What to Watch: A possible preview of the Pac-12 title game

October 28, 2016 at 12:08 p.m.

It’s Week 9 and things are starting to get interesting. The first College Football Playoff rankings come out Tuesday, which makes the stakes high, especially for teams such as Washington and Clemson, which both have tough games this weekend.

The postseason picture should start to become clearer as we head into the final month of the season.

Here’s what to watch in Week 9:

Game of the week:
No. 4 Washington at No. 17 Utah, 3:30 p.m. ET

This game marks the toughest test for a Washington team that has essentially cruised through its schedule so far. The Utes are the top team in the Pac-12 South and looking to knock the Huskies not only from the ranks of the unbeaten, but also from the College Football Playoff.

However, it’s not going to be easy even at a raucous Rice-Eccles Stadium, which will be even more intense with ESPN’s “College GameDay” on campus. Washington has won 10 straight games and has beaten all but one opponent this season by at least 24 points. The Huskies’ defense, which ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12, is allowing just 14.6 points per game and leads the country in turnover margin with 2.0 per game.

But all eyes will be on Washington quarterback Jake Browning, who is the nation’s No. 2-rated passer and a budding Heisman contender. He’s thrown 26 touchdowns this season and just two interceptions all while completing more than 68 percent of his passes.

The Utah defense has been abused in the passing game this season in terms of yards, but it’s been good about not giving up many points. The lone anomaly was last week’s 52-45 shootout win against UCLA.

While the defense was poor in that game, Utah running back Joe Williams put himself on the map with a school-record 332 yards and four touchdowns against the Bruins. Williams retired from football earlier in the year, but came back to the Utes two weeks ago after the running back depth was depleted. In two games he’s rushed for 511 yards and five touchdowns.

This game could possibly be a preview of the Pac-12 title game in December.

Game to watch:
No. 7 Nebraska at No. 11 Wisconsin, 7 p.m. ET

Perhaps the third time will be a charm for Wisconsin as the Badgers take on their third top-10 conference foe in the past five weeks. The Badgers have already lost close contests to then-No. 4 Michigan and then-No. 2 Ohio State, and now No. 7 Nebraska rolls into town with an undefeated record and its eye on the College Football Playoff.

If Wisconsin is going to defeat the Cornhuskers, it’s going to start with a defense that has been beaten up this season, but is still one of the best in the country. The Badgers rank 9^th nationally in total defense and fourth in scoring defense, allowing just 14.3 points per game. However, they’ll be without star inside linebacker Jack Cichy, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle in last week’s 17-9 win against Iowa and will miss the rest of the season. Cichy is the latest of the linebacking corps to go down with injury. Inside linebacker Chris Orr suffered a torn ACL on the first defensive play of the year against LSU and is out for the season; inside linebacker T.J. Edwards missed the beginning of the season with a fractured foot he suffered in the summer; outside linebacker Vince Biegel missed the games against Michigan and Ohio State with a fractured foot.

Still, the defense is Wisconsin’s strength and it should find success against a Nebraska offense that has struggled with slow starts this season. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong has thrown for 1,611 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions, and in his last three games, he’s thrown more interceptions than he has touchdowns. That doesn’t bode well against a defense that has only given up eight total touchdowns — four passing and four rushing — so far this season.

Also check out …
No. 3 Clemson at No. 12 Florida State, 8 p.m. ET

The luster has been taken off this game a bit considering Florida State’s struggles this season, but this is still a fun rivalry game where anything can happen. The Tigers haven’t won in Tallahassee since 2006, but this could mark the start of a new era.

Clemson is undefeated and trying to hold down its spot among the top 4 for the College Football Playoff. Florida State started the season near the top of the heap, but a crushing loss to Louisville and an unexpected loss to North Carolina have the Seminoles on the outside looking in not only at the CFP, but also at the ACC Atlantic Division title. For Florida State to win the title, it would need to beat Clemson and hope for a loss by both Louisville and Clemson and then to somehow win on a complex system of tiebreakers.

So while all that might be unlikely, Florida State can still take some joy in potentially knocking Clemson out of the CFP. This game will be about whether the Clemson offense can find some consistency and score points against a Florida State defense that is allowing 28.9 points per game. It will help that running back Wayne Gallman should be back on the field after suffering a concussion against N.C. State two weeks ago.

On the other side, the Clemson defense will have to contend with Florida State running back Dalvin Cook, who had 194 yards and scored the Seminoles’ only touchdown in last year’s loss to the Tigers.

Channel surf through …

No. 10 West Virginia at Oklahoma State, noon — West Virginia is trying to remain undefeated and make a case that it’s the best team in the Big 12 and worthy of a spot in the playoff. If it can keep the high-powered Oklahoma State defense in check the way it kept Texas Tech’s quiet, it might have a case.

No. 8 Baylor at Texas, 3:30 p.m. ET — Texas coach Charlie Strong probably won’t get fired after this game, but if he loses to Baylor, his days in Austin are probably numbered (if they aren’t already). The Bears, similar to West Virginia, are out to prove they are the best team in the Big 12 and worthy of a playoff spot.

No. 13 Boise State at Wyoming, 7 p.m. ET — This could be a sneaky tough game for the Broncos. Wyoming went 2-10 last year, but is on the cusp of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2011. And while Boise State is 10-0 against the Cowboys, this game could be interesting.

No. 15 Auburn at Ole Miss, 7:15 p.m. ET — Auburn is quickly becoming the comeback story of the year after winning its last four games and putting itself into the conversation for the SEC West title. Saturday’s game against ole Miss is yet another tough hurdle. Even though the Rebels are 3-4, they’re still a dangerous opponent.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday