Pac-12 Championship Game: 5 reasons Colorado beats Washington

By Brad Weiss | Dec 1, 2016

Nov 19, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau (13) celebrates a rushing touchdown by running back Phillip Lindsay (23) (background) in the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Folsom Field. The Buffaloes defeated the Cougars 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 12, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Phillip Lindsay (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats during the first quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Colorado will grind it out and control the ball

There is only one way to stop an offense like the Washington Huskies, and that is to just keep them off the field. Jake Browning and company have dominated teams through the air this season, scoring at least 35 points in ten of their 12 games. In fact, the Huskies have gone over 40 points nine times, including a 70-point effort against Oregon earlier in the season. Browning could be in the mix for a Heisman this season, so the longer he stays on the sideline, the better.

Washington is going to get their shots, and after covering the Pac-12 all season, they are going to connect more times than not. However, if the Buffaloes can do what they do best and run the ball, they should be able to control the time of possession. Every short run they make for a first down is going to go a long way in keeping the Huskies high-octane offense off the field. They need to play it like a baseball team would against a good starting pitcher and work the count until they are out of the ballgame.

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Colorado is one of the better running teams in college football, as their backs have averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground this season. Not only do they have a fantastic back in Phillip Lindsay, who rushed for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, but their quarterback also gets it done on the ground. In the games they lost, they did not run the ball enough, so do not expect them to make that mistake again on Friday night.

Winning a Pac-12 title would be one of the most impressive turnarounds by any program in the history of the program. Colorado lost 40 of their first 45 conference games after joining the Pac-12 in 2011, but head coach Mike MacIntyre has completely turned the program around in 2016. If they can run the ball effectively and keep the Huskies off of the field for more time than they are on it, they will have a very good chance of winning their first Pac-12 title.

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