The arrival of Week 14 of the college football season means the arrival of conference championship week. Few conference title games are bigger than the Pac-12 Championship, which features the Utah Utes and USC Trojans in 2022.
Here's everything you need to know about the Pac-12 Championship on Friday.
Where is Pac-12 Championship 2022?
The 2022 Pac-12 Championship will be played a neutral site, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Allegiant Stadium is home to the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders and holds a capacity of 65,000 fans.
When is Utah vs USC Pac-12 Championship?
The 2022 Pac-12 Championship is scheduled for Week 14 of the college football season. The game wil l be played on Friday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX.
Pac-12 Championship Utah vs USC Prediction and Odds 2022
This game is a rematch from an epic meeting on October 15 in Salt Lake City, where the Utes handed the Trojans their only loss of the season in a 43-42 stunner. Southern Cal never trailed in the game until Utah QB Cameron Rising scored the game-winning touchdown and two-point conversion with 48 seconds left to lift the Utes to victory.
USC enters this rematch fresh off a'38-27 win'over Notre D ame — the Trojans' sixth straight game with at least 38 points. USC quarterback and'Heisman frontrunner'Caleb Williams ran for three touchdowns and threw another to beat the Fighting Irish.
Utah crushed Colorado last week, 63-21, and then got help with UCLA, Oregon State and Washington all winning to get the Utes into their fourth Pac-12 Championship Game appearance in the last five years.
Utah has the Pac-12's No. 1 defense allowing 20 points per game and 317 yards per game — 6 points and 88 YPG better than Southern Cal. USC leads the country in turnover margin (+22), however, and the Trojans will need a few more big plays on defense this week if they're going to hold off the Utes.
Expect another back-and-forth competitive contest with USC also playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Moneyline:'UTAH: (+126) | USC: (-152)
Spread:'UTAH: +2.5 (+100) | USC: -2.5 (-122)
Total:'66.5 -'Over: (-114) | Under: (-106)
Final Score Prediction:'USC: 38 | Utah: 37
Pac-12 Championship History
The Pac-12 Championship game was first played in 2011. This will mark USC's th ird all-time appearance in the title game, while Utah is making their four appearance. Utah is 1-2 in these previous championship game appearances. USC is 1-1, winning the title in 2017.
The Utes and Trojans have met 21 times is their respective histories. The series is fairly even as USC owns 13 wins to Utah's 8. The two sides met once previously in 2022 when the Utes captured a 43-42 victory in mid-October.