The Conference of Champions is featured heavily over the ESPN family of networks today.

College GameDay is in Tucson for the showdown between No. 3 Arizona and Oregon, while Arizona State and Stanford host matchups broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU.

FS1 is getting in on the action, too, televising Washington at No. 13 UCLA on Saturday and Washington State at No. 17 USC on Sunday.

With only one game on the Pac-12 Network this weekend, the Conference has a chance to show off its top teams.

I preview all six games here, and my picks along with Stephen Vilardo’s appear at the bottom.

Seeking its second sweep of the Bay Area programs since joining the Pac-12, Utah squares off with California to start Saturday’s action.

No other Conference games compete with this matchup, putting a spotlight on the two schools.

Utah could secure its most successful road swing in several seasons with a win, while Cal could be set back to Square One with another loss.

Mark Fox’s group generates so few that they must have strong nights on the glass to make up for it.

That didn’t happen against Colorado, when the Buffs out-rebounded Cal by 15, with a plus-three advantage in offensive boards. And unfortunately, Utah is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I.

But if California can win both the rebounding and turnover margins, it should like its chances against the confident Utes.

The Sun Devils had their best game of the year on Thursday.

Arizona State’s efficiency shooting the ball (57.4 percent) was its third-highest in the Bobby Hurley era, and its defense held Oregon to just 34.5 percent from the field.

But it was the intensity and effort that stood out the most.

Hurley’s squad has turned a corner this season and may be a Dark Horse in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Injuries and Gianni Hunt’s absence have limited Wayne Tinkle’s team to a seven-man rotation. And that’s with guys playing hobbled.

Yet, outside shooting will always be a wild card when Jarod Lucas steps on the floor. The junior guard could arguably single-handedly beat the Sun Devils with a hot night from three.

But if ASU defends the perimeter like it did on Thursday, the rest should take care of itself.

With a win at Maples Pavilion, Colorado would secure its first-ever sweep of the Bay Area schools. And at 5-3 in the building since 2011, the Buffs have to like their chances.

KJ Simpson proved why he was such a highly-touted recruit on Thursday, dropping 19 points on California with an 8-of-10 night from the free throw line.

Tad Boyle will need his production against a Cardinal roster that seems to be flailing in the wind. Once thought of as a potential NCAA Tournament team, Stanford has regressed, losing five of their last eight.

The Tree match up fairly evenly with CU, except for blocked shots and three-point percentage.

Defending the Buffs’ outside shooters with effort plays and disciplined switching could negate their strength. And using the Cardinal’s depth to produce foul trouble for Colorado’s bigs could be a winning strategy.

With such an equal matchup, this game could come down to the last shot.

College GameDay returns to Arizona amongst a storm of controversy.

The UA fanbase hasn’t forgotten the comments Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilas made after the false Deandre Ayton story was published in 2019.

Nor have they forgotten the years of selective attacks from fellow ESPN employee Dick Vitale.

The effects of the false reporting and corresponding attempts to destroy the reputations of Sean Miller, Deandre Ayton, and the Arizona program are still being felt to this day.

Advanced analytics show that Arizona is one of the top teams in the country at producing runs and limiting the runs of its opponents.

Utilizing timeouts could be one of the ways Dana Altman counteracts UA’s strength. But it can also be organically accomplished through timely threes.

To win their eighth-straight against the Wildcats, the Ducks must knock down their outside shots and use their press-zone to force Arizona into turnovers.

If neither are working, Franck Kepnang and N’Faly Dante must defend Azuolas Tubelis, Christian Koloko, and Oumar Ballo effectively to keep the game low-scoring.

But if the pace of this matchup turns into a run-and-gun track meet, Oregon could find itself in a lopsided defeat.

Mick Cronin held Tyger Campbell out of the Washington State game on Thursday, but the Bruins didn’t miss a beat.

Sophomore Jaylen Clark had a career night in his absence, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The explosion shows how deep UCLA is, and arguably signals another Tournament run is in the cards.

But the Cougars’ man defense is a different animal than what the Bruins will face tonight. Mike Hopkins zone is susceptible to quick ball movement around the perimeter and sharp passes inside, followed by quick shots.

But the Huskies played long stretches of man against USC two nights ago, slightly complicating UCLA’s preparation.

The results were somewhat mixed, with the Dawgs initially finding success but then giving up short runs that destroyed the momentum.

To pull of the upset, Hopkins’ squad will need to play a complete game from start to finish.

Any lulls in defensive effort will likely result in UCLA explosions, while stretches of missed shots on offense will probably be too much to overcome.

The Trojans are built to make a deep run in March.

Chavez Goodwin went off on Thursday night, scoring 24 points with his father in attendance.

But the main storyline was Isaiah Mobley’s return. The junior played with a protective mask and posted eight assists to go along with 12 points.

To counteract that strength, Andy Enfield must utilize the size advantage his guards have to generate offense from defense.

Washington State is enamored with the three ball, requiring the Trojan guards to extend their pressure beyond the perimeter.

Forcing WSU into poor shots figures to generate long rebounds that could lead to fast break and transition buckets. Regardless of who is on the floor, Enfield probably emphasizes defense first against the Cougars.

Still, if Wazzu gets hot from three, it could pull off the shocking upset.

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