From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Pac-12 Football Championship Game
Annual college football game
Annual college football game
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| name | Pac-12 Conference Football Championship Game | |
| image | [[File:Pac-12_Football_Championship.jpg | 250px]] |
| sport | Football | |
| conference | Pac-12 Conference | |
| years | 2011–2023, 2026–future | |
| most_recent | 2023 | |
| current_champion | Washington | |
| most_championships | Oregon (4) | |
| television | ||
| sponsors | 76 (2016–2023) | |
| * Levi's Stadium (2014–2019)<ref name | "Fischer" | |
| Allegiant Stadium (2021–2023) |
Eugene, Oregon (2011) Stanford, California (2012) Tempe, Arizona (2013) Santa Clara, California (2014–2019) Los Angeles, California (2020) Paradise, Nevada (2021–2023)
- On-Campus Sites (2011–2013, 2020)
- Levi's Stadium (2014–2019) Allegiant Stadium (2021–2023) | mark-coord1 = | label-pos1 = bottom | label-color1 = black | mark-coord2 = | label-pos2 = top | label-color2 = black | mark-coord3 = | label-pos3 = top | label-color3 = black | mark-coord4 = | label-pos4 = top | label-color4 = black | mark-coord5 = | label-pos5 = top | label-color5 = black | mark-coord6 = | label-pos6 = bottom | label-color6 = black | mark-coord7 = | label-pos7 = top | label-color7 = black | mark-coord8 = | label-pos8 = bottom | label-color8 = black | mark-coord9 = | label-pos9 = bottom | label-color9 = black | mark-coord10 = | label-pos10 = top | label-color10 = black | mark-coord11= | label-pos11= top | label-color11= black | mark-coord12= | label-pos12= top | label-color12= black | mark-coord13 = | label-pos13 = top | label-color13 = black The Pac-12 Football Championship Game is a college football game held by the Pac-12 Conference to determine the season's conference champion, initially played from 2011 through 2023. The game from the 2011–2021 seasons had the champion of the North Division against the champion of the South Division. The inaugural game was held during the 2011 season. In 2022 and 2023, the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage faced off in the championship game.
The game was scheduled to be played in Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, through 2022. In 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was hosted at the home stadium of the division winner with the better conference record, which was the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the USC Trojans. From 2014 to 2019, the game was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The first three editions were also held at the home stadium of the division winner with the better conference record: Autzen Stadium in 2011, Stanford Stadium in 2012, and Sun Devil Stadium in 2013. The game was usually held on the first Friday following the conclusion of the regular season.
The winner of the game was awarded the Pac-12 Conference's automatic berth in the Rose Bowl Game, unless the team was selected to play in the College Football Playoff (CFP), and/or in seasons where the Rose Bowl hosts a CFP semifinal.
The game was placed on hiatus in 2024 due to most Pac-12 members leaving the conference. In 2025, it was confirmed that the game will be reinstated in 2026 with the conference's reconstruction.
History
In 2011, the Pacific-10 Conference added Colorado and Utah, bringing the membership total to 12 teams and becoming the Pac-12. Consequently, the conference split into two six-team divisions and created an annual conference championship game.
In the first season of the newly expanded Pac-12 in 2011, USC finished first in the South Division with a 7–2 conference record but was ineligible to play in postseason games due to NCAA sanctions. UCLA (5–4) represented the South Division in the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game as its second-place team. Oregon represented the North Division and defeated UCLA to become the conference's first football champion to be determined by a championship game.
Through the 2021 season, 9 of the 12 conference members have appeared in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. All six teams of the South Division have made at least one appearance, while only Oregon, Stanford, Washington have represented the North Division. The North Division representatives won the first six contests and have a 9–2 overall record in the series through the 2021 season.
From 2011 through the 2021 season, the conference used to play the winner of each respective division, the South and the North against one another in the conference title game. Starting in the 2022 season, the Pac-12 elected to have the teams with the two highest conference winning percentage regardless of division play in the conference title game.
Broadcast rights to the game are held by ESPN and Fox Sports on a 12-year deal that began in 2012, where the rights alternate between ESPN in odd years and Fox in even years. Fox broadcast the inaugural game in 2011.
The game was placed on hiatus in 2024 and 2025, after nearly all of the Pac-12's members left the conference (leaving only Oregon State and Washington State). In 2025, with the conference's re-expansion in the 2026 season, it was announced that the championship game will return and be broadcast by CBS.
Team selection criteria
From 2011 through 2021, the conference used division standings based on each team's overall conference record to select conference title game participants. In the event there was a tie two for first place, the championship game berth went to the winner of the season's head-to-head contest between the two teams. If three or more teams were tied, the following tiebreakers were used to determine the division champion:
:* The following procedures will only be used to eliminate all but two teams, at which point the two-team tie-breaking procedure, head-to-head result, will be applied. :# Head-to-head (best record in games among the tied teams). :# Record in games played within the division. :# Record against the next highest placed team in the division (based on record in all Conference games, both divisional and cross-divisional), proceeding through the division. :# Record in common Conference games. :# Highest ranking in the SportSource Analytics poll entering the final weekend of the regular season.
