1620 The Zone’s Jimmie Allen had the perfect explanation for why polarizing former Auburn football quarterback Bo Nix and No. 8 Oregon lost to No. 7 Washington: Huskies quarterback Michael Penix played to win and the Ducks’ offensive gameplan on their final drive — one that saw a game-tying field goal miss wide right to give Washington the win — was not to lose.
“The difference in that game is Michael Penix went for the jugular, while Bo Nix made every safe throw he could,” Allen wrote.
One could argue that Penix had his Heisman moment during the Huskies’ game-winning drive in the final moments, while Nix just took a major narrative loss despite doing just about everything he could not to in the Cascade Clash.
Former Auburn football QB Bo Nix could still win the Heisman
Things change very quickly in college football — well, besides Georgia’s stranglehold on the No. 1 spot and the College Football Playoff at least — so Week 7’s loss to Washington isn’t the end of the line for Nix in the Heisman race or Oregon in the Pac-12 title hunt. Not by a long shot.
USC, Utah, Oregon State, and Wazzu is a tough final stretch for the Huskies, so enough losing can make Penix irrelevant in the Heisman race. Of course, that applies to Nix and Oregon too since the Ducks have all of those same opponents left, but there’s less pressure on Oregon now with the loss. Washington likely has gaudy expectations that can set the fanbase up for failure after the narrow win, though, while Oregon is now playing with house money.