Note: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend.[1]
The 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game (branded as the Pac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76 for sponsorship reasons)[2] was a college football game played on Friday, December 18, 2020, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, to determine the 2020 champion of the Pac-12 Conference.[3] The game featured the North division's then second place Oregon and the South division champions USC, and is the conference's tenth championship game. Washington, the North division champion, was unable to participate due to having insufficient players available.[4]
The 2020 Pac–12 Football Championship Game featured the Oregon Ducks, then second place in the North Division, and the USC Trojans, South Division champions. Oregon and USC had met 61 times previously before this game, with USC holding a 38–21–1 advantage in the series.[6] The two teams did not meet during the 2020 regular season.
Oregon was selected to represent the North Division after division winner Washington did not have the minimum number of scholarship players available to participate in the game due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The week before, Washington had to cancel its game against Oregon for the same reason.[7] This marks Oregon's fourth overall appearance in the Pac-12 championship game, having won in all three of their prior appearances. The Ducks are the defending Pac-12 champions, having defeated Utah in the 2019 title game. Oregon enters the contest with a 3–2 record.
USC secured its spot in the game with its December 13 win over UCLA.[8] This is USC's third appearance in the championship game, having last appeared the 2017 game. USC entered the game with an 5–0 record in the regular season and in Pac-12 play. The Trojans were designated as the home team, based on their better overall record.
Game summary
2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game presented by 76
^"Pac-12 extends and expands major sponsorship with 76®". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Today the Pac-12 and 76® announced a multi-year extension of the Conference's football title game presenting sponsorship. With the announcement, the leading retail gas brand will continue as presenting sponsor of the Pac-12 Football Championship Game through the 2023 event.
^ ab"Pac-12 statement on Washington at USC Pac-12 Football Championship Game". Pac 12 Conference. December 14, 2020. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020. This decision was made under the Pac-12's football game cancellation policy and Football Championship Game policy due to Washington neither having the minimum 53 scholarship student-athletes available for the game nor the minimum number of scholarship student-athletes at a position group, in each case as a result of a number of positive football student-athlete COVID-19 cases and resulting isolation of additional football student-athletes under contact tracing protocols.
^"Pac-12 statement regarding Washington at Oregon football game". pac-12.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. After consultation with Washington, the Pac-12 Conference announced the game involving Washington at Oregon scheduled for Saturday, December 12 has been cancelled. This decision was made under the Pac-12's football game cancellation policy due to Washington not having the minimum number of scholarship student-athletes available for the game due to a number of positive football student-athlete COVID-19 cases and resulting isolation of additional football student-athletes under contact tracing protocols. Under Conference policy, the game will be declared a no contest.
