USC vs. Utah picks, predictions: Pac-12 Championship Game odds, spread, lines

Picks and predictions for USC vs. Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game as the college football schedule moves to Week 14

James Parks | Dec 2, 2022

USC vs. Utah picks, predictions: Pac-12 Championship Game odds, spread, lines /

Championship Week is here and the Pac-12 Championship Game could have the effect of sending a team into the College Football Playoff this postseason, that is if USC can avenge its loss to Utah on Friday night.

Southern Cal is just 1 point away from being an undefeated team right now after its 43-42 loss at Utah midseason, and now comes into the league title bout, but has scored 38-plus points each game of a five-game win streak since then, including statement victories over ranked rivals UCLA and Notre Dame.

Win this game, and the Trojans are a sure thing to be either the No. 4 seed in the final College Football Playoff rankings and appear in the school's first-ever semifinal, all in Lincoln Riley's first season on the job.

Utah dropped a 3-point decision at Oregon two weeks ago, but otherwise is good for about 40 points per game, and is the defending Pac-12 champion.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

USC vs. Utah picks, predictions

Scenes at a college football game featuring the USC Trojans. — USC vs. Utah picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Utah's chance of victory: The computers are actually siding with the Utes in this game, giving them the surprising 61.2 percent chance to win the game outright.

USC's chance of victory: That leaves the Trojans with the outside 38.8 percent edge to win the Pac-12 league title and earn one of the four playoff bids.

Point spread: The bookmakers take the opposite view, as USC comes in the narrow 2.5 point favorites against Utah, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 67 points

Moneyline: USC -115 | Utah +130

Spread consensus pick: USC -2.5

Score prediction: Team Rankings projects that USC will defeat Utah by a score of 33.6 to 30.5 on Friday and win the conference championship.

USC predictions: The index kept USC as the No. 14 team in its 131 college football rankings that slot teams based on a projected per-game scoring margin. FPI estimates the Trojans are 14.9 points better than an average team on a neutral field, with a 19.8 percent shot to make the College Football Playoff.

Utah predictions: FPI has the Utes at No. 8 on the computer's national rankings, an estimated 18.8 points better on a neutral field over an "average" opponent.

How to watch: The game is set for Fri., Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. Mountain Time and 5 p.m. Pacific on the Fox network and streams on fuboTV (Try for free).

More: College football Championship Week schedule

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings

According to CFP Selection Committee

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Published Dec 2, 2022

JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.