- Utah vs. Arizona State kicks off Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
- After opening at Utah -3, the point spread has moved down to Utah -6.5.
- Utah was essentially -5 in turnover margin during the Week 5 loss to Arizona.
The stakes are moderately high in a Friday night game in Tempe this week.
Preseason Big 12 favorite Utah is fresh off a bye and looking to rebound from an unlucky home loss to Arizona in Week 5. In the college football spreads market, Utah closed as a 7.5-point home favorite. It lost outright 23-10.
A road trip to the surprisingly competitive Sun Devils could reinvigorate Utah’s season.
It might also remove them from the Big 12 title conversation entirely.
Utah vs. Arizona State Odds
- Point Spread: Utah -6.5
- Moneyline: Utah -250 | Arizona State +200
- Over/Under: 45.5
Utah vs. Arizona State Preview
ASU was expected to be the doormat of the Big 12 this year. Instead, this Utah vs. Arizona State game is a surprising matchup of 4-1 teams.
No one is expecting Arizona State to compete for the Big 12 championship – let alone the college football national championship odds – but the Sun Devils are clearly a tougher out than their preseason projection would suggest. Sam Leavitt is a serviceable quarterback, and the run game with Cam Skattebo is legitimately good.
On the Utah side, the Utes are probably still the best team in the country when healthy. They have arguably the best trench play on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Unfortunately, with Cam Rising’s status still week-to-week and shrouded in mystery, it’s hard to get a clear idea of how effective the offense will be in Week 7. College football line movement toward Utah in this game might suggest that Rising will be available and ready to play, but similar assumptions for past games have proved untrue.
Utah’s offense struggled majorly in Week 5 with Issac Wilson under center. The main stats to know: Wilson finished with a QBR of 19.9, and the offense was 0-for-4 on fourth down. Arizona loaded the box and forced Wilson to read the defense, resulting in two interceptions and a 20-for-40 passing line on the night. The Utah ground game averaged 2.9 yards per carry.
While Wilson is clearly not as strong a quarterback as Rising, I do think it would be hard for the Utah offense to be this bad again – especially coming off a bye.
Utah vs. Arizona State Prediction
I am predicting a Utah win and cover on Friday night at Arizona State.
Even on the road, this is a clear bounce-back opportunity with Utah where positive regression provides a strong betting angle. Utah is unlikely to be -5 again on net turnover margin, and its defense should limit Arizona State offense which is a little more one-dimensional than its in-state rival.
While the increased price to buy Utah does concern me – NCAA football odds opened the week with Utah -3 – I still think the Utes are the right side if you can buy them for under a touchdown.
This game will not make my college football best bets for Week 7. However, it will make the lineup that Phillip Slavin and I cover this week on the Ten12 Network betting episode.
For bettors looking for parlay potential, I would consider pairing Utah -6.5 with Under 45.5.
Utah vs. Arizona State Pick: Utah -6.5
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