No. 4 Oregon (-8) at No. 17 Utah 10 pm ESPN
Daniel: Oregon got over the Stanford hump last week, while Utah couldn’t quite pull out the W at Arizona State. If the Utes had, we’d be talking about a massive matchup here, but as it stands, it’s still a big one, especially for the Ducks, who are very much in the College Football Playoff hunt. This win would clinch the Pac-12 North for Oregon and would leave them with an easy path to reaching the title game with a one-loss record. Utah is feisty and running back Devontae Booker is as good of a back as there is in the conference, but Oregon will get just enough from their mediocre run defense to contain him and Marcus Mariota will bring home the big road win. Winner: Oregon 28-21
Houston: I really think Utah has surpassed season expectations to this point and I’m impressed with what they have accomplished, but Oregon is on another level right now. The Ducks are averaging nearly 48 points per game over their last four contests and I just don’t think the Utes will have enough firepower to match what the Ducks will throw on the field. This game being at night in Utah will probably help them stay in it longer than they otherwise would, but I think Utah eventually runs out of steam on offense and fails to keep pace with Marcus Mariota and the Quack Attack. Winner: Ducks 41-27
Reed: Utah boasts the Pac’s second ranked defense and has an offense with enough talent to cause problems for Oregon. They’re what everyone thought Stanford would be this season and will be a really tough matchup for the Ducks. But Oregon has Mariota and an adequate defense. That’s all it should take to emerge victorious and march toward a CFP berth. Winner: Oregon 34-27
Ryan: There’s Tiger Stadium at night–full of bathtub gin and vomit and unrelenting hatred–and then there’s Utah.
I’m sure Rice-Eccles Stadium is a pleasant place to take in a game. Salt Lake City is beautiful (from what I hear) and it would surprise the vast majority of Southerners to see how serious the state takes its college football. However, in order for me to take the home underdog in a game like this, I’ve got to feel like the environment gives the home team some undeniable advantage.
Personally, I don’t see Rice Eccles as one of those venues. Perhaps my time in SEC stadiums has given me impossibly high standards, but I just don’t see that crowd as one capable of altering a game. Plus, Oregon is far too motivated and talented to allow Utah–a team that wins games but doesn’t do much of anything well while doing it–to derail them here. Winner: Oregon 51-21
