No. 10 Utah travels to No. 12 Oregon for what is essentially a semifinal matchup in the race for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game.
The winner will have a clear path toward Las Vegas and need just a win in their regular season finale to earn a spot in the title game.
The Ducks are looking to rebound after their loss to Washington last weekend that ended their College Football Playoff hopes and snapped a 23-game home win streak.
Utah has won four straight following its lone conference loss of the season and thumped the Ducks twice last season, including the conference championship game.
Whoever loses that game will assuredly need to win their finale to have any chance to still make the title game, depending on what else happens around the conference. That’s easier for Utah, which would get 1-9 Colorado on the final weekend. Oregon has to hit the road and face No. 23 Oregon State.
Another game to watch that will help determine the potential title game matchup will be Saturday’s USC vs. UCLA tilt. If the Bruins manage to beat the Trojans, that would mean at least three teams — and as many as four — would have two conference losses with one week left in the season (USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon or Utah). But tiebreakers could get complicated because:
- Oregon beat UCLA
- Washington beat Oregon
- UCLA beat Utah, Washington and — in this scenario — will have beaten USC
- Utah beat USC
If USC wins and Washington loses Saturday, then the math becomes less complicated. USC would be in the title game and the winner of Utah-Oregon would likely also be in.
Meanwhile, the Beavers (7-3) head to the desert Saturday for an 11:15 a.m. PST kickoff against Arizona State (3-7). The Beavers have already clinched a bowl berth.
Central Oregon Daily News contributed to this report.
