The Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington Huskies meet in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California for the PAC-12 championship. The game is slated for Friday, December 2nd, at 9 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the FOX Network. Coming into this title match-up the Huskies are -7.5 point favorites and the over/under is placed at 58.
The PAC-12 title game will be the 16th time the two programs have squared-off against one another. It’s the Washington Huskies who holds the lead in the all-time series, 9-5-1. The Huskies have beaten the Buffaloes in the last six meetings.
#9 Colorado (10-2):
This has been a highly successful 2016 campaign for Colorado. The Buffaloes finished their regular season with six straight wins, and their only conference loss was on the road to a much improved USC club on October, 8th. Mike MacIntyre’s players are coming off a hard-fought 27-22 win over the Utah Utes this past weekend.
Quarterback Sefo Liufau did it all for Colorado in their victory over the Utah Utes last weekend. He completed 23 of 44 passes for 270 yards and a score. This season, the oft- injured kid-under-center has completed 179 balls for 2,150 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Buffaloes prefer to move the chains via the run. When they do, they look to running back Phillip Lindsay to get the job accomplished. Lindsay has answered, racking up 211 carries for over 1,100 yards and an impressive 15 touchdowns. Sefo Liufau is also the Buffaloes second leading rusher, scampering for 481 yards and another seven trips to pay-dirt.
Colorado uses three wide receivers to move the chains through the air. Their stats almost mirror one another, with each wide out catching over 40 passes. Furthermore, all three receivers have reached the promised land on numerous occasions. Shay Fields leads the trio with 819 yards and nine touchdowns.
The strength of the Colorado Buffaloes in 2016 is their defense. Last time out against the Utes, the defense held its own, allowing only 339 yards of total offense and only 160 yards through the air. Even more impressively, the Buffaloes are giving in to only 18.8 points a contest.
#5 Washington (11-1):
The Huskies came into this season as a highly touted team, and Washington has lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, the Huskies’ perfect season was ruined by the Trojans three weeks ago, but it picked up back-to-back wins to end the regular season on a high note. Washington now sits 5th in the country and a win could cement them into the college football playoffs.
Signal-caller Jake Browning finished what turned out to be an outstanding season with the win over rivals Washington State Cougars last weekend. The sophomore quarterback gashed the Cougars for 292 passing yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing. This year, Browning ended up with 40 touchdown passes and 3,162 yards with 65 percent of his passes completed. The clutch performer only tossed seven interceptions on the season.
Running back Myles Gaskin kept the chains moving in the ground game. The Huskies’ tail back jolted for 50 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries against the Cougars. Throughout the season, Gaskin has 198 carries for 1,180 yards and 10 trips to the promised land.
Two terrific wide receivers handle to pass catching responsibilities for the Huskies. John Ross and Dante Pettis are the one-two punch for the Huskies when Jake Browning is throwing the ball around on Saturdays. Combined, they have tallied almost 1,858 yards with 110 catches and an impressive 30 end zone appearances.
Defensively, the Huskies have been stout throughout the whole season. Washington’s secondary sits 33rd in the country, allowing only 198 yards against them through the air. Both safeties play a very physical, and the corners aren’t afraid to be on an island. brand Most important of all, the Huskies are 11th in the nation, surrendering only 17.8 points a game.
Trends and Notes:
The Buffaloes are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games overall.
The Huskies are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games in December.
The Under is 10-3 in the Buffaloes last 13 conference games.
The Over is 8-2-1 in the Huskies last 11 conference games.
The Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Game Prediction:
This has the makings to be another great championship affair. The Huskies are banged up on defense, and Sefo Liufau will take advantage of that by keeping drives alive by pulling the ball down and running with it. That should open the Huskies secondary up for some plays down the field.
Jake Browning is also going to find ways to move the ball on the Buffaloes stout defense. I can see him throwing for 250 yards and two or three touchdowns. That might be enough for the Huskies to get the win and move into the College Football Playoffs, but it won’t be enough to cover that +7.5. Think dog in this title game and take the Buffaloes and their underrated defense to cover the 7.5.
