Cal and Utah square off in the marquee game of Saturday's action, and both sides are looking at this game as one that will get them the national respect they so crave. Both teams are undefeated and think of themselves as Pac-12 frontrunners and College Football Playoff contenders, but few around the country think of them that way - even though Utah is in the top five after beating Oregon by 40 points.
The winner of this game will suddenly become legitimate national title contenders and the favorite to win the Pac-12, while the loser will fall out of the national consciousness. So, what should we expect to see tonight? Here are three bold predictions:
3) Jared Goff will throw for over 350 yards against Utah's defense
Goff is arguably the best quarterback in the country, and many people think he'll be the first QB taken in the NFL Draft in the spring. This Utah defense is one of the best in the nation as they're giving up less than 19 points per game, making this Goff's first real test of the season.
He's been dominant this season, passing for 1,630 yards and 15 touchdowns in five games this season, and he's been shredding defenses dating back to last year (3,975 yards, 35 touchdowns). This game won't be any different.
2) Utes running back Devontae Booker will be the player of the game
Booker is perhaps the most underrated running back in the country, racking up 443 rushing yards and four touchdowns while catching 15 passes for 149 yards this season. He was even more explosive last year, accumulating over 1,800 total yards and 12 touchdowns - saving his best for Utah's most important games (546 rush yards, two touchdowns against Pac-12 South rivals UCLA, USC, Arizona State, and Arizona). Expect another big performance from him against the Golden Bears.
1) Utah will win by double-digits
While Goff will put up his numbers, Utah will limit Cal's already poor rushing attack and control the tempo with that and Booker's dominance on the offensie end. This won't be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination, but the Utes will gradually pull away in front of their home crowd and pull off a convincing victory.
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