Oregon vs. Utah: Pac-12 Championship Predictions

The 2021 Pac-12 Championship is upon us, and this year, the Oregon Ducks take on the Utah Utes. BetMGM’s latest college football odds currently have the Utes as 2.5-point favorites.

The last time these two met up, Utah routed Oregon by a final score of 38-7 and all but eliminated them outright for the College Football Playoff.

In this Oregon vs. Utah rematch, will the Ducks get their revenge? Or, will the Utes beat Oregon again? These are my predictions.

Oregon +2.5

Oregon may be out of playoff contention, but there is still plenty on the line, such as revenge against Utah and a Rose Bowl appearance. I don’t think any team likes the idea of another team humiliating them, so I expect Oregon to be fired up for this rematch.

One thing that works in Oregon’s favor is that this rematch is on a neutral field. This game is at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, whereas their first meeting was at the Utes’ home stadium. As a result, Oregon won’t have to deal with as much crowd noise as they did during the last contest.

This year, Oregon is 2-1 ATS as an underdog but just 3-6 ATS as a favorite. To win this game, one big thing Oregon will have to do is run the ball better. They had just 63 rushing yards in their loss to Utah earlier in the season, in part because they fell behind 28-0 in the first half. They’ve averaged 213.3 rushing yards per game. They’ll need to establish the run early and control the clock to keep this game close.

The Ducks are also 24th in run defense this season, allowing only 124.2 yards per game. The first time they played Utah, they allowed 208 running yards. In my opinion, the first game was decided in the final 27 seconds of the first half when Utah scored two touchdowns, including a punt return on the final play of the half. That forced the Ducks to abandon the run; I don’t see that happening this week.

Over 58

Eight of the 12 games that Utah has played in have gone over. However, one of the games that did not go over was their earlier game against Oregon, where the Ducks got held to seven points.

I do not expect this to happen again. I think Oregon will make some adjustments with their rushing attack and keep the game close.

Offensively, these two teams average about 68 points combined per game. Plus, both teams have only been held to under 20 points in a game once this season. If Oregon gets their running game going early, I expect Oregon to win this game 33-30, which would put the total over 58.

Get Your Oregon vs. Utah Bets In

These are some of my best bet recommendations for the Oregon vs. Utah Pac-12 Championship game. Do you agree with these, or do you have your eye on other bets?

Either way, BetMGM is the best online sportsbook for all of your sports betting needs. Create an account today and get up to $1,000 on a risk-free bet.