Preview and betting analysis for the PAC-12 Conference Championship

The Utah Utes and Washington Huskies will square off in the PAC-12 Championship game on Friday night. The opening kickoff from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California is scheduled for 8:00 PM ET, and the game can be seen on Fox.

At this present time (11/26), the college football betting odds at BetOnline show Washington as a 5.0-point favorite. That same online sportsbook is also displaying a posted total of 44.0.

Recent Meetings
Washington is 5-1 against Utah since the Utes became a PAC-12 member, and that includes winning each of the last 3 meetings. As a matter of fact, these conference rivals played earlier this season (9/15) in Salt Lake and Washington came out on top 21-7.

Utah in Rare Underdog Role
Utah has been a favorite in 10 of their 12 regular season games. They went 1-1 ATS as an underdog and ironically enough, the Utes lone non-cover was versus Washington.

Washington Struggles as Conference Favorites
Despite Washington’s stellar 9-3 regular season, they were a dismal 3-9 against-the-spread in those contests. Furthermore, The Huskies have gone an even worse 0-7 ATS during their last 7 games as a conference favorite. Washington’s only cover this season when cast into that precise situation transpired in their conference opener during a 21-7 win at Utah as a 4.0-point favorite.

Utes Strong Rush Offense and Defense
Utah has averaged a lofty 202 yards rushing per game this season. Conversely, the Utes defense is only allowing 100 yards rushing per game and less than 3 yards per attempt. No matter how you cut it, that equates to a winning formula.

Dominant Huskies Defense
The strength of this 2018 Washington Huskies team has unequivocally been their defense. They’ve allowed 24 points or fewer in regulation time during all 12 of its regular season games. The only team to crack that 24-point barrier was Oregon during Washington’s 30-27 overtime loss in Eugene. It should then come as no surprise that Washington has gone under the total in 9 of its 12 games.

College Football ATS Betting Angle
Utah has outgained their opponents on the ground by an average of 102 yards per game. Anytime there’s been a college football underdog that’s playing on a neutral field which averages outrushing their opponents by 100 yards or more per game, it resulted in those underdogs going an extremely profitable 33-9 ATS (78.6%) since 2014. The average point-spread in those 42 games was 6.1.

Final Take and Pick
If you subscribe to the college football betting theory that it’s difficult to beat a good team twice in the same season, then Utah surely matches the profile. Furthermore, it’s difficult for me to ignore the previously mentioned betting angle when making my college football pick on this contest.
Pick: Utah +5.0

Ross Benjamin is a top sports analyst and one of the sports industry's most respected handicappers. Follow him on Twitter: @RossBenjamin1 or visit his website at RBWins.com