Oregon Replaces Washington in 2020 Pac-12 Title Game, Will Face USC

Oregon will replace Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Saturday against USC, the conference announced Monday:

The decision comes amid an outbreak of COVID-19 within the Washington football team, leaving the program short of the minimum 53 players needed to compete.

Washington was also forced to cancel last week's scheduled game against Oregon because of the coronavirus, pausing team-related activities Wednesday before making the decision to cancel one day later. The game would have decided the Pac-12 North Division, but as a no-contest, Washington (3-1) got the title spot over Oregon (3-2).

The Ducks will now compete for a conference title despite losses in their last two games.

The game is even bigger for USC, which at 5-0 is one of only four Power Five conference teams without a loss.

Despite the Trojans making few headlines during the majority of the season, ESPN Stats & Information gives the school the fourth-best odds to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

Washington's situation created some issues, however, with the Pac-12 initially providing no deadline to determine whether the team would be able to play in Saturday's game, per Jon Wilner of the Mercury News.

USC head coach Clay Helton noted the challenges of preparing for the game Monday:

The team now has a set opponent as it tries to win its first Pac-12 championship since 2017. Oregon won the conference title last year with a 37-15 victory over Utah.