Arizona State vs Utah Odds, Prediction | Utes’ Defense to Bounce Back
Via Jordon Kelly/Getty Images. Pictured: Utah Utes linebacker Karene Reid (21) lines up during a college football game between the Utah Utes against the USC Trojans on October 21, 2023, at United Airlines Field at The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA.
Arizona State vs Utah Odds
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -105 | 38.5 -110o / -110u | +325 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -115 | 38.5 -110o / -110u | -450 |
Let's preview Arizona State vs. Utah on Pac-12 Network Saturday afternoon with our Arizona State vs. Utah odds and picks below.
The Utah Utes will host the Arizona State Sun Devils, who are coming off of an impressive home victory over the Washington State Cougars.
The Sun Devils have surged in recent weeks after starting the season poorly. You could argue that they have been live to win each game thus far this season besides one.
As for the Utes, it'll be the Bryson Barnes show from here on out after Cam Rising was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Barnes has shown flashes on the ground, but his passing ability has been mediocre at best.
Find a betting prediction, pick and preview for Arizona State vs. Utah below.
Sun Devils quarterback Trenton Bourget has been a nice surprise for the Sun Devils, but he will have his hands full against this Utes defense. Bourget has only thrown one touchdown pass on the year, and he's going to have to step it up a bit against a very disciplined secondary.
The Sun Devils will be challenged to score in this matchup, as their offensive metrics are quite bleak. I realize the school is known for its parties and nice tans, but those won't help Arizona State improve on its bottom-20 rank in passing offense."
If there is any hope of pulling off this upset, the Sun Devils will need to get their running game going, which is led by tailbacks DeCarlos Brooks and Cameron Skattebo. They will need to break through against a pretty tough Utah defensive front, which ranks among the top 50 in Rushing Success Rate and Line Yards.
The most concerning aspect of this offense is that the Sun Devils are a bottom-25 unit in Havoc allowed and Finishing Drives. I'm afraid Bourget will face a lot of third-and-long situations, and that could lead to a multitude of mistakes.
Defensively, it does not get any better. ASU is 98th in defensive Rush Success Rate and 111th in Line Yards.
As a result, the Utes will control possession for the majority of this game. The Sun Devils are also 112th in Quality Drives, so I would expect very few possessions for this offense.
I would normally be encouraged by the Sun Devils secondary because it's definitely the strength of this defense. However, I wouldn't expect the Utes to rely on their aerial attack.
I wasn't stunned to see the Utes lose to Oregon last weekend, but I was more astonished by the way that it happened. The Utes were completely blown out of the building from the opening kick, and unfortunately, this team is not built to play from behind.
This is a great opportunity for the Utes to bounce back at home. Rice-Eccles Stadium is already a tough place to play, and I can't imagine the Utes losing two weeks in a row at home.
It's important to note that this offense is a complete snail, as they are 124th in Pace. I expect the Utes to take full advantage of this Sun Devils run defense, and the clock should be churning for the majority of this matchup.
As much as the Utes love to control the clock, this offense has been dreadful for the majority of the year. I believe head coach Kyle Whittingham has learned by now that his team will win games by relying on their strong defense.
There's no debate that the Utes defense has outclassed the offense. They've been really dominant inside the trench, and they've prevented a lot of explosive plays on the ground.
The Utes defense is also an elite unit in creating Havoc as they rank third in the nation. That smells like bad news for Bourget because the Sun Devils do a terrible job of preventing Havoc.
It may not be pretty, but I fully expect a strong effort from the Utes here as they are fully capable of grinding out an ugly win.
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Arizona State and Utah match up statistically:
Arizona State Offense vs. Utah Defense
 | Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 48 | 49 | |
| Line Yards | 55 | 46 | |
| Pass Success | 115 | 18 | |
| Havoc | 111 | 3 | |
| Finishing Drives | 110 | 46 | |
| Quality Drives | 91 | 14 |
Utah Offense vs. Arizona State Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 98 | 98 | |
| Line Yards | 101 | 117 | |
| Pass Success | 100 | 41 | |
| Havoc | 90 | 89 | |
| Finishing Drives | 125 | 88 | |
| Quality Drives | 23 | 112 |
Pace of Play / Other
| ||
| PFF Tackling | 25 | 22 |
| PFF Coverage | 97 | 56 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 117 | 46 |
| Middle 8 | 84 | 36 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.5 (59) | 30.4 (124) |
| Rush Rate | 45.8% (115) | 64.1% (12) |
Arizona State vs Utah
Betting Pick & Prediction
With the spread opening this large after a big loss at home, I fully expect the Utes to bounce back on Saturday. However, I can't swallow 11.5 points with this dreadful offense.
The best play in this game is the under. This total will continue to drop, so I would take this number as soon as possible.
With the Utes being a snail on offense and possessing a myriad of defensive advantages, I have a hard time seeing the Sun Devils putting ample points up on the scoreboard. I'd expect a heavy dosage of runs from the Utes, which should keep the clock churning all afternoon.
I trust Whittingham and this Utes defense to bounce back after laying a stinker last weekend.
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