Pac-12 Championship 2014: Arizona vs. Oregon TV Info, Spread and Injury Updates
Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game between No. 2 Oregon and No. 7 Arizona isn't officially a national quarterfinal, but it sure feels like one.
The Ducks are all but guaranteed a College Football Playoff spot if they avenge their early-season defeat to the Wildcats. Meanwhile, Rich Rodriguez's two-loss Arizona team would have an awfully convincing case to make the leap if they toppled mighty Oregon twice in one year—once in their house and once on a neutral field.
Might as well call it like it is, as The Associated Press' Antonio Gonzalez did:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
You'd have to go back a good bit to find a Pac-12 title game with such high stakes for both sides.
When: Friday, Dec. 5
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Odds (via Odds Shark): Oregon -14.5, over/under 73.5
Preparing for the Storm
In the first meeting between these two teams, it was like Oregon knew what was coming but just couldn't stop it.
The option with redshirt freshman Anu Solomon was the key in Arizona's offensive attack in a 31-24 win at Autzen Stadium. Although not a big rushing threat, Solomon can choose to pitch it out wide to either Terris Jones-Grigsby or Nick Wilson (who combined for 204 rushing yards) or hit a cutting receiver.
He chose well against the Ducks, as he has all season with 27 passing touchdowns to just seven picks. After an injury scare in a win over Utah, he bounced back for a heroic performance against Arizona State to get to Friday's rematch.
Although Solomon is a freshman, he hardly plays like it as Oregon wide receiver Johnathan Loyd told The Oregonian's Andrew Greif: "He always carried himself not like a freshman, like he'd been there a few years already. It was a new offense and he picked it up like that and obviously he ran with it."
While Solomon's decision-making has been crucial, the play of his backs has been even bigger. Wilson is coming off performances of 178 yards and 218 yards, averaging almost 10 yards per carry in that span.
Oregon's defense knows that the storm is coming again, but will it be ready to right its wrongs from the last time around?
Battle of Heisman Contenders
A player on one side of the field is looking to lock up his Heisman Trophy campaign, while another contender is hoping to spoil the party en route to his own trip to New York City.
The former is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the front-runner, and the latter is Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright III. The two are long-time enemies on the gridiron, with Wright often getting the best of Mariota.
Take the last two times these two have played. In 2013, Wright picked off Mariota en route to a 42-16 Wildcats win, and this year, Wright's strip-sack of Mariota sealed Arizona's win.
Of course, it's well documented how dominant Oregon's offense has been since. It has scored 42 or more in each of its seven games since the Arizona loss, winning all of its games by double-digit margins.
Oregon's defense obviously has its hands full with Arizona's option attack, but Mariota and the offense aren't short on confidence, per The Associated Press (via ArizonaSports.com):
"We're just going to play our game. Arizona did a great job setting and dictating tempo in the last meeting. If we go out and execute to the best of our abilities and execute the game plans that are put in front of us, we should hopefully be successful."
If they are indeed successful, Mariota will likely be wrapping up his Heisman case, but if Wright has himself another big day against his longtime nemesis, he should at least get an invite to the Big Apple.
None of that will be on either player's mind, however, with a CFP spot on the line.
Team Injury Reports
| Chase Gorham | LS | 11/30 | Questionable | Abdominal |
| DeAndre' Miller | LB | 11/30 | Questionable | Shoulder |
| Adonis Smith | RB | 11/30 | Questionable | Concussion |
| Alex Balducci | DT | 12/3 | Probable | Leg |
| Evan Baylis | TE | 12/3 | Probable | Ankle |
| Thomas Tyner | RB | 11/30 | Questionable | Ankle |
| Tony Washington | LB | 12/3 | Questionable | Undisclosed |
Injury reports courtesy of The Sports Network, via USA Today.
Prediction
When you add Oregon's unstoppable offense to the undeniable chip on most of its players' shoulders, the results should be convincing.
Not only should Mark Helfrich's squad be energized from the get-go, but it's also playing at a completely different level than when these two teams last met. The Ducks offensive line was a mess, but it has since founds its way; Mariota's play proves it.
Arizona won't have too much trouble finding scoring drives in the early goings, but an offensive onslaught in the third quarter from Oregon will be too much to overcome.
Prediction: Oregon 44, Arizona 27
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
