Two of the Pac-12’s biggest surprises will square off in Salt Lake City Saturday afternoon. The Utah Utes host the Arizona Wildcats in a matchup between two fringe South Division contenders.
How to watch Arizona vs. Utah: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Can the Utes’ defense stop Arizona’s fast-paced offense?
Both teams went undefeated in non-conference play, with Utah holding the most impressive win of the two (on the road against a down Michigan team). Arizona defeated UNLV, UTSA and Nevada, before wins over Cal and Oregon boosted them high up the rankings, poised for a potential playoff run.
The Wildcats lost two of their next three games, with a win over Washington State sandwiched between losses to USC and UCLA, and have won their last two games against Colorado and Washington.
Even after wins over Michigan and Fresno State, it would be harm to blame Utah fans for losing some hope after a home loss to Washington State opened up conference play. They responded with a road win over then-No. 8 UCLA, the first of three straight Pac-12 wins (followed by Oregon State and USC).
After two straight losses to Arizona State and Oregon, the Utes beat Stanford on the road in double overtime last time out.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET.
TV: ESPN.
Radio: Here’s a list of affiliates for Arizona. For Utah, try 700 The Zone.
Online streaming: WatchESPN.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Arizona is ranked No. 15 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll. Utah is ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 21 in the Coaches Poll. The Wildcats are 8-2, with a 5-2 record in conference play, while the Utes are 7-3 with a 4-3 Pac-12 record.
Vegas: Arizona opened as 3.5-point favorites. The line has since moved to 4.5 with an over/under of 53.5, per OddsShark.
Weather forecast: High of 40 with rain likely.
Two things at stake
The winner of this game would stay alive in the Pac-12 South hunt.
If Utah loses, they’ll fall out of the top 25.
One big matchup
Arizona rushing offense vs. Utah rushing defense. The Wildcats’ three-headed rushing attack of Nick Wilson, Terris Jones-Grigsby and quarterback Anu Solomon has given opposing defenses fits, with both Wilson and Jones-Grigsby averaging more than 5.2 yards per carry. Utah, meanwhile, is giving up just 3.6 yards per rush, and has one of the nation’s top defensive linemen in Nate Orchard.
Further reading
For more on Arizona, check out AZ Desert Swarm. For Utah coverage, check out Block U.
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