Pac-12 Championship Game 2022: Early Preview, Predictions for USC vs. Utah

Year 1 of the Lincoln Riley era at USC could result in the Trojans winning their first Pac-12 championship since 2017. And they could still even become the first team from the conference to reach the College Football Playoff since the 2016 season.

USC has been the best team in the Pac-12 this season. But in order to end up as the conference champion, the Trojans will need to beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game, which is set for Friday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The matchup is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Fox.

It won't be the first time that USC (11-1) and Utah (9-3) have faced off this year. The Trojans' lone loss of the season came on Oct. 15, when the Utes pulled out a 43-42 win in Salt Lake City. So USC will be looking for revenge, while Utah aims to have a repeat result.

The Utes are also seeking a second straight Pac-12 championship. Meanwhile, the Trojans are appearing in the conference title game for the second time in three years, after they lost to Oregon in 2020.

Here's everything else you need to know heading into this year's Pac-12 Championship Game.

USC's offense is led by sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams, who has emerged as the front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy in recent weeks. He's passed for 3,712 yards, 34 touchdowns and only three interceptions in 12 games this season, while also scoring a team-high 10 rushing TDs.

Utah's defense had trouble stopping Williams in the previous meeting between these two teams. In that game, he threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns in defeat.

The Trojans have talented playmakers all over the field on offense, and Williams has done a tremendous job of getting the ball to all of them. That's why USC has had one of the top offenses in the Pac-12 all season.

The Utes are allowing only 317.5 total yards per game, which ranks first in the conference. However, they gave up 556 total yards when they last played the Trojans. So Utah will need to find a way to carry over its recent defensive success into this challenging matchup.

USC's defense saw what Utah junior quarterback Cameron Rising is capable of on Oct. 15. He threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 60 yards and three TDs in the Utes' win over the Trojans. And he ran in the game-winning two-point conversion with 48 seconds to go.

However, Utah has mostly relied on its running game this season, as it ranks second in the Pac-12 with 220 rushing yards per contest. But the Utes are now without their leading rusher, junior running back Tavion Thomas, who suffered a season-ending toe injury. So they'll need to rely on several other RBs to carry the load this time against USC.

The Trojans have had a little bit of trouble stopping the run, too. So that may be the Utes' key to success. But Rising can make plays happen with his legs as well, and he may do a good bit of that on Friday.

If USC can find a way to slow down Rising (which it didn't do last time), then it could lead to a strong showing for the Trojans' defense. Otherwise, the Utes may move the ball with ease.

Like last time, USC and Utah will likely score a lot of points and rack up a ton of yards. These are two strong offensive teams that have talented playmakers at various positions. And both defenses have shown that they are beatable.

But there's one player who could make the difference: Williams. He's accounted for three or more touchdowns in each of the Trojans' past six games. And in Saturday's win over Notre Dame, he had one passing TD and three rushing scores.

Williams is playing at a high level and taking his game to another level at the most important time of the season. So it seems unlikely that Utah will fare any better against him than it did earlier in the year.

This should be a competitive game, but not quite as tight as that prior meeting. This time, USC has more at stake (with a potential CFP berth on the line), and it will avenge that previous loss with an impressive win.

Prediction: USC 44, Utah 34