The No. 17 Utah Utes are coming into the Pac-12 Championship Game as underdogs against the No. 10 Washington Huskies. The opening kickoff for this criticalgame is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET and you can catch the action live on FOX.
Utah Utes vs. Washington Huskies Betting Preview
The Utes head into this Friday Pac-12 game as the dog here and they’re currently receiving 5 points. The Utes are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Huskies are -220. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 45 points. It looks like this game should present some live betting opportunities.
The game’s total has yet to change after being initially set at 45. Having said that, the line opened at -4 so the early action has been swaying toward the Huskies.
The Utes have gained 3.2 units so far in 2018 and are 7-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s recorded an O/U mark of 6-5. The Huskies have lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-9 ATS and own an O/U record of 3-9.
The Utes are 9-3 straight up (SU), including 6-3 SU against conference opponents. The Huskies are 9-3 SU overall and 7-2 SU in conference play.
Each team comes into the matchup on a three-game undefeated streak. The Utes are coming off a 35-27 win over BYU last week. Jason Shelley completed 19 passes for only 141 yards and one touchdown. Armand Shyne (47 rushing yards on 15 attempts, two TDs) and the signal-caller Shelley (61 yards on 11 carries, one TD) led the ground attack. Demari Simpkins (five receptions, 21 yards) and Britain Covey (four catches, nine yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Washington just got a 28-15 win over Washington State. Jake Browning completed 11-of-14 passes for 207 yards and one interception. Myles Gaskin (170 rushing yards on 27 attempts, three TDs) and Salvon Ahmed (87 yards on nine carries) spearheaded the running game as Andre Baccellia (five receptions, 89 yards) and Hunter Bryant (three catches, 108 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Each team has a remarkably similar (60-40) run-pass ratio on the season. The Utes have rushed for 198 yards/game (including 209 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have 23 scores on the ground this year. The Huskies are totaling 185 rushing yards per game (193 in conference) and have 24 total rush TDs.
Judging by the numbers this season, it seems like the Utes should hold an edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their backfield has logged 4.7 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.0 to opponents. The Huskies have ran for 4.5 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 3.7 to opponents.
The Utes offense has averaged 215 yards in the air overall (204 per game versus conference opposition) and has 17 passing scores so far. The Huskies have produced 236 pass yards per outing (202.8 against Pac-12 foes) and have 18 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Utah has let opponents rush for an average of 100 yards and pass for 216 yards per game. The Washington defense has given up 190.9 yards per game to opposing passers and 123.6 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Utes have given up an ANY/A of 4.75 to opposing QBs, while the Huskies are yielding an ANY/A of 4.74.
Offensively, Shelley has amassed 502 passing yards this year, and has connected on 43-of-73 attempts with one scores through the air and one interception. Shelley has a 5.90 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 7.66 over the last two games.
In the other locker room, Jake Browning has completed 179-of-278 passes for 2,450 yards, 13 TDs and nine INTs. Browning’s ANY/A stands at 7.35 for the season and 10.85 across his last two outings.
When these two teams faced one another a year ago, Washington knocked off Utah by a field goal 33-30.
RELATED: Week 14 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The O/U for Utah’s last game going into it was 45. The over cashed in the team’s 35-27 win over BYU.
As a team, Utah has averaged 4.2 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 3.9 over its last two.
Washington has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.2 over its past two.
Washington has lost five fumbles this season while Utah has let 10 get away.
Over its last three games, Utah is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Utah has won eight of its last nine games SU, with an 18-point defeat to Arizona State on November 3rd representing the only loss over that span.
The O/U for Washington’s last game was set at 50. The under cashed in the 28-15 triumph over Washington State.
In its last three matches, Washington is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Utes offense has registered 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Huskies have accounted for nine such plays.
The Utah defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Washington has given up zero such plays.
The Utah offense has created 23 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Washington has created 19 such runs.
Both teams have allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Utes have given up 41 running plays of 10+ yards while the Huskies have given up 39 such plays.
The Utah defense has 34 sacks on the year while Washington has just 19.
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