There is a new king in the North, and Chris Petersen’s Washington Huskies don’t look like they’ll be going away anytime soon.
Gone, now, is Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, who was fired Tuesday, 24 months after leading the Ducks to a Pac-12 title, 23 months after a national championship appearance, and 22 months after signing a hefty five-year contract extension. Oregon will pay Helfrich an $11.6 million buyout to not coach there.
The Ducks, having lost to Washington, Washington State and Oregon in the same season for the first time since 2002, are in a tailspin and this, of course, is cause for much giddiness around Seattle.