Starting in 2022 the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage will face off in the championship game.
Home/away designation
The designated "home" and "away" teams are selected using a similar procedure:
:* The division champion with the best conference record is designated as the home team. If the two teams are tied, the following criteria are considered. :# Head-to-head result, if applicable :# Record against the next highest placed common opponent in the conference (based on the record in all conference games), proceeding through the conference :# Record in common conference games :# Highest ranking in the SportSource Analytics poll following the final weekend of regular season games :# Team with the most wins in school history
Results
During the era of divisional play, every Pac-12 South program represented the division at least once, but USC or Utah have represented the South in 6 out of 7 seasons beginning in 2015, and only USC and Utah have ever won the Championship Game from the South. Only three schools (Oregon, Stanford, and Washington) represented the North division; each has won the Championship Game multiple times.
Results by year
Below are the results from all Pac-12 Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Unique among the "Power 5" Conferences, the Pac-12 holds the game on a Friday night following the last regular season game, rather than on a Saturday. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
| Year | North Division | South Division | Site | Attendance | MVP | Year | No. 1 seed | No. 2 seed | Site | Attendance | MVP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Oregon Ducks}} | 8 [](2011-oregon-ducks-football-team) | 49 | UCLA Bruins | 31 | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | 59,376 | RB LaMichael James, Oregon | ||||
| 2012 | Stanford Cardinal}} | 8 [](2012-stanford-cardinal-football-team) | 27 | 17 UCLA Bruins | 24 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | 31,622 | QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford | ||||
| 2013 | Stanford Cardinal}} | 7 [](2013-stanford-cardinal-football-team) | 38 | 11 Arizona State Sun Devils | 14 | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ | 69,535 | RB Tyler Gaffney, Stanford | ||||
| 2014 | Oregon Ducks}} | 3 [](2014-oregon-ducks-football-team) | 51 | 8 Arizona Wildcats | 13 | Levi's Stadium • Santa Clara, CA | 45,618 | QB Marcus Mariota, Oregon | ||||
| 2015 | Stanford Cardinal}} | 7 [](2015-stanford-cardinal-football-team) | 41 | 24 USC Trojans | 22 | 58,476 | RB Christian McCaffrey, Stanford | |||||
| 2016 | Washington Huskies}} | 4 [](2016-washington-huskies-football-team) | 41 | 9 Colorado Buffaloes | 10 | 47,118 | S Taylor Rapp, Washington | |||||
| 2017 | 14 Stanford Cardinal | 28 | USC Trojans}} | 11 [](2017-usc-trojans-football-team) | 31 | 48,031 | QB Sam Darnold, USC | |||||
| 2018 | Washington Huskies}} | 11 [](2018-washington-huskies-football-team) | 10 | 17 Utah Utes | 3 | 35,134 | CB Byron Murphy, Washington | |||||
| 2019 | Oregon Ducks}} | 13 [](2019-oregon-ducks-football-team) | 37 | 5 Utah Utes | 15 | 38,679 | RB C. J. Verdell, Oregon | |||||
| 2020 | Oregon Ducks}} | [](2020-oregon-ducks-football-team)^ | 31 | 13 USC Trojans | 24 | L.A. Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA | 0 | DE Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon | ||||
| 2021 | 10 Oregon Ducks | 10 | Utah Utes}} | 14 [](2021-utah-utes-football-team) | 38 | Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, NV | 56,511 | LB Devin Lloyd, Utah | ||||
| 2022 | 4 USC Trojans | 24 | Utah Utes}} | 11 [](2022-utah-utes-football-team) | 47 | Allegiant Stadium • Paradise, NV | 61,195 | QB Cameron Rising, Utah | ||||
| 2023 | Washington Huskies}} | 3 [](2023-washington-huskies-football-team) | 34 | 5 Oregon Ducks | 31 | 61,195 | QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington |
: In 2011, UCLA, the second-place team in the South Division, played in place of USC, who was ineligible to participate due to NCAA sanctions. :^ In 2020, Oregon represented the North Division due to COVID-19 issues in Washington's program. : 2020 game attendance was played behind closed doors due to COVID-19.
