College football鈥檚 top 5 matchups of Week 12
3. No. 22 Utah vs. No. 17 Arizona – Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Utah and Arizona have played 47 games over the last century, and while Arizona had controlled the series for several decades, it鈥檚 the Utes that currently lead the rivalry with a 26-19-2 record. Utah has been dominant against the Wildcats since joining the Pac-12, winning six in a row over Arizona, and nine of the last 13 matchups overall in relatively dominant fashion, as the last one-score contest of the series came all the way back in 2017.
This year鈥檚 matchup should be a close one in which the Wildcats will likely come in as slight favorites for the first time in a while. However, that doesn鈥檛 mean Utah should be counted out. The Utes have gone 7-3 on the year, with their only losses coming at Oregon State, at home against Oregon, and in Seattle last week where they gave Washington all it could handle in a one-score contest. Utah鈥檚 calling card this season has been its top-15 total defense led by safety Cole Bishop, and leading tacklers Levani Dumani and Karene Reid. Even without Cameron Rising, Bryson Barnes has helped the offense stay afloat, but will have to avoid the turnovers he had last week to get a win in Tucson.
Meanwhile, Arizona has been perhaps the surprise team of what has been a deep Pac-12 this season, going 7-3 and now sitting at No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The Wildcats have lost only to Washington and USC in Pac-12 play, and have picked up four impressive wins in a row over Washington State, Oregon State, UCLA and Colorado. Utah will be a little different test, but with a solid defense and a top-30 total offense that has proven capable of scoring with the top teams in the Pac-12 recently behind freshman quarterback Noah Fifita, the Wildcats have the potential to end the regular season on a six-game winning streak.
