Utah’s Path To Pac-12 South Championship
Nov 12, 2018, 9:06 PM | Updated: Nov 13, 2018, 4:39 pm
The Utah Utes celebrate their win over the Oregon Ducks at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Utah football has a chance to clinch their first ever appearance to the Pac-12 Championship game on Saturday when they face Colorado, but they will need some help.
The Utes are the only team in the south division to have not played in the conference championship since the Pac-12 expanded from 10 teams to 12 in 2011.
What Utah Needs To Do
Utah needs to take care of business in Boulder. The problem is the Utes haven’t won in Colorado since 2014. The good news is the Buffaloes are currently on a five-game losing streak.
If Jason Shelley can continue to improve, including distributing the ball effectively and Armand Shyne can duplicate his 174 yard performance from the Oregon game, the Utes have a great shot at continuing on the path to becoming Pac-12 champions.
What Has To Happen To Arizona State
If Utah wins their Pac-12 finale against Colorado but the Sun Devils win their last two games, Arizona State would win the division because of their head-to-head win against the Utes.
Arizona State has to lose to either Oregon or Arizona for the Utes to take over the south division. The Sun Devils beat Oregon last season, 37-35 in Tempe. Since 2011, Arizona State is 1-4 against the Ducks.
When they have played their rival Arizona, the Sun Devils are 4-3 since 2011.
KSL.com’s Josh Furlong created a graphic with all of the scenarios regarding the Pac-12 south division.
Here’s the updated graphic: pic.twitter.com/xvQVH1l9IC
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) November 12, 2018
