Oregon vs. Utah: 3 bold predictions for 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game
The Oregon Ducks and Utah Utes will settle who is the best when it matters most in the Pac-12 Championship Game in Las Vegas on Friday night.
It’ll be a grudge match in the Pac-12 title game as Oregon and Utah battle for supremacy.
The Utes already beat the Ducks once this season. They humbled the playoff hopefuls in Salt Lake City in a 38-7 drubbing.
Oregon will want revenge for that, but they aren’t alone. The last time these two met with the conference championship on the line it was the Ducks getting one over on the Utes in 2019.
How will this one play out?
Oregon vs. Utah: 3 bold predictions for Pac-12 Championship Game
3. Brant Kuithe will go +100 again
Utah tight end Brant Kuithe isn’t usually a volume receiver despite leading his team in receiving. He’s undoubtedly one of the best tight ends in the Pac-12 but he had just his second 100-yard receiving game against Oregon two weeks ago.
The Ducks didn’t know how to deal with Kuithe when they met in the regular season. They may be able to take a different approach knowing better coming into the second matchup. Still, the personnel hasn’t changed there. The mismatch won’t either.
2. Kayvon Thibodeaux will have 2 sacks
Kayvon Thibodeaux is still considered the Pac-12’s best defender and a future high draft pick. However, the last few weeks his production hasn’t matched his ferocious ability. He has two sacks in the last five games and both came against Washington State.
The trip to Salt Lake City in November saw Thibodeaux held without a tackle for loss or a sack.
Just don’t expect him to continue without making that kind of impact on the stat sheet. The last time he faced Utah as a freshman in 2019, he had 2.5 sacks in the Pac-12 title game.
1. Utah will beat Oregon, 28-21
Momentum was entirely in Utah’s favor in the previous meeting between these Pac-12 foes. This time they won’t be in the familiar confines of Rice-Eccles Stadium and they probably won’t be able to rely on scoring 14 back-breaking points in 27 seconds to end the first half.
This one will be a tougher matchup. Still, the Utes have been the better team across the season and they proved it on the field before.
It’s tough to beat an opponent twice in a season. This Utah team has the better quarterback and the right combination of offense and defense to get it done.
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