No. 9 UCLA at No. 16 Arizona
Saturday — 7 p.m. — ABC
The Pac-12 gets its chance to shine Saturday with two marquee matchups. The first comes out in the desert with UCLA heading to Arizona. The Bruins survived an upset by BYU last week. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen didn’t help the cause with three interceptions, but sophomore running back Nate Starks came through with a late touchdown to take the victory. Arizona, on the other hand, has yet to be tested, with the Wildcats’ toughest matchup coming in a 10-point win over UTSA to start the season. Both teams can ill-afford a loss for their playoff hopes, so expect a great show in Tucson.
No. 18 Utah at No. 13 Oregon
Saturday — 7:30 p.m. — FOX
The Pac-12’s second marquee matchup comes in Eugene, Oregon, with a Utah team looking to finally break through facing an Oregon team looking to regroup with a big win after its loss to Michigan State. The Utes have put up decent results in their time in the Pac-12 but have yet to get into the conference title game. This might be their year, with senior running back Devontae Booker racking up 345 rushing yards and four touchdowns through three games. Oregon, meanwhile, will use this game to repair some of the luster lost when it fell to the Spartans. Senior quarterback Vernon Adams hasn’t gotten the best start with his new school, throwing three touchdowns and two picks. Autzen Stadium will be rocking Saturday night with a shot at the Pac-12 title game on the line, however early it may be.
No. 22 BYU at Michigan
Saturday — 11:00 a.m. — ABC
Michigan likely isn’t going to make the playoffs or one of the New Year’s Six bowls, but this could be a defining game in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first year at the helm for the Wolverines. BYU comes into this game after a difficult loss to UCLA, but still riding high with two Hail-Mary wins and a shot at a big bowl. The Wolverines also have some momentum with back-to-back wins over Oregon State and UNLV. Of the ten or so early kick-offs, this is the game to watch.
No. 19 USC at Arizona State
Saturday — 9:30 p.m. — ESPN
This game doesn’t stack up as one of the big match ups for the Pac-12, but it should still be quite the show in Tempe to wrap up Saturday’s action. USC struggled at home against Stanford, giving up almost 280 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Arizona State has rebounded from the season-opening loss to Texas A&M with wins over Cal Poly and New Mexico. How they’ll perform against another ranked opponent remains to be seen, but this will be a great showdown between two teams looking to stay in the Pac-12 race.
