A new Pac-12 champ is about to be crowned this coming Friday, when the Utah Utes and the Washington Huskies lock horns in Santa Clara. The Utes lost in the first encounter with Washington this year, so they will have a shot at revenge on an elevated stage. But will Jake Browning and the Huskies allow that to happen? At press, the Huskies are favored by 4.5-points.
Betting on the Utah Utes (9-3 Overall / 6-3 Conference)
The Utes used a huge 21-0 run in the four quarter to down the BYU Cougars at home on Saturday, 35-27. They could also consider themselves lucky in that game, though, as they had troubles on both sides of the field until that fourth-period eruption. The Utes, who average over 370 total yards per game only pumped out 296 against the Cougars. Utes quarterback Jason Shelley went just 19-of-28 for 141 passing yards and a touchdown with zero interceptions against the Cougars, while also rushing for 61 yards and a score on 11 carries. Junior running back Armand Shyne, meanwhile, chipped in two rushing touchdowns and 47 rushing yards on 15 attempts. The Utes were nearly shut out by the Huskies in a 21-7 home loss on Sep. 16, but that was back when Utah still had Tyler Huntley as its starting quarterback. Huntley is done for the season with an injury, so if anything, Shelley’s presence negates most of what the Huskies know about the Utes’ offense based on first-hand experience.
Utah, which is second in the Pac-12 with 197.83 rushing yards per game, is 3-1 ATS in its last four games away from Salt Lake City.
Betting on the Washington Huskies (9-3 Overall / 7-2 Conference)
Although they still have hard-throwing quarterback Jake Browning, the Huskies have seemingly elected to run the ball more this season. During last Saturday’s 28-15 win over the Washington State Cougars on the road, Huskies running back Myles Gaskin had 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Browning, meanwhile, had 207 passing yards with zero touchdowns and an interception on only 11-of-14 attempts. Despite the snow, Washington had 258 rushing yards in the Cougars game. They now have produced 533 rushing yards in their last two games, and it looks like they will have to continue pounding the rock to Gaskin and company next week, considering that he rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries during the first meeting this season with Utah. Perhaps, the Huskies’ defense will have an easier time dealing with Utah’s attack this time around. Apart from Utah missing their original starting quarterback, the Utes will not also have running back Zack Moss, who is out with a knee injury. In other words, the Huskies are going to deal with a pair of walking contingency plans in Shelley and Shyne, which could be interpreted as a big plus for Washington’s stop unit that allows just 17.7 points per game.
The Huskies are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
