A conference championship is on the line when the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats (10-2) take on the No. 3 Oregon Ducks (11-1) Friday in the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon (11-1) and Arizona (10-2) both go into this game looking to continue their winning ways. The game will begin Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on true.
In a Week 6 meeting between these two teams, the Wildcats beat the Ducks 31-24. Arizona has won two straight against Oregon and will look to continue that dominance in this game. Royce Freeman had a good outing running the ball the last time they met, totaling 85 yards on 19 carries. Devon Allen also had a big game with 78 yards and a TD on five receptions. Nick Wilson had a great outing on the ground for Arizona in that game, running it 13 times for 92 yards and two TDs. Terris Jones-Grigsby had a great game as well, adding 115 yards and a TD on 27 carries.
Oregon is a 14-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 71 points. Sitting at 11-1 Straight Up (SU) and 8-4 Against The Spread (ATS), the Ducks will look to improve as they head into Week 15. In the past five games, Oregon is a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS. They come into the game with the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 45.9 points per game. Chances are Oregon will keep the ball in the air. They have America’s 11th-ranked passing attack, averaging 307.5 yards per game. As for the Oregon defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. A vital part of the game will be if the Wildcats can protect their quarterback from Oregon’s hungry defense. It averages the 19th-most sacks at home with three per home game. Keep an eye on Oregon to turn it up a notch during the second quarter, when they average a Division I-best 17.3 points per game.
On the other side, the Wildcats head into Week 15 with records of 5-7 ATS and 10-2 SU. In the previous five games, Arizona has a record of 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. If earlier games are any indication, the Wildcats will throw the ball a lot on offense. They average 291.4 passing yards per game, good enough for 18th in Division I. The Wildcats defense has trended upward in the past five games. They lowered their points allowed per game to 25.5 by giving up an average of 21 points during that five-game span. Arizona’s pass defense has performed well over those five games, holding its opponents to just 229.0 passing yards per game. The Ducks need to recognize the importance of keeping the quarterback off the ground against the sack-happy Wildcats. The defense ranks 10th in the country in sacks with 3.2 per game. Teams need to stay focused in the first quarter against the fast-starting Wildcats, who average 10.2 points in the first 15 minutes during road games. Arizona tends to run a lot of plays during games, averaging 81 offensive snaps for seventh-most in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – ORE, ATS Winner – ARIZ, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games.
Oregon is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 6 games.
Arizona is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Oregon.
Oregon is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Arizona.
Oregon is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Arizona.
Arizona is 7-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Oregon is 9-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Arizona is 8-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Oregon is 11-0 SU when leading after three quarters.
This season, Arizona is undefeated (5-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 5-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Oregon is undefeated (5-0 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 3-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Arizona has provoked an average of 8.8 penalties on opponents this season, but Oregon is 7-1 SU when penalized at least 8 times in a game.
Since the beginning of last season, Oregon is 15-3 SU against Pac-12 opponents, while Arizona is 11-7 SU against conference foes.
Among all FBS teams, the Oregon offensive passing game is ranked 11th in the country, while the Arizona pass defense is only ranked 119th. The Wildcats passing attack is ranked 18th, compared to the 114th-ranked pass defense of the Ducks.
According to Pac-12 ratings, the Oregon offensive passing attack is ranked third in the conference, while the Arizona pass defense is only ranked ninth. The Wildcats passing game is ranked fifth, compared to the eighth-ranked pass defense of the Ducks.
The Oregon rushing attack is ranked 24th in the nation, while the Arizona run defense is only ranked 59th. The Wildcats rushing game is ranked 44th, compared to the 56th-ranked run defense of the Ducks.
The Oregon rushing attack is ranked first in the Pac-12, while the Arizona run defense is only ranked 10th. The Wildcats rushing game is ranked fourth, compared to the seventh-ranked run defense of the Ducks.
Arizona has given up 22.2 points per game on the road, which is ranked 21st in the nation. Oregon has scored 44.9 points per game at home (ranked 11th overall).
