College Football Playoff Top 25 Projections: Week 14

Just like last year, Washington State met rival Washington in the Apple Cup with a shot to win the Pac-12 North. And just like last year, the Cougars crumbled with the opportunity on the table. The Huskies dominated Mike Leach’s team for most of the contest, shutting out the Cougars for three quarters before they scored two late touchdowns in a 41-14 defeat.

Senior quarterback Luke Falk had another big statistical day in his final regular-season game for Wazzu, throwing for 369 yards on 37-of-55 passing. But he threw just one touchdown passes against three interceptions, as Washington ran away with the Apple Cup for a fifth straight season.

With the defeat, Stanford will face USC in the Pac-12 championship game instead of the Cougars. Now Washington State can only sit back and wait to see whether the College Football Playoff selection committee is willing to invite them to a major bowl game. They will fall down the rankings this week, but the Cougars should still remain in the Top 25 despite their third loss of the year.