Roundup: Dawgs to the CFP, natties for USC and Cal
What a weekend filled of action, y’all. Let’s start with the footbawl – after manhandling Colorado in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game, Washington earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff, becoming the second team from the Conference of Champions to earn a semifinal berth (Oregon, 2014). Congrats to the Dawgs.
What a day for SC, eh? First, the Trojans jumped Colorado in the CFP rankings and earned a Rose Bowl berth, where they will play Penn State, and then USC women’s soccer won the national championship by beating top-seeded West Virginia 3-1.
The day could have been even better for Troy, but Cal defeated USC 11-8 in overtime to win the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Championship, erasing a two-goal deficit to start the fourth quarter. That guy Luca Cupido, I’m telling ya – maybe the most exciting player to watch in college water polo.
Meanwhile on The Farm, Stanford men’s soccer is on to the College Cup for the second straight year after taking down its second straight ACC foe, Louisville, in the quarterfinals (2-0 in Kentucky).
How 'bout dem Wildcats?! Arizona women’s volleyball is off to the Sweet 16 after upsetting ninth-seeded Michigan State in five sets, outlasting Sparty 15-10 in the decisive fifth. The 'Cats will travel to Nebraska to take on Washington in an all-Pac-12 battle Friday afternoon.
They got knocked out of a New Year’s Six Bowl with that championship-game loss to Washington, but the Colorado Buffaloes will go to the Alamo Bowl to face Oklahoma State in what is probably the best non-access-bowl game of the bowl season (No. 10 CU vs No. 12 OSU). An old Big 12 battle.
Utah is off to the Foster Farms Bowl to play Indiana in what is its third trip to the Bay Area this season (the Utes also played at San Jose State and Cal).
Cougar fans are happy that Washington State is headed to the Holiday Bowl to face Minnesota and try to get some revenge on the Golden Gophers for Pac-12 North brethren Oregon State (the Beavs lost their season opener at Minnesota).
UCLA men’s basketball defeated top-ranked Kentucky 97-92 at Rupp Arena in Lexington to move to 9-0 on the season and jump all the way up to No. 2 in the latest AP poll (the Bruins were 11th last week). Props to Lonzo Ball for that step-back NBA 3-pointer to beat the first-half buzzer.
According to ESPN.com and linked here by Doug Haller, Arizona State offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has talked with Georgia State about becoming its next head coach.
The Oregonian/OregonLive gives us the latest updates on the Oregon football coaching search.
Former Oregon State men’s basketball guard Gary Payton II scored 51 points in a D-League game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, leading the Snakes to a 140-125 win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders (not Defenders; embrace the dash).