This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
My most vivid memory of the Pac-12 football season is how I shocked I was when Arizona beat Oregon on the road in early October. At this point, it would not be so surprising for the Wildcats to win Friday night's Pac-12 championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. But I'm still picking the Ducks, because of quarterback Marcus Mariota. Arizona held him down in a 31-24 win in Eugene, but Mariota should have better blocking in the rematch. The Ducks will score a lot of points. But so will Arizona. Clearly, these were the two best teams that played at Rice-Eccles Stadium this season, beating Utah by an average of 28 points. It's true that one would-be touchdown involving Utah's Kaelin Clay in each game could have altered the momentum and kept the Utes much closer, but Oregon and Arizona have very good offenses. I would give an edge to Arizona's defense, although Oregon's run-stopping ability was better than I expected. Ultimately, Mariota will make the difference. He's a transcendent player in this conference. The Wildcats will be competitive enough to maintain a high ranking in the College Football Playoff committee's judgment and earn a New Year's Six bowl bid, but they won't win the Pac-12 title. Oregon 38, Arizona 31. – Kurt Kragthorpe