Pac-12 Championship Game preview: #13 Oregon vs. #5 Utah

Championship Week is upon us. The first conference title game on the docket is Friday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Oregon eliminated itself from playoff consideration with a loss to Arizona State two weeks ago, but Utah may find itself playing for more than a conference title with a win in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

#13 Oregon vs. #5 Utah, Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC

The Utes sit at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. This year’s team marks a coming of age for Kyle Whittingham’s program in the Pac-12. The conference title game was introduced in 2011—the year that Utah joined the conference. Last year was the first time the Utes won their division, but they ultimately lost the title game to Washington. Now Utah is back for another crack at its first title, with its best conference mark ever at 8-1 (previous best was 6-3). Fifty lettermen—including 28 seniors—returned to this year’s team and the Utes are looking to finish what they started.

Weather could be a huge factor

The forecast for the game is heinous, with a half-inch of rain and winds of 20 mph (gusts up to 39 mph) expected. Throwing, catching and kicking will all be challenging endeavors. So we’re getting right back to brass tacks—blocking, running, shedding blocks and tackling. Who does these best?

Oregon had the offensive line everyone was raving about before the season, and it has been quite good. But Utah’s has been a bit better (26th in adjusted-line yards versus 35th). Oregon has a nice group of running backs (CJ Verdell, Travis Dye, Cyrus Habibi-Likio and Darrian Felix), but wouldn’t you rather have Utah’s workhorse Zack Moss (6.23 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns)? Utah's Tyler Huntley has also been a much more effective runner at quarterback than Oregon's Justin Herbert.

It’s a clean sweep for the Utes, who even have the stouter defensive line (13th in adjusted-line yards versus 35th). This game might be played in a phone booth, and while both teams are good at playing smash-mouth football, the Utes are unequivocally better.

Utah has a clear advantage in special teams

Beyond experience (for its part, Oregon has 24 seniors) and an edge in all facets of the run game, Utah fields the superior special teams unit. While the Ducks have some nice weapons (Jevon Holland at punt returner, Mykael Wright at kickoff returner and Blake Maimone at punter), they struggle with placekicking. Camden Lewis is just a freshman and has missed five of his 11 field goals, along with two extra points. Kicking woes will be exacerbated in wet and windy conditions, and points could be at a premium.

Utah is more seasoned, tougher and more apt to handle a game with adverse conditions. Tune in Friday night to see Whittingham’s program complete its ascent to its first Pac-12 title.

Pick: Utah -6.5

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The Pac-12 Championship Game is just the beginning. Check out all the Championship Week matchups at BetAmerica!