Results by team
Former members
| Appearances | School | Wins | Losses | Pct. | Titles | Runners-up | Oregon Ducks}}" | [ | Stanford Cardinal}}" | [ | Utah Utes}}" | [ | USC Trojans}}" | [ | Washington Huskies}}" | [ | UCLA Bruins}}" | [ | Arizona Wildcats}}" | [ | Arizona State Sun Devils}}" | [ | Colorado Buffaloes}}" | [ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4 | 2 | 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020 | 2021, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 2012, 2013, 2015 | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 2021, 2022 | 2018, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 2017 | 2015, 2020, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 2016, 2018, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 2011, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 2016 |
No results yet by team
| School | Boise State Broncos}}" | [ | Colorado State Rams}}" | [ | Fresno State Bulldogs}}" | [ | Oregon State Beavers}}" | [ | San Diego State Aztecs}}" | [ | Texas State Bobcats}}" | [ | Utah State Aggies}}" | [ | Washington State Cougars}}" | [ |
|---|
No results by team
| School | California Golden Bears}}" |
|---|
- [California never made an appearance in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game.
- Oregon State and Washington State has yet to appear in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State, and Utah State will play their first season of Pac-12 football in 2026.
Common matchups
Matchups that have occurred more than once:
| # of Times | North Division | South Division | Record | Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Oregon | Utah | Tied, 1–1 | 2019, 2021 |
| 2 | Stanford | USC | Tied, 1–1 | 2015, 2017 |
Site selection criteria
During its first three years, the site of the Pac-12 Championship Game was the home stadium of the division champion with the superior overall conference record. In the event that the two division champions were tied, the head-to-head record would be used as the tiebreaker. If the two teams did not meet during the season, a BCS component was to be used.
After three years of the home-hosting model, the Pac-12 announced a three-year deal to host the game at the neutral site of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. In 2017, the Pac-12 announced it would keep the game at Levi's Stadium through 2019 with an option for 2020.
On July 24, 2019, it was announced that Allegiant Stadium, then under the working name Las Vegas Stadium, would host the Pac-12 Championship Game starting in 2021.
On October 3, 2020, the Pac-12 announced that the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game would revert to the original home-hosting model due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the 2021 game starting the two-year run at Allegiant Stadium.
On May 18, 2022, the Pac-12 announced that starting with the 2022 edition, the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage will face off in the championship game. No changes were made to the 2022 Pac-12 schedule, which had already been set using the former divisional alignment. The conference also announced it was reviewing several potential scheduling models for future seasons.
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year | Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year | Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year | Miscellaneous | Record, Team vs. Team | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most points scored (one team) | 51, Oregon vs. Arizona | 2014 | |||||||||
| Most points scored (losing team) | 31, UCLA vs. Oregon; Oregon vs. Washington | 2011, 2023 | |||||||||
| Fewest points scored (winning team) | 10, Washington vs. Utah | 2018 | |||||||||
| Fewest points scored | 3, Utah vs. Washington | 2018 | |||||||||
| Most points scored (both teams) | 80, Oregon (49) vs. UCLA (31) | 2011 | |||||||||
| Fewest points scored (both teams) | 13, Washington (10) vs. Utah (3) | 2018 | |||||||||
| Most points scored in a half | 35, Oregon (1st half) vs. UCLA | 2011 | |||||||||
| Most points scored in a half (both teams) | 52, Oregon vs. UCLA (1st half) | 2011 | |||||||||
| Largest margin of victory | 38, Oregon (51) vs. Arizona (13) | 2014 | |||||||||
| Smallest margin of victory | 3, Stanford (27) vs. UCLA (24) | 2012 | |||||||||
| Total yards | 627, Oregon (326 passing, 301 rushing) vs. Arizona | 2014 | |||||||||
| Rushing yards | 352, Oregon vs. UCLA | 2011 | |||||||||
| Passing yards | 363, USC vs. Utah | 2022 | |||||||||
| First downs | 31, Oregon vs. Arizona | 2014 | |||||||||
| Fewest yards allowed | 188, Washington vs. Utah (137 passing, 51 rushing) | 2018 | |||||||||
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | 51, Washington vs. Utah | 2018 | |||||||||
