In yet another season in which the Pac-12 Conference has inevitably cannibalized itself on the gridiron, there is a primetime, ranked showdown that carries huge implications for the College Football Playoff and the Pac-12 standings. The No. 3 Oregon Ducks head down to Salt Lake City to face the No. 23 Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium for what is the game of the year in the Pac-12 regular season slate so far.

What’s On The Line:

The College Football Playoff committee has given Oregon a lot more respect than a lot of people thought. Even after the loss to Stanford, which seems to happen every year that Oregon is in contention for a championship, the Ducks remain within striking distance of a spot in the College Football Playoff at the No. 3 spot in the latest rankings.

A win for the Ducks in Salt Lake City against a ranked Utah team would easily be their best win since beating Ohio State in Columbus back in September. This is a game where “style points,” something that Oregon has lacked in several of its wins this year, would only be an added bonus. A win looks great on the Ducks’ resumé regardless of if they win by a point in a low-scoring slugfest or if they slaughter the Utes in their own stadium.

Also on the line for Oregon is a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game for the third straight year. The Ducks clinch the Pac-12 North with a win over Utah or an Arizona State win over Oregon State in Corvallis. Obviously, Mario Cristobal and his team would much rather take care of their own business to clinch the division and not have to rely on others to get them there.

Utah will also have its eyes on the matchup in Corvallis as the Utes will win the South with a win over Oregon or a Beavers win over the Sun Devils. If Utah doesn’t win this weekend but beats Colorado at home next week, the South will belong to the Utes for the second time in three years.

However, there is some debate over whether this game really matters for Utah since a potential rematch against Oregon in the conference title game may happen anyway. While the Utes may end up in the Rose Bowl regardless of whether they beat Oregon twice in those two matchups or they get swept, the program and Kyle Whittingham would gain a lot of much deserved respect for beating an Oregon team that is on the cusp of being the first Pac-12 team in the CFP in five years.

Utah has not had that statement win since entering the Pac-12 back in 2011 that has given Whittingham nationwide praise. The Utes have been to three Pac-12 title games since joining the conference and is 0-3, and their only bowl wins in the last decade have been in subpar bowls like the Las Vegas Bowl, Foster Farms Bowl and the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

A win over a top-five Oregon team would also be their first win over a top-five opponent since knocking off No. 5 Stanford in 2013. Since then, Utah is 0-3 against top-five teams and 8-14 in ranked matchups. Overall in Whittingham’s tenure, the Utes own a 37.5% winning percentage over ranked teams, including a 2-5 record against top-five teams. Beating Oregon would go a long way for Utah in terms of respect within the conference and nationally.

Players to Watch:

Oregon –

RB Travis Dye: Travis Dye has scored a touchdown in each of his last five games and is the focal point of the Oregon offense. The last time Oregon faced Utah, the Ducks gashed the Utes’ defense for 239 yards on the ground. If Oregon is to win this game, it will be because of Dye’s ability to produce in the run game and catching out of the backfield, as he is the team leader in receptions with 32.

DE Kayvon Thibodeaux: You can never say enough about the skill level and talent of Kayvon Thibodeaux. He is the most dominant player in college football and will need to be at his best against Utah, a team that has only allowed one sack in the past five games. The last time Utah faced Thibodeaux, he wreaked havoc for 2.5 sacks and a blocked punt. He is as explosive a pass rusher as any offensive lineman on the Utes’ roster have seen in their lives, and they must be prepared for his rare combination of size, speed and athleticism.

LB Noah Sewell: Noah Sewell has taken the leap from a dazzling young linebacker prospect to one of the most productive linebackers in college football in his second year. He has improved in every category. He has incredible size at his position, weighing 260 pounds yet moving like a cat on the field. Sewell is a physical, willing tackler and will plug holes in the running game in a blink.

Utah –

QB Cameron Rising: Simply put, perhaps the biggest reason that the Utah Utes are 6-1 in the Pac-12 is because of Cameron Rising. After losing the job to Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer, who left the program after their triple-overtime loss to San Diego State, Rising has come in and been as efficient a passer as the Utes could have hoped for. He has a gunslinger’s mentality and is not afraid to throw it deep, but he is also a wise decision maker; he won’t make many brash decisions that could put the offense in danger. Rising is also a capable runner, leading all Pac-12 quarterbacks with 7.1 yards per carry.

RB Tavion Thomas: It’s not a guarantee that Tavion Thomas will play, but if he is, he adds another dynamic to the Utah offense. He is a tough runner that almost never goes down after the first contact is made. Thomas is averaging 168.5 rushing yards and four touchdowns in each of his last two games, but he didn’t play last weekend against Arizona.

LB Devin Lloyd: Devin Lloyd might be the best linebacker in the country. Lloyd only had one Power 5 offer coming out of Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, Calif., and now all 63 other Power 5 schools are kicking themselves for not offering him. He can truly do it all on defense, as he has collected 84 tackles, 20 TFL, 7.0 sacks, three interceptions and six pass breakups. Have fun trying to stop him.

Stats to Know:

• Oregon is tied for second in the country with 31 rushing touchdowns
• Oregon is averaging 297.0 rushing yards per game over the last three games
• Oregon kicker Camden Lewis is one of five kickers in the country who have not missed a field goal this season, nailing all 10 of his attempts
• Oregon’s Travis Dye (24th with 5.97 yards per carry) and Utah’s Tavion Thomas (20th with 6.08 yards per carry) both rank in the top 25 in the country in rushing yards per carry
• Oregon is 6-0 when Dye rushes for more than 100 yards and 5-0 when he records multiple touchdowns
• Oregon safety Verone McKinley III is tied for the FBS lead with five interceptions this season
• Oregon is 5th in the country in third down conversion percentage at 51.6%, including a 65.9% conversion rate in the last four games
• Utah defensive end Mika Tafua leads the Pac-12 with 7.5 sacks
• Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd is second in the nation with 2.0 tackles for loss per game
• Utah’s Britain Covey is third in the nation averaging 14.7 yards per punt return
• Utah has allowed three blocked kicks this season, more than any other team in the Pac-12
• Utah leads the Pac-12 with 31 sacks on defense
• Utah is the second-least penalized team (45) in the Pac-12, while Oregon (73) is the fourth-most penalized team in the conference
• Utah is the only team in the Pac-12 to rank in the top five across all offensive AND defensive categories
• With a win, Kyle Whittingham will become the winningest head coach in Utah’s history, passing Ike Armstrong, who won 141 games.