Before we celebrate the glory of Tournament Week, the Pac-12 will turn its attention to Week 12.
USC is the conference’s lone team left in the College Football Playoff race, and its challenging finals trip begins Saturday night with a crosstown trip to UCLA.
Eugene has another great matchup as Oregon hosts Utah with significant Pac-12 title implications. Before the Pac-12 takes center stage Saturday night, there are some tricky spots for some of the top-ranked teams.
(Note: All times ET, odds from BetMGM)
Time: 7:30 pm | TV: SECN | Line: Ole Miss -2.5 | Total: 64
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin came very close to beating his former boss, Alabama’s Nick Saban, but the Rebels fell in heartbreaking fashion, 30-24. Now the 8-2 Rebels are out of SEC West contention and have a trip to face Arkansas. A night game in Fayetteville is never easy, and Ole Miss will try to lean as heavily on its running game as it has all year. Arkansas, meanwhile, is just 5-5 on the year and needs an upset and bowl eligibility.
Time: 8 pm | TV: Fox | Line: USC -2.5 | Total: 75.5
It’s a big weekend in the Pac-12 as USC is the conference’s last remaining contender for a playoff berth. USC’s running game, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, is playing at a high level. Its not safe. Similar things have happened to UCLA. The Bruins, still fighting to reach the Pac-12 title game, have a stellar running game led by QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet. UCLA should have big nights, especially with the way the defense has struggled in recent weeks.
Time: 10:30 PM | TV: ESPN | Line: Utah -1.5 | Total: 61.5
Like the USC-UCLA game, this matchup is huge for the Pac-12 title race. Utah and Oregon are both 6-1 in conference play, a half-game behind 7-1 USC and a game ahead of UCLA and Washington, both 5-2.
QB injuries factor heavily into this. While Utah QB Cam Rising appears to be back after missing a game a few weeks ago, Oregon’s Bo Nix remains a question mark. He injured his foot or ankle late in last week’s heartbreaking loss to Washington. The coaching staff was tight-lipped about the Knicks’ status, but the fact that Oregon went from a 3-point favorite to a 1.5-point underdog on Wednesday night said a lot. If the Knicks can’t go, Ty Thompson will get the nod in this important matchup.
