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With Travis Wilson's final pass went the Pac-12's College Football Playoff hopes, sailing past Kenneth Scott and into the turf/oblivion as Arizona celebrated a 37-30 double overtime victory over the No. 10 Utes.
Earlier Saturday, the conference's only other playoff contender, Stanford, fell to Oregon. So the Cardinal's grip on the North is less secure, Utah's grip on the South is lost, and what remains is a scrap for the Pac-12 Championship Game in Santa Clara.
Utah's road map: 1. A win next week against UCLA and the following week against Colorado, both games at home. 2. A USC loss, either at Oregon next week or at UCLA the following week.
The Trojans control their own destiny. Win out, and they're in, having beaten Utah for the trump card.
Same for the Bruins, counterintuitively, despite getting dealt their third conference loss by Washington State and trailing two-loss Utah and USC in the standings.
That's because if all three teams finish with three conference losses, UCLA would have beaten Utah and USC in the regular season's final two weeks to earn the head-to-head-to-head tiebreaker (2-0 to USC's 1-1 and Utah's 0-2).
Utah needs help. And for it to do its part, it will have to outscore a high-powered offense, in UCLA. The last two Utah opponents to meet that description: USC and Arizona.
Injuries appear to be taking an increased toll on the Utah defense. It was without usual starters Hunter Dimick, Filipo Mokofisi and Reginald Porter in Tucson, and senior safety Tevin Carter received attention on the sidelines.
Porter's absence was particularly felt as the Wildcats deviated from their usual run-heavy approach to pick on Utah's cornerbacks.
Without Dimick and Mokofisi, Utah went sackless, Arizona sophomore Anu Solomon evaded pressure time and again in what Utes coach Kyle Whittingham felt was his best performance this season.
In Colorado — one of only two Pac-12 teams eliminated from the bowl picture, even if none are in the playoff picture — Utah then closes with a capable spoiler, as USC learned during a come-from-behind win Friday night.
Ute fans will recall that a loss to the Buffaloes doomed the Utes after they received the necessary "help" on the final weekend of the 2011 season.
Any Pac-12 team — excepting, realistically, Oregon State — can beat any other.
It's what they signed up for, Whittingham said. It's why, at 8-2, Utah still has the possibility of playing in the Rose Bowl.
Even if certainty is in short supply, opportunity is still abundant.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
UCLA at No. 18 Utah
P Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
TV • Ch. 13
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More coverage
• Utah drops from No. 10 to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 after its double-overtime loss to Arizona. > B3