This week instead of the typical Opponent Q&A, UteNation publisher Alex Markham and DuckSportsAuthority publisher AJ Jacobson decided to combine on three articles: Pac-12 Championship Take Two: Utah wins if…, Pac-12 Championship Take Two: Oregon wins if…, and now we’re to the Pac-12 Championship Game predictions. The Utes kickoff against the Ducks at 6:00 PM MST in Las Vegas tonight, in a rematch from two weeks ago when the Utes handily defeated then no. 3 Oregon.

Here are the predictions for the matchup:

AJ Jacobson game prediction

This game will likely score in the low 30’s, high 20’s range based on the teams’ other games this season. The Ducks are going into Friday’s game as healthy as they have been this year although are still missing several key players to season-ending injuries.

The chances of another Utah blowout are unlikely as these two teams are too evenly matched. In fact, beating the same good team twice in a season is very difficult to do historically. I expect Oregon to play much -better on Friday than they did in Utah. It would be hard not to.

Based on what I have been seeing out of the Ducks all season long and how Cristobal teams play games like these, my score prediction is:

Oregon 33 Utah 30

Alex Markham game prediction

Utah is going to look to start this game fast and then hammer the determination and will out of Oregon with their run game. I expect them to do just that. Two weeks ago, I would have thought that both teams would beat each other once in 2021, but Utah was so dominant two weeks ago.

The Utes are going to take their shots early, whether it’s to one of their trusty tight end targets or a seldom-used Jaylen Dixon, who is a home run threat.

Once Rising hits the early big plays and the Utes have a cushion, Utah will go to their bread n’ butter with the run game, but still look for the impactful pass plays when they’re there.

Both defenses should come ready to play and the score will be much closer. This game will come down to quarterback play and Rising individually impacts games much more than Brown.

Utah 34 Oregon 24