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Coming into the season, most people looked at USC and thought that they would be the team with the unstoppable quarterback and offense that would go on to win the Pac-12. While the Trojans have gotten great QB play, there are two teams in the conference that have had also had elite QB play and unstoppable offenses, and those teams are Oregon and Washington football. The Huskies took on USC last week and Michael Penix Jr. out-dueled Caleb Williams to give Washington a 52-42 win, and they are now 9-0 on the year and still ranked #5 in the country. Penix Jr. is the current Heisman favorite, and the Huskies are the current favorite to win the Pac-12.
Washington football has yet another big game this weekend as they have to follow up the USC win with a home game against #18 Utah football. Life in the Pac-12 is difficult this season. The Utes are a very solid team this season as they currently sit at 7-2, but they were expected to be much better as most people were under the assumption that star QB Cam Rising would play this year. He is still recovering from his knee injury and he is still on the sidelines for the Utes. Because of that, the Utes have struggled mightily on offense this season, but their dominant defense has still made them a top team in the conference.
This game is obviously massive in terms of Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff aspirations. The Huskies are close to the finish line in terms of pulling off a perfect 12-0 regular season, but with the way their schedule looks, they're also far from it. Washington football has to get past Utah first, and then they have a date with #12 Oregon State on the road next weekend. The road is daunting for Washington, and first thing's first, they will have their hands full with the Utes this weekend. Here are three predictions for the big game.
Michael Penix Jr. will throw for 300 yards
Michael Penix Jr. puts up big passing numbers in most of his games, but he will have his hands full with this Utah defense. This will be one of the best defenses that he will face all season, and he will need to bring his A-game to find success against them. While the Utes are going to challenge him, they aren't going to stop him. There's a reason why Penix. Jr is the favorite to win the Heisman trophy. He has been the best QB in college football this season, and he will continue to prove that with another big performance this weekend against Utah.
The Washington defense will hold Utah to under 10 points
Washington football did outlast USC last weekend, but their defense didn't have a great game. The Trojans were in it the entire time and still put up 42 points, and for the Huskies to win a championship, they will have to tighten things up on the defensive side. You know what they say, defense wins championships. Expect Washington to have a much better performance on that side of the ball against this struggling Utah offense. This will be a great opportunity for this unit to build some confidence going into the final stretch of the regular season. If they do end up struggling against the Utah offense, that is not a good sign.
Washington will easily cover the spread
The Huskies are coming into this matchup favored by 9.5. It's expected to be a pretty close matchup, but don't be surprised if this game gets out of hand a little bit. Utah's defense will be able to keep the score close for awhile, but it's near impossible to keep Michael Penix Jr. contained for a whole game. He's going to be able to create some big plays, and the Utes aren't going able to match that with their offense. Washington is going to cover the spread pretty easily in this one, and don't be surprised if they end up winning by three touchdowns or more.
Utah vs. Washington will get going at 3:30 ET on Saturday from Seattle, Washington, and the game will be airing on FOX. This is going to be a great matchup, and it's one you won't want to miss.
