Pac-12 championship breakdown: No. 4 Washington vs. No. 8 Colorado
THE MATCHUPS, THE EDGE
Quarterback: Jake Browning was voted the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Year after throwing 40 touchdown passes in 12 regular-season games. He is also a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and still has a chance to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau, a Tacoma native, has rushed for 483 yards and seven touchdowns and passed for 2,150 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s a solid player and one of the reasons CU won the South, but the edge goes to the Huskies here. Edge: UW
Running backs: Colorado tailback Phillip Lindsay had a productive regular season, finishing fourth in the Pac-12 with 1,136 yards and a league-leading 15 touchdowns. Backup tailback Kyle Evans has 346 yards rushing and three touchdowns. UW’s top two backs, Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman, combined for 1,915 yards and 16 touchdowns with an average of 6.7 yards per rush. Gaskin finished third in the league in rushing. Edge: UW
Receivers/tight ends: Washington’s top two receivers, John Ross and Dante Pettis, have combined for 30 touchdown receptions this season. Ross was named first-team all-conference after catching 72 passes for 1,071 yards and 16 scores, two shy of the school record. Colorado has some playmakers here, too, particularly Shay Fields (50 catches, 819 yards, nine touchdowns) and Devin Ross (65 catches, 758 yards, five touchdowns), and Bryce Bobo and Jay MacIntyre round out a solid group. But Ross, Pettis and Chico McClatcher form a trio that is hard to top. Edge: UW
Defensive line: Washington ranks 20th nationally in yards per rush allowed at 3.50, while Colorado ranks 38th at 3.91. Fifth-year senior nose tackle Josh Tupou is a force in the middle of Colorado’s defensive line, and defensive end Jordan Carrell (38 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks) has been productive, too. UW, though, has a first-team all-conference selection in Elijah Qualls, a second-team pick in Vita Vea and a solid run-stopper in Greg Gaines. Edge: UW
Linebackers: Washington is a little thin here, with star middle linebacker Azeem Victor out for the season with a leg fracture. Keishawn Bierria, of course, is still a force at weakside linebacker, and DJ Beavers has done an admirable job filling in for Victor. But Colorado’s trio of Jimmie Gilbert (12.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks), Rick Gamboa and Kenneth Olugbode are an imposing bunch. Edge: COLORADO
Defensive backs: This one is close. Colorado ranks fourth in the country in pass defense efficiency, and allows opposing quarterbacks to complete only 48.9 percent of their passes. That’s really good. The Buffaloes are also tied for the national lead in yards per pass attempt allowed (5.4). That’s also really good. Washington, meanwhile, landed two defensive backs on the All-Pac-12 first team, and the Huskies would likely put their trio of Sidney Jones, Budda Baker and Kevin King up against anybody (and UW ranks 16th nationally in pass defense efficiency). Both of these secondaries are loaded. Edge: TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Special teams: Colorado ranks 119th nationally in average punt-return yardage allowed and 126th in average kick-return yardage allowed. The Huskies, meanwhile, have the two most dangerous returners in school history on both kickoffs (Ross) and punts (Pettis), and they cover both kickoffs and punts better than the Buffaloes. UW also has the more accurate kicker. Edge: UW
The pick: There is no doubt that Washington and Colorado have the two best defenses in the conference. They are tied for eighth nationally in yards per play allowed at 4.67. But it seems the Huskies have the more efficient and productive offense, so here’s a guess Browning, Ross and Gaskin lead UW to its first conference title in 16 years: Washington 31, Colorado 16.