Utah vs Oregon Pac-12 Title Game Picks & Odds: Utes Favored by 6.5
By Brady Trettenero in College Football
Updated: January 6, 2023 at 3:20 am ESTPublished:
- Utah has opened as 6.5-point favorites over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game (Friday, Dec. 6)
- The Utes are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games
- How should you bet on the Pac-12 Title game?
The Utah Utes (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) and Oregon Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12) are set to faceoff at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, for the Pac-12 Conference Championship (Friday, December 6th).
Utah clinched the Pac-12 South with a 45-15 win over Colorado last weekend, while Oregon defeated Oregon State, 24-10, to clinch the North division.
While Oregon is out of playoff contention, Utah has a chance to improve its National Championship odds with a big win over the Ducks on Friday. Motivation may be factoring into the point spread, which opened at Utes -6.5
How should you bet on the Pac-12 Title game?
Utah vs Oregon Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon (#14) | +6.5. (-110) | +205 | O 50.0 (-105) |
| Utah (#6) | -6.5 (-110) | -245 | U 50.0 (-115) |
Odds taken Dec. 2Â
Utah Opens As 6.5 Favorite
The Utes reportedly opened as just 4.5-point favorites at some other sportsbooks, but the Pac-12 title odds are consensus Utah -6.5 across the board now.
Utah opens up as a 4.5 point favorite over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship, but the line has since moved up to 5.
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) December 1, 2019
Utah is being favored in this game due to its 11-1 record and stellar defense. The Ducks saw their CFP hopes fade when they lost to Arizona State in Week 13 to fall to 10-2 on the season. The Ducks are led by talented QB Justin Herbert, but they enter this game with the 24th-ranked defense.
The Utes have been favored in every single game this season and are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games. Will that trend continue in the Pac-12 Championship game?
Utes Elite Defense
Utah’s elite defense is a big reason why they have been the best team in the Pac-12 this season. They rank third nationally in total defense and are giving up just 241.6 yards per game. The Utes haven’t conceded over 30 points to any team this season and are outscoring opponents 308-76 during an eight-game winning streak.
Utah’s rushing defense in particular has been lights out. They’ve kept their opponents under 70 yards on the ground in 10 of 12 contests this season. Their passing defense hasn’t been as good, allowing 185.3 yards per game (14th-best in FBS), but they will benefit from facing a struggling QB on Friday.
Oregon’s Justin Herbert is a very talented quarterback, but he threw four interceptions and was sacked nine times in the month of November. That doesn’t bode well facing a talented Utah defensive line that has 29 sacks this season. Herbert will be a difference-maker on Saturday, one way or another.
Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss Form Dynamic Duo
Utah has one of the best quarterback/ running back tandems in the nation in QB Tyler Huntley and RB Zack Moss.
Huntley has completed 75.5% of his passes this season and ranks fifth nationally with a 188.7 pass efficiency rating. He enters this game with an impressive 2,773 passing yards, 255 rushing yards, and 21 total TDs.
Have you voted #HuntleyForHeisman yet today?
Vote 👉https://t.co/eJRwMzfbs4 pic.twitter.com/I0eSiVOS7n
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 1, 2019
Moss is one of the better running backs in the country and ranks 19th nationally with 1,246 rushing yards this season. He rushed for 88 yards against Colorado in Week 14 and has rushed for over 80 yards in all but one game this season.
Oregon gave up 41 points over the last two weeks to Arizona State and Oregon State and were torched for 535 total yards in their loss to the Sun Devils. Expect the Huntley/Moss tandem to do some major damage against this susceptible defense.
Betting Advice
I expect this line to continue shifting in Utah’s favor heading into Friday’s game. The Utes have been the better team this season and don’t show any signs of slowing down.
Utah has 19 seniors who have helped the school to its best season since joining the Pac-12. They have the experience and talent to make a serious case for the playoff with an impressive win over Oregon.
The Ducks have a strong offense that will keep this game relatively close, but eventually they won’t be able to keep up with Utah’s scoring and will be stifled by a much better defense.
Utah has good value ATS right now, and I’d feel confident betting them to cover until they are favored by more than 10 points.
Pick: Utah -6.5 (-110)
Lead NHL & NCAAF Editor
Brady is the lead NHL and College Football editor at Sports Betting Dime, where he specializes in betting odds and data-driven analysis. Brady has over 10 years experience working in sports media, with work published by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and Fox Sports.
