NCAAF Pick: Utah Under 8.5 Wins (-140) at Caesars Sportsbook
The Utah Utes have won two straight Pac-12 Championships. Can they earn a third peat before moving to the Big Ten?
Utah Preview
The Utah Utes went 10-4 overall and 7-2 in the Pac-12 last year. That was good enough to play in the Pac-12 Championship.
When the Utes got to the Championship, Utah won another Pac-12 Championship. They’ve now won two straight Pac-12 Championships and will look to win one more before the Pac-12 dismantles.
This year’s schedule for Utah is challenging, but Kyle Whittingham’s team always rises to any challenge thrown its way. If the CFP expansion were already a thing, Utah would’ve made it into the College Football Playoff in four of five seasons due to their Pac-12 dominance.
Let’s see if they can leave the Pac-12 off with a bang. Here’s a preview for the 2023 Utah Utes.
The Offense
The Utes will have Cameron Rising back, but it’s unclear how healthy he will be. Rising tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl but is on track to start the season.
However, Rising won’t have anything easy early. Utah doesn’t have a cupcake game or anything. They’ve got Florida and Baylor to begin the season. That’s a little worrisome for the Utes.
Rising has thrown over 5,500 yards and 46 touchdowns in his last two seasons with Utah. He’ll have Devaughn Vele back, who led the team in receptions. He’ll also have Money Parks, who will return after adding 16 yards per catch last year.
The Utes will also have Brant Kuithe return after he was injured last year. The tight end led in receptions in 2021 and could be a real threat in the passing game for a more mature Rising.
Meanwhile, Utah’s offensive line is always tremendous. That will protect Rising from injuring his knee again. It’ll also help Ja’Quinden Jackson and Micah Bernard in the run game. Jackson added nearly seven yards per carry with nine touchdowns last year. Bernard added more than five yards per carry and had 1,056 yards on the ground in the last two years.
The Utes will be tremendous offensively if everyone can stay healthy.
The Defense
The Utah Utes have always been one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. They led the Pac-12 in sacks and tackles for a loss. They were also second in total defense and were one of the best teams in the nation at the time of possession.
On top of that, the Utes found ways to get off the field on third down. That’s typically what championship-caliber teams do.
The Utes won’t have Gabe Reid anymore. Mohamoud Diabate won’t be back either. However, everyone else will return, along with Junior Tafuna on the defensive line. He’s an NFL talent, along with plenty of other players on the Utes.
The linebackers will likely be dominant with Karene Reid and Lander Barton. They should both earn a high amount of tackles this season.
Finally, the secondary still has Cole Bishop, who should be a star at safety this year. He had 83 tackles.
Meanwhile, Clark Phillips is on the Falcons, but the cornerback position will be replaced by JaTravis Broughton and Zemaiah Vaughn. They’ll also have Ole Miss transfer Miles Battle in the mix at cornerback. There’s experience and depth with this unit.
Utah Win Total
The college football odds have Utah earning 8.5 wins. However, the Over is at +120, with the Under at -140.
The Utes will begin the season against Florida. I don’t think Florida comes close to the talent that Utah has. That’s a win for the Utes.
At 1-0, they’ll also face the Baylor Bears. This game will be on the road, but I still like the Utes’ chances. On paper, they look much better than Baylor. Utah would be 2-0 with a game against Weber State. You can mark that as a win.
Then at 3-0, they’ll face UCLA at home. I like Utah to get by in that game as well. They’d be 4-0 with a difficult matchup against Oregon State. Utah would be on the road against the other best defense in the Pac-12. This will be a low-scoring game. I’d side with the home team there.
Therefore, Utah would be 4-1 with a game against California at home. I’d like to think Utah can win that game. However, a road game against USC could be tricky. I’ll mark that as a loss, although the Utes could still win that game.
At 4-2, they’d have Oregon at home. I’ll give them a win in another tight matchup. Utah should escape Arizona State at home with five wins, but I’ve got them losing their next game to Washington on the road.
They’d have six wins with games against Arizona and Colorado. They’d win both of those games and would have eight wins.
That’s not enough to get to nine wins this year. Take Utah’s Under at 8.5 wins.
NCAAF Pick: Utah Under 8.5 Wins (-140) at Caesars Sportsbook
