Ducks, Trojans kick-off conference championship weekend … The conference championship weekend gets underway later tonight when Southern California hosts Oregon in the PAC-12 title game with KO set for just after 8 PM ET on FOX. The Trojans were actually supposed to play Washington, but the Huskies didn’t have enough players because of covid positive, so the 3-2 Ducks got the call to fill earlier this week. Which is a pretty good metaphor for what has been kind of a effed up college football season. And no conference was more effed up than the PAC-12 which got off to a late start and then had to cancel 2-3 games just about every week. In the end, the conference champion doesn’t even get to play in the Rose Bowl as it will be one of the two CFP playoff sites, although 5-0 USC does hold some very faint hope of still qualifying for the playoff. Good luck with that though. And the Ducks-Trojans doesn’t even have the consolation of offering much in the way of top draft prospects. USC does have a trio of solid second round prospects in G/T Alijah Vera-Tucker (#75, 6-4, 315), who’ll play LT tonight but figures to kick inside at the next level, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (#8, 6-0, 195), and SS Talanoa Hufanga (#15, 6-1, 215). Of course, Oregon could have had arguably the top non-QB prospect for the upcoming draft, but star LT Penei Sewell opted out before the start of the season. However, pro scouts will be keeping an eye on true sophomore DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (#5, 6-5, 250), who only had a couple of sacks in the Ducks’ 5 games this fall, but is an explosive edge rusher with early top 5-10 potential for 2022.
