The Pac-12 will be gone soon, but next few Saturdays could produce some show-stopping fireworks as we say goodbye

Earlier this week, Oregon State and Washington State won a preliminary injunction to remain the lone governing and voting members of the Pac-12 — or Pac-2 or 2Pac or whatever fun name you want to refer to them as. 

The schools are reportedly discussing a scheduling “alliance” with the Mountain West, but before we eye what a future West Coast conference might look like, let’s pour one out one last time for the old Pac-12.

The last few weeks of the league as we know it could have a legendary denouement. 

No. 5 Washington at No. 10 Oregon State is the headliner game of the entire college football slate this weekend. 

It’s the 108th meeting between the two programs — and likely the final game between the schools for a long, long time. It’s a Top 10 matchup for the first time in history (re: CFP rankings) and the Beavers, despite having two losses, are actually slight favorites. Jonathan Smith’s team has a chance to create total chaos in the College Football Playoff Rankings  — either upsetting Washington or perhaps rival Oregon next weekend. 

But what if the Beavers — behind a punishing OL, dynamic tailback Damien Martinez and a front seven that leads the conference with 36 sacks — win both games, delivering a comical ending to a potential storybook season for the conference. Oh, the irony if Pac-12’s abandoned brother totally dashes the league’s playoff plans in the last year of the league.

Even if the unlikely doesn’t occur though? The next few weeks could still prove tantalizing. 

We have the last Apple Cup and Civil War rivalries for the foreseeable future. We have Deion Sanders and Colorado, with games against Washington State and Utah, desperately trying to make a bowl in Year 1. We have a matchup of future ACC rivals (Cal at Stanford) on Saturday!

Oh, and UCLA–USC is this weekend, too, where Chip Kelly reportedly could get fired after the game and there are continued rumblings about Lincoln Riley’s interest in the NFL. If either future Big Ten school has an opening, it could cause all sorts of domino effects on the coaching carousel — including potential West Coast coaches changing schools (cough, cough Jonathan Smith or Jedd Fisch). 

Even if everything goes to chalk the next two weeks, well, we’re still looking at a rematch of Washington and Oregon for a potential playoff spot with a cherry of a Heisman Trophy on top. Any interest in another dual between Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix?

Yes, please!

The Pac-12 as we know it will be gone soon. And that sucks. But we’re staring at an epic finish where the next three Saturdays could deliver storylines galore. 

So as the fireworks shoot off to say goodbye, let’s enjoy every minute of the show.