Oregon vs Utah Picks and Predictions | Pac-12 Betting Preview

Oregon vs Utah Betting Preview

WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Oregon vs Utah betting preview for the Pac-12 Championship on Friday, December 3 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time of posting, the Utes are bouncing back-and-forth between a 2.5 and 3-point favorite, with the total sitting at 59.5 points.

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Oregon vs Utah Predictions

Oregon Ducks +3 vs Utah Utes
Total: 59.5 Points
Oregon is playing in its third-straight Pac-12 Championship and fifth in the 11-year history of the game.
The North Division representative has won nine of the last ten years, including the Ducks the past two years.

For the second time in a little under two weeks, Oregon will go on the road to face Utah, this time in Las Vegas in the Pac-12 Championship game, and will be hoping for a much better outcome than what happened back on November 20th.

The Ducks were routed in that game 38-7 as short field goal road underdogs and were not only embarrassed in that game, but also that loss all but ended their chance of a college playoff berth as well. The Utes simply dominated the Ducks throughout in that one, going for 9.9 yards per pass attempt through the air, 4.2 yards per rush attempt on the ground, converting 11-of-14 third down conversion opportunities also and holding the Ducks to a paltry 63 total rushing yards on the ground, a huge dropoff from their season average of 216.9 yards per game, good for 12th in the nation.

Despite the one sided nature of that first matchup this season, Oregon should be much better prepared this time around for Utah, especially on defense.

That 78.57% third down conversion percentage for Utah in that first meeting was an aberration however and the Utes own a season long 43.04% 3rd down conversion percentage on the road this year, good for just 36th in the country. Coincidentally, the Ducks managed a similar feat last week against Oregon State converting 10-of-13 for 76.92%, so expect both offenses to see some drop off on Friday from those numbers.

The Under cashed by almost two touchdowns in that first meeting and yet this game has actually ticked up by a point since that first game, opening even higher. Despite Oregon only managing 7 points in that game two weeks ago, it’s still hard to justify that move to the Over here with two teams playing as well on defense as these are.

Oregon ranks 29th this season on opponent rushing attempts. The Ducks also rank tied on 29th for opponent yards per play on the road this season as well, giving up just 5.0 ypp on average and they’ve also given up the league’s 27th lowest opponent time of possession advantage over their last three starts as well.

On the other side they face a Utah team that ranks 16th in the nation on total defense this season, giving up just 330.4 yards per game on average. That increases to 6th in the nation over their last three starts as well as the Utes have given up just 257.0 ypg over that stretch as they continue to improve defensively on the year, ranking 4th in the FBS in tackles for loss per game at 7.6 and 12th in total teams sacks this season at 3.17 on average as well.

With both teams continuing to rush as well as they do, Utah 10th in the country at 221.2 ypg on average and Oregon 12th at 216.9 ypg, it’s difficult to see this game getting over that 60 point mark here as both teams bring above average defenses and stellar run games into this contest.

We’re recommending a play on the Under here on Friday between Oregon and Utah in the Pac-12 Championship game in what should be a much closer affair between two excellent teams than the matchup just two weeks ago.

What can Oregon do differently to reverse the drubbing they received from Utah two weeks ago? Join Joe, Dave, Adam and Bryan for College Football Daily as we preview this weekend’s NCAAF conference championship games. https://t.co/wRkrItY6DY

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) November 30, 2021

Oregon vs Utah Analysis from The GoldSheet

Oregon QB Anthony Brown looked much better this past weekend in the division-clinching win against Oregon State, clicking on 23-of-28 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while rushing for 83 yards and another score.

Utah’s offense has improved tremendously since Rising took over at QB, jumping from 29 ppg and 372 ypg in 3 games with Charlie Brewer at the controls to 37 ppg and 455 ypg with Rising. That move corresponded with the transition from preseason to Pac-12 play and resulted in an 8-1 run (although 5-4 vs. the spread).

Utah is returning to the Pac-12 title game for the third time in four years, having lost the previous two trips, including a 37-15 setback two years ago to the same Oregon at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. See some value with revenge-minded Ducks playing again in a neutral venue that takes the altitude of Salt Lake City out of the equation. Now it’s the bright lights of Las Vegas, and this version of the Utah defense is not quite as good as the teams that went to the previous championships for Kyle Whittingham.

Oregon vs Utah Video Preview

When Utah and Oregon met in Salt Lake City two weeks ago, the Utes rolled to a 28-0 halftime lead and never looked back. What can the Ducks do differently on Friday night to avoid a similar result? WagerTalk college football handicappers Dave Cokin, Bryan Leonard and Adam Trigger offer their Oregon vs Utah preview.

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WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, first half lines, betting percentages and so much more for all of the college football conference championship games, including this Oregon vs Utah showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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