NCAAF Picks: The Utah Utes have shown vast improvement this year and have proven capable of beating the best teams in the nation provided that they don’t put the ball down two yards shy of the end zone. The Utes are coming off an impressive 20-17 bounceback win in OT at Stanford last week after a painful home loss to Oregon that could have ruined other programs. The Arizona Wildcats are coming off yet another cardiac comeback and remain in the thick of the Pac 12 South Division race.
The Utah Utes will host the Arizona Wildcats at Rice Eccles Stadium on Saturday with coverage on ESPN starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. Utah opened as a 3.5 point favorite.
Utes in the Black
Utah is 7-3 straight up, 8-2 against the spread, and 3-6-1 under the total. Head coach Kyle Whittingham has done a tremendous job in adjusting his program to the personnel and depth needs of the Pac 12 Conference and is now in position to become a consistent contender. Quarterback Travis Wilson has a 13-2 TD-INT ratio while RB Devontae Booker has 1113 yards rushing and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry with eight TD’s.
Overlays with Arizona
Arizona is 8-2 SU, 3-7 ATS, and 3-7 under the total. The Wildcats are coming off a 27-26 home win over Washington but failed to cover as 7.5 point chalks. Offense is the name of the game with Arizona with the Wildcats ranking 16th in the nation overall. Defense, however, is the problem as is usually the case with Rich Rodriguez coached teams. The Wildcats ranks 103rd nationally for overall defense and 61st for scoring defense. Quarterback Anu Solomon has a 25-7 TD-INT ratio as a freshman sensation.
Our Pick
Utah has been a solid betting value at home with 11 payouts in their last 17 games at Rice Eccles Stadium. The Utes have gone under the total in six out of their last nine home games.
Arizona has struggled as a betting value in road games with just seven payouts in their last 18 away matchups. The Wildcats have gone over the total in 12 out of their last 19 away games.
Arizona has come away with the money in five out of their last seven games against Utah with five out of those seven games going under the total. Arizona has covered the spread in their last three visits to Utah with two out of those three games going under the total. Last year Arizona scored a 35-24 home payout over Utah.
We’ll call for the quality dog Arizona and under the total in this one.
