The Idaho Vandals take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Sept 3. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Utah is favored by -34.5 points on the spread without a moneyline for the favorite. Idaho, meanwhile, enters as a +34.5 underdog and is +4000 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 57.5 total points.
Here’s my Idaho vs. Utah prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 3.
Idaho vs Utah Prediction
