Pac-12 Rundown: Oregon Bidding for Return to Title Game
It is rivalry week in the Pac-12 and many of the games have more than just bragging rights on the line.
Southern California welcomes a dangerous Notre Dame team to town knowing that a by the Fighting Irish would end any hopes the Trojans have of sneaking into the College Football Playoff field.
Oregon and Washington still have a chance to reach the Pac-12 title game, but they will need to beat rival Oregon State and Washington State.
Five of the seven games involving Pac-12 teams have single-digit point spreads.
According to the college football playoff odds, USC (+2500) is sixth in the odds to win the national title while Oregon (+5000) is eighth. USC (-150) leads the way in the odds to win the Pac-12 title followed by Oregon (+160). Utah (+1000) and Washington (+3300) are well back.
USC and Oregon both moved up two spots to fifth and 10th while Washington is 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. USC is also fifth in the American Football Coaches Association poll. Oregon is ninth and Washington 12th. Utah and UCLA are also in the top 20 in both polls.
The totals range from 57½ for the Utah-Colorado game to 65 for the Arizona State-Arizona matchup.
Here’s a look at the Week 12 matchups in the Pac-12.
Let’s check the latest NCAAF picks, stats, injury reports, and NCAAF predictions. We’ve plenty of NCAAF expert picks for you to consider.
Game of the Week
Oregon vs Oregon State
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 26, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Line: Oregon -3
It is pretty simple for Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12): Win and the Ducks are in the Pac-12 title game. A loss makes things a little more complicated.
Quarterback Bo Nix did not look like he was 100% last week so it will be worth watching to see how he looks on Saturday.
Oregon State (8-3, 5-3) has made tremendous strides defensively, going from allowing 387 yards per game in 2021 to 331 this season.
Freshman running back Damien Martinez has five straight games with at least 100 rushing yards.
It is not all about the offense as Oregon’s Bennett Williams had 15 tackles and two interceptions in last week’s win over Utah.
𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 in his final game at Autzen 🔥@bennettw04 is the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week!#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/Zv76pZBytU
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 21, 2022
The Beavers are looking for the program’s first nine-win season in a decade.
There have been 146 points scored in the last two meetings.
Oregon State has covered against the college football odds in each of its last five games and Oregon is 6-1 against the spread in its last seven contests.
Rest of the Schedule
Arizona State vs Arizona
- Date, time (TV): Friday, Nov. 25, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)
- Line: Arizona -4
It has not been a season to remember for the rival programs as both will finish with losing records.
Arizona State is coming off a 31-7 loss to Oregon State that guaranteed the Sun Devils‘ first losing season since 2016.
After leading the Pac-12 in total defense a season ago, Arizona State (3-8, 2-6) is allowing 90 more yards per game in 2022. That defense will be tested by the No. 3-ranked passing offense in the conference.
Quarterback Jayden de Laura was a rare Pac-12 to Pac-12 transfer as he went from Washington State to throwing for 3,485 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first season at Arizona (4-7, 2-6). He is coming off a four-interception game against his former team.
Arizona State has won the last five meetings with Arizona. The Sun Devils have outscored the Wildcats 108-22 in the last two contests.
Arizona State is 1-4 on the road but Arizona has just a 2-4 mark at home.
UCLA vs California
- Date, time (TV): Friday, Nov. 25, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Line: UCLA -10
Last week’s loss to rival Southern California knocked UCLA out of contention for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. Still, it has been an impressive season for UCLA and a win will give the Bruins (8-3, 5-3) the most wins in back-to-back seasons since the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has completed more than 60% of his passes in every game this season. He had almost as many interceptions in the loss to USC as he did in the previous 10 games. Zach Charbonnet leads the conference with 1,240 rushing yards.
Jack Plummer has six interceptions in the last four games for Cal (4-7, 2-6). Jackson Sirmon leads the Bears with 93 tackles.
Each of the last nine games between the Bruins and Bears have finished under the Las Vegas odds total. The Bruins have won seven of those games.
Utah vs Colorado
- Date, time (TV): Friday, Nov. 25, 4:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Line: Utah -29½
Utah has the best defense in the Pac-12 and Colorado has the worst. It should be noted that Utah has allowed 14 plays of at least 40 yards and that is just one less than Colorado has surrendered.
After running for 1,108 yards last season, Utah’s Tavion Thomas has only 687 this season, with 180 coming against Stanford.
Colorado (1-10, 1-7) is the only Pac-12 team to average less than 300 yards per game. The Buffaloes are the only team in the Pac-12 to have at least 10 lost fumbles and interceptions thrown.
Utah (8-3, 6-2) has won five games in a row against Colorado with the average margin of victory in those wins being 21.2 points.
Utah is just 1-4 against the college football predictions in five road games while Colorado is 2-9 against the spread.
Notre Dame vs USC
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Line: Southern California -5½
Southern California (10-1, 8-1) is hanging around in the area where Notre Dame has been in recent years, looking for some help late in the season to find a way into the four-team College Football Playoff field.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams is coming off a 470-yard game against UCLA and is second only to Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud in the odds to win the Heisman Trophy.
After missing two games and being held to one catch in his return to the field, receiver Jordan Addison blew up for 178 yards on 11 catches in a win over UCLA.
Notre Dame has stunning losses to Marshall and Stanford but owns victories over ranked North Carolina and Clemson teams, so this is not a team to take lightly.
The Fighting Irish have won five of the last six meetings against USC. However, the Trojans have covered in seven of the last nine home games in the series.
Washington vs Washington State
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 26, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Line: Washington -2
It has been a bounce-back year in the state of Washington as the Huskies and Cougars have combined for 16 wins after having 11 a season ago.
The transfer quarterbacks have played key roles. Former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is loving life in Washington as he leads the nation with 3,869 passing yards. Former Incarnate Word QB Cameron Ward has 2,772 yards and 21 TDs for Washington State.
Washington (9-2, 6-2) and Washington State (7-4, 4-4) are third and fourth in the conference in total defense. They are also tied for third with 29 sacks.
The Oregon and Utah games will be over before Washington takes the field so the Huskies will know before kickoff if they have a chance to earn a spot in the Pac-12 title game with a win.
Washington has covered in six of the last seven meetings with Washington State as well as in four of the last five times the Huskies played in Pullman.
BYU vs Stanford
- Date, time (TV): Saturday, Nov. 26, 11 p.m. ET (FS1)
- Line: BYU -6½
Stanford (3-8) has allowed the third-fewest yards in the Pac-12 and that defense will be tested by BYU’s strong-armed quarterback, Jaren Hall, who has 11 touchdown passes and four interceptions in seven career games against Pac-12 teams.
Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee has two touchdown passes during the current four-game losing streak.
The teams haven’t played since Stanford won back-to-back games in 2003 and 2004
