Washington's status as the Pac-12 frontrunner will be put to the test on Saturday night in a crazy atmosphere and tough road game against Utah. For much of the country, it's going to be their first introduction to the 2018 version of Kyle Whittingham's Utes, and the good news for those fans is that not much has changed in terms of what to expect from the product on the field. That is to say, Washington is going to have a tough time getting out of Salt Lake City with a win.
Utah hopes to pick up a big win here that would not only generate national recognition, but increase the odds of winning the Pac-12 South, a division that now seems up for grabs after USC's low-scoring loss at Stanford. Utah has the challenge of drawing the power trio from the Pac-12 North in cross-division play (Washington, Stanford, Oregon) but plays division rival USC at home next month. Beating one of those Pac-12 North teams and USC could be the recipe for delivering Whittingham's first Pac-12 Championship Game appearance since joining the league.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Sept. 15 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Rice Eccles Stadium -- Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
Washington: This is a dangerous spot for Washington in terms of the team's College Football Playoff chances. The great opportunity against Auburn was for an elite nonconference win that could offset a conference loss, particularly relevant since every Pac-12 champion in the championship game era (since 2011) has lost at least once during the league's 9-game conference schedule. Now Washington faces the precedent-setting task of running the table in the Pac-12 to contend for a College Football Playoff spot as one of the best one-loss teams in the country. That margin for error is razor thin in spots like this, going up against a salty Utah team in front of a rowdy home crowd in a game that's sure to be physical, low-scoring and possibly one of the toughest games on Washington's conference schedule.
Utah: The Utes are going to make life difficult for Jake Browning. Utah leads the nation in total defense and passing yards allowed, and ranks second in the nation in pass efficiency defense. This is a team that prides itself on great special teams to pair with its elite defense, so look for field position to play a huge role in determining whether Utah can pull off the upset. Utah has beaten Washington just once in five tries as Pac-12 foes, but enters this game with revenge on its mind after letting a seven-point lead slip away in the final two minutes of a 33-30 loss to the Huskies last year in Seattle.
Game prediction, picks
Washington's defense prides itself on being able to tighten up and out-execute its opponents in the red zone, so Utah is going to have be ready to be lights-out in the kicking game. Luckily that's Utah's specialty, and senior Matt Gay is one of the best kickers in the nation. The 2017 Lou Groza Award winner led the country in field goals attempted (34), field goals made (30) and 50+ yard field goals last season. I think he's the tiebreaker in a toss-up game that sees Utah cover the spread and potentially pull off the upset. Pick: Utah +6.5
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| UTAH +6.5 |  |  | | | | | |
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