A Pac-12 South division crown and The Territorial Cup will both reside in Tucson, Arizona this year.
The No. 11 Arizona Wildcats claimed a 42-35 victory over the No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils in a chippy affair that proved to be a de facto Pac-12 South championship game.
With the UCLA Bruins’ loss, the balance of the Pac-12 South was still in question during the fourth quarter for the Wildcats and the Sun Devils.
Arizona already built a 35-21 lead with the fourth frame about to commence. Arizona State head coach Todd Graham decided to make a change at quarterback by swapping Taylor Kelly for Mike Bercovici. The move paid immediate dividends, but it didn’t prove to be enough.
A 20-yard touchdown reception by sophomore wide receiver Samajie Grant -- his second of the contest -- was the difference in the game.
With the victory, the Wildcats enter rare territory for the program.
This is Arizona's first 10-win season since 1998. Rich Rodriguez is 28-12 in 3 years at Arizona. Quality coach.
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomonAspen) November 28, 2014
Arizona will now face the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in next week’s Pac-12 Championship Game. It will be a rematch of its Oct. 2 meeting. The Wildcats arrived on the national scene with a 31-24 victory during the Thursday night contest.
The Ducks will be favored again when these two teams meet for the second time:
Oregon has defeated every team it's faced this season.... except for Arizona.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 29, 2014
Rematch in Pac-12 Championship: pic.twitter.com/1yTkCTqkMw
After failing at the University Michigan and being fired after three seasons, Rodriguez already turned around Arizona’s football program in the same amount of time. With another strong effort against Oregon, Rodriguez could achieve something very special in the desert:
Arizona has never played in a Rose Bowl. If Wildcats beat Oregon, maybe the 1st time will be in the national semfinals.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 28, 2014