| Fewest passing yards allowed | 81, Washington vs. Colorado | 2016 | |||||||||
| All-purpose yards | 346, Marcus Mariota, Oregon vs. Arizona | 2014 | |||||||||
| Touchdowns (all-purpose) | 5, Marcus Mariota, Oregon vs. Arizona | 2014 | |||||||||
| Rushing yards | 219, LaMichael James, Oregon vs. UCLA | 2011 | |||||||||
| Rushing touchdowns | 3, shared by four players, most recent: | ||||||||||
| C. J. Verdell, Oregon vs. Utah | |||||||||||
| 2019 | |||||||||||
| Passing yards | 363, Caleb Williams, USC vs. Utah | 2022 | |||||||||
| Passing touchdowns | 3, shared by: | ||||||||||
| Darron Thomas, Oregon vs. UCLA | |||||||||||
| Cameron Rising, Utah vs. USC | |||||||||||
| Caleb Williams, USC vs. Utah | |||||||||||
| 2011 | |||||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||||
| 2022 | |||||||||||
| Receiving yards | 146, Michael Pittman Jr., USC vs. Stanford | 2017 | |||||||||
| Receiving touchdowns | 2, shared by: | ||||||||||
| Nelson Rosario, UCLA vs. Oregon | |||||||||||
| Kaden Smith, Stanford vs. USC | |||||||||||
| 2011 | |||||||||||
| 2017 | |||||||||||
| Tackles | 19, Kenneth Olugbode, Colorado vs. Washington | 2016 | |||||||||
| Sacks | 2.5, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon vs. Utah | 2019 | |||||||||
| Interceptions | 2, shared by three players, most recent: | ||||||||||
| Jamal Hill, Oregon vs. USC | |||||||||||
| 2020 | |||||||||||
| Touchdown run | 70, C. J. Verdell, Oregon vs. Utah | 2019 | |||||||||
| Touchdown pass | 65, D. J. Foster from Taylor Kelly, Arizona State vs. Stanford | 2013 | |||||||||
| Kickoff return | 48, shared by: | ||||||||||
| Anthony Julmisse, Colorado vs. Washington | |||||||||||
| Phillip Lindsay, Colorado vs. Washington | |||||||||||
| 2016 | |||||||||||
| 2016 | |||||||||||
| Punt return | 31, Christian McCaffrey, Stanford vs. USC | 2015 | |||||||||
| Interception return | 80, Ed Reynolds, Stanford vs. UCLA | 2012 | |||||||||
| Fumble return | |||||||||||
| Punt | 62, Tristan Vizcaino, Washington vs. Colorado | 2016 | |||||||||
| Field goal | 53, Matt Gay, Utah vs. Washington | 2018 | |||||||||
| Game attendance | 69,535, Stanford vs. Arizona State | 2013 |
Source:
Notes
References
References
- (October 3, 2016). "Pac-12 names 76® as the presenting sponsor of its Football Championship Game". Pac-12 Conference.
- Fischer, Bryan. (May 14, 2014). "Pac-12 to move football championship game to Levi's Stadium".
- (June 1, 2011). "Additional Pac-12 2011 Football Telecast Windows Announced". [[Pacific-10 Conference]].
- "Pac-12 announces change to Football Championship Game format".
- (July 31, 2020). "Pac-12 approves 2020 football schedule & for fall sports".
- Miller, Ted. (November 26, 2011). "What do we call UCLA?".
- (January 6, 2011). "Fox Sports To Televise Inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game". Pacific-10 Conference.
- (May 4, 2011). "Pac-12 Announces Landmark Media Rights Deal With ESPN, Fox Sports Media Group". Pacific-10 Conference.
- Clinkscales, Jason. (2025-04-29). "Pac-12 Inks Media Deal With the CW, CBS, ESPN for 2025 Football Season".
- (2025-04-29). "Washington vs. Washington State in Apple Cup among two Pac-12 games airing in primetime on CBS in 2025 season".
- (June 23, 2025). "CBS Sports and Pac-12 extend partnership through the 2030-31 season".
- (June 9, 2016). "Pac-12 Football Championship Game tiebreaker explanation". Pac-12 Network Newsroom.
- "Minnesota vs.Iowa - Game Summary - November 13, 2021 - ESPN".
- "UCLA vs. Stanford - Game Summary - November 30, 2012 - ESPN".
- "Stanford vs. Arizona State - Game Summary - December 7, 2013 - ESPN".
- "Arizona vs. Oregon - Game Summary - December 5, 2014 - ESPN".
- "USC vs. Stanford - Game Summary - December 5, 2015 - ESPN".
- "Colorado vs. Washington - Game Summary - December 2, 2016 - ESPN".
- "Stanford vs. USC - Game Summary - December 1, 2017 - ESPN".
- "Utah vs. Washington - Game Summary - November 30, 2018 - ESPN".
- "Utah vs. Oregon - Game Summary - December 9, 2019 - ESPN".
- (December 18, 2020). "Oregon holds off USC late, grabs Pac-12 title with 31-24 win".
- "2021 PAC-12 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME".
- (2022-12-02). "Cameron Rising highlights from MVP performance in 2022 Pac-12 Football Champ Game".
- Wilner, Jon. (May 19, 2014). "Pac-12 football: The title game moves to Levi's Stadium". Bay Area News Group.
- (July 26, 2017). "Pac-12 announces agreement with Levi's Stadium to continue hosting Football Championship Game". Pac-12 Conference.
- Bolch, Ben. (July 24, 2019). "The Pac-12's football championship game is headed for Las Vegas". [[Los Angeles Times]].
- "Pac-12 announces 2020 football schedule".
- "2020 Pac-12 Record Book".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Pac-12 Football Championship Game — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report