The appreciation of anything in life always grows when that thing is no longer present in somebody's life. Whether it's a loved one who dies or moves away, or a possession one's forced to part with, people do yearn for what they can't have. There'd be no better way to rub the Pac-12 disintegration in everybody's face than for Washington to beat Michigan in the CFP national title game.
The Pac-12 saved its best for last with Washington, Oregon, USC, and also to a lesser degree, Colorado, all captivating headlines at one point or another in the season. A strong stable of draft-worthy quarterbacks in Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix Jr. -- paired with the conference's national success -- has led many to question why the Pac-12 fell apart in the first place.
The poor leadership under former Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, the lack of commitment, the inferiority to the rest of the Power Five conferences, and the awful television deal for the Pac-12 Network -- which resembles a poorly-run college station -- are all reasons why the conference was dismantled.
Had any of the aforementioned quarterbacks dominated the stadiums of the great Pacific Northwest in past seasons, maybe we would've never reached this point in the first place. After all, the Pac-12 was the home to a hotbed of talent in California. It featured some of the best universities, and had vibrant student bodies that were into athletics. Now it's too late to patch things up.
Although Oregon may have the backing of Nike founder Bob Knight and the glamor to call itself one of college football's elite school's, the reality is that Washington has long been a leader. There's a reason the Huskies recorded double-digit win totals in five of the last eight years, despite changing head coaches twice since Chris Peterson's exit in 2019, which came in light of the Jimmy Lake controversy in 2021. This makes it perfectly fitting they're going to get the final crack at sending the Pac-12 out on a high note.
There's no better way to enter the Big Ten era than for Washington to beat a future conference rival, and taking down Texas along the way this year was a perfect way to set the stage to do so. The extreme SEC bias, paired with the Big Ten's perceived superiority complex, should certainly give these Huskies enough motivation to come in smelling blood on Monday night in Houston.
Now this isn't to say the SEC and Big Ten aren't feeling better without reason. In the 10 years since the College Football Playoff's inception, the SEC's been represented 12 times, while the Big Ten's made nine appearances. Guess how many times the Pac-12 has been in it? Three. So, Michigan alone has made as many appearances as the Pac-12 combined.
Between their fantastic track record and a sign stealing scandal that's added extra juice to the program's motivation, Michigan is rightfully dealing with the Big Brother syndrome. Pair this with the potential exit of Jim Harbaugh, who's rumored to want to make a comeback to the NFL, and it seems like this could be the 'Last Dance' for this current group of Wolverines.
"From a coaching standpoint, you know this is your last game," Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer recently pointed out when on ESPN with Scott Van Pelt. "Having experienced it so many years, you just don't know if a day or game is going to be it. You don't think that way -- you don't want to think that way but that is reality."
While this is the final chance for DeBoer to finish this magical run with Penix Jr., Rome Odunze, and others, this upcoming contest has larger implications than just winning a championship. It's about proving they belong with the big dogs in college football, while showing the Pac-12 was never as bad as many perceived it to be.
So this really isn't about the end of the season, but rather the beginning of a dynasty. In reflecting on the past year, it's important to note that Washington and Oregon were ranked 12th and 15th, respectively, in the initial preseason rankings. The Huskies were slept on from the beginning, partially due to the conference they play in.
As college football fans watched the Pac-12 mascots dance in unison at the conference's final championship game, they should've done so hoping that the outcome would yield a title game representative. But before the grave is dug and the tombstone is erected, there'd be nothing that should make the conference feel ready to go than winning it all. There couldn't be a program more fit to send the Pac-12 off into the sunset than Washington.