The Pac-12's national reputation is built on offense. After all, this is the conference of quarterbacks; the conference of running backs; the conference of 31-point outbursts in the fourth quarter; the conference of "keep calm and drop 50."
But for all the highfalutin and fancy-pants offensive schemes, there continues to be one undeniable axiom: it means nothing without a good defense.
So it should come as no surprise that the two teams playing in Friday's Pac-12 championship game rank first and second in the conference in scoring defense. No. 4 Washington (11-1 overall, 8-1 Pac-12) boasts the top defense in the league, yielding an average of 17.