It's been a very up and down season for the Utah football team so this year. The Utes have won the last two Pac-12 championships, and with star quarterback Cam Rising coming back this season, the team had their sights set on a third. However, Rising went down in the Rose Bowl last year with a torn ACL, and while just about everybody assumed that we would be back at some point this season, that isn't going to happen. Rising has not returned, and he will not be on the field at all for Utah this season. Because of that, this team has struggled mightily on offense, but their defense has made them a top team in the Pac-12.

This season hasn't gone the way that Utah football fans were expecting, but they are a solid team and they still have a shot at winning the Pac-12. The Utes are currently 7-2 and their two losses are in conference play, but they will have a big chance to get a season-changing win this weekend when they hit the road to take on Washington football. The Utah defense is going to have to come ready to play, because they are going up against one of the best offenses in the entire country.

Washington football was expected to be good this season, but they are one of the best teams the entire nation. The Huskies are currently 9-0 and ranked #5 in the country, and they are the favorite to win the Pac-12. Washington also has the favorite to win the Heisman trophy on their squad as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been outstanding this year. Penix Jr. and this Washington offense will have one their toughest tests of the season this weekend against this talented Utah D. It should be a terrific matchup, and here are three predictions for the big game in the Pac-12.

Utah will give up 35+ points

Utah football has been dominant on defense this season, but against more explosive offenses, they have given up a fair amount of points. USC and Oregon were both able to find some success against this defense, and Washington should be able to do the same. The Utes are going to make life difficult on Penix Jr., but stopping him is a different story. He'll need to play a good game, but he should be able to get into a groove in front of his home crowd, and the Huskies should be able to put up more than enough points to win this one.

Utah will score less than 10 points

The Washington defense needs a confidence building game, and this could be the one. Without Cam Rising, Utah has struggled on offense all season, and this will be a great chance for the Huskies to put up a big defensive performance and build some momentum as they go into the final stretch of the regular season. This Washington team is terrific, but they are mostly built on their offense. If they're going to win a championship, the defense will have to play better, and they should be able to find success against the Utes.

Utah will lose by four scores

This game is expected to be pretty close as the spread favors Washington by 9.5, but I see this game going similarly to the Oregon vs. Utah game. That game was at Utah and the Ducks were narrow favorites, but they ended up winning the game 35-6. Oregon and Washington are very similar teams. Penix Jr. might be slowed down a little bit by the Utah defense, but he isn't going to be stopped. The Utes might hang around for a little bit, but the Huskies at home against a team that isn't great at scoring… it seems like a recipe for a blowout.

Utah vs. Washington should be a fun matchup, and it'll kickoff at 3:30 ET from Seattle, Washington, and the game will be airing on Fox.