Pac-12 Championship 2020: USC vs. Washington Breakdown, Predictions

The USC Trojans and Washington Huskies are familiar with the Pac-12 Championship Game, but the two sides have never met in the title clash before Friday night. 

Washington earned two of the Pac-12 North's victories in 2016 and 2018, while USC captured the South Division's only crown in 2017.

USC comes in as the lone undefeated side in the Pac-12 after it came from behind to knock off the UCLA Bruins on Saturday. 

The Trojans still have a small chance to land in the College Football Playoff if they win and a handful of results go in their favor. 

But the more likely scenario for USC, or Washington if it wins, is an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl since the Rose Bowl is hosting one of the two national semifinals. 

Pac-12 Championship Game Breakdowns

USC

Ashley Landis/Associated Press

USC established itself as the best team in the Pac-12 through its five wins, but some of those victories have not come easily.

On Saturday, the Trojans had to rebound from a 21-10 halftime deficit and a 28-10 UCLA lead at the start of the third quarter to move to 5-0. Clay Helton's side also had some nervy finishes against the Arizona State Sun Devils and Arizona Wildcats.

In between those three results were a pair of controlling wins over the Utah Utes and Washington State Cougars that displayed Kedon Slovis' pocket poise. 

The sophomore quarterback has 1,601 passing yards this season and five touchdowns in back-to-back games. He has completed 70.3 percent of his passes and only dipped below 65 percent in Saturday's win.

The Trojans surrounded Slovis with a wealth of offensive talent, starting with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London, both of whom have over 400 receiving yards.

Vavae Malepeai is one of three running backs with multiple touchdowns, while Tyler Vaughns gives the Trojans some big-play potential behind St. Brown and London. 

If the Trojans use their abundance of talented skill players to work through the Washington defense, they should avoid any type of crazy finish. 

USC may need a blowout win to make any type of playoff case before the four participants are finalized on Sunday.

The Trojans need to move up a few positions from No. 15 in Tuesday's ranking and to win in convincing fashion to set themselves up for a leap if chaos occurs above them. 

USC's ideal situation features the Clemson Tigers losing for a second time to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an upset by the Tennessee Volunteers over the Texas A&M Aggies and a loss by the Cincinnati Bearcats to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. 

In that situation, three undefeated power conference champions would be in and the committee would have to choose between 6-0 USC and a two-loss Big 12 winner. 

It is still a long shot, but USC has to keep that in mind on Friday night if it has a large advantage over the Huskies.

Washington

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Washington has not been on the field since its December 5 loss to the Stanford Cardinal. 

Three of Washington's four contests have been decided by one score. The lone exception was a 17-point victory over winless Arizona. 

Quarterback Dylan Morris has three straight 200-yard outings, but he has not been as effective as Slovis. The freshman has four passing touchdowns and three interceptions. 

The Huskies have three running backs with over 20 carries and 100 rushing yards, which are significant totals in a four-game season. 

If Jimmy Lake's team develops a solid ground attack, it could keep the ball out of Slovis' hands and turn the matchup into a low-scoring slog. 

Under Chris Petersen in 2018, the Huskies captured the Pac-12 crown through a 10-3 victory over Utah. 

Washington could be affected by its week off in two ways. The long layoff could hurt the Huskies, but it may also help since USC has a short turnaround from a Saturday night rivalry game to a Friday night championship clash. 

No matter which way it ends up affecting Washington, it needs to contain USC's big-play potential. The Huskies can allow St. Brown and London to wrack up catches, but they need to contain the gains of 20 or more yards. 

If that happens, Washington should have a chance to keep itself in the game through its defense, but if USC scores over 30 points, it could be tough to earn a victory.

Prediction

USC 37, Washington 20

Although USC has not made life easy on itself, it has found a way to win close games. 

But it may not have to win a one-score affair if Slovis hooks up early with his playmakers. If that happens, USC could make its best possible case to make the playoff. 

At minimum, the Trojans are playing for a New Year's Six bowl and the chance to have an undefeated season, which is still an accomplishment in a truncated year. 

Look for St. Brown and London to be involved often and for Vaughns to make one or two game-changing plays to either find the end zone or flip the field position battle. 

If that all happens, USC would become the fourth program to win multiple Pac-12 Championship Games and the first to do so out of the South Division.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com