisman frontrunner , leading Jayden Daniels and Penix ahead of the Pac-12 title game, according to BetMGM.

• Colorado lost its second quarterback recruit in as many days Monday, when Danny O’Neil decommitted from the Buffaloes’ 2024 class. ESPN has the details .

• From The Ringer ... a look at how the Pac-12 Became the Pac-2: Oregon State, Washington State, and the Forgotten Schools of Conference Realignment.

• ESPN hands out a few grades for recent coaching hires, including Michigan State’s poaching of Smith. “Grade: A. Although Smith, 44, hasn’t coached outside the Northwest, he gives Michigan State one of the more respected young coaches on the market, at a critical time for the program. Given the unrest around MSU, athletic director Alan Haller did an excellent job in targeting and ultimately landing a coach of Smith’s caliber.”

• For Oregon State and Washington State, rivalry week brought the sting of being left behind , writes The Athletic.

• Mandel’s Final Thoughts outline the Pac-12′s Heisman hopes and detail that this conference title game will be the biggest in 13 years of the event, among a host of other topics.

• College sports will never be the same after the death of the Pac-12 , writes the San Francisco Chronicle.

• Disregard that little six-game losing streak and an embarrassing finish to the season in Colorado. According to Andscape, this season was a win for Sanders and the Buffaloes . “In the Alice in Wonderland calculus of Coach Prime, where up is down and losing is winning, this season was a win. Everyone was in lockstep. The resounding party line was that the foundation was put in place for success ahead. ‘We’re certainly headed in the right direction,’ Sanders said. ‘We’re certainly trending forward.’”

• Washington’s offense must improve in a hurry if the Huskies hope to beat Oregon in the Pac-12 title game, writes The Seattle Times.

• Also from The Times: UW kicker Grady Gross was awarded a scholarship following his Apple Cup-winning field goal ... and a look at what Huskies legends think about the 12-0 season and how it stacks up with 1991.

• Arizona’s Jedd Fisch should be Pac-12 coach of the year , writes The Athletic.

• Bill Connelly ranked the 35 best games of rivalry weekend and a Pac-12 tussle landed at No. 3.

• Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham showed promise in Year 1, but he still has much to prove , according to The Athletic.

• Chip Kelly says he isn’t focused on his job security after UCLA’s lopsided loss to Cal, writes the Los Angeles Times.

• A down-the-depth-chart quarterback and a sledgehammer ground game left Utah with some good vibes after it earned a methodical victory over Colorado , writes The Salt Lake Tribune.

• Travis Hunter’s worst enemy in Utah wasn’t awful Pac-12 officiating, it was Sanders’ game management , writes the Denver Post.

• And on that note, the Post says, Sanders and the Buffaloes need more steak and less sizzle if they hope to push for a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth next season.

• Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders was the nation’s most-sacked quarterback — and he has a broken back to show for it , writes the USA Today.

• Arizona finished an historic regular season with a record-setting win over Arizona State , writes the Arizona Republic.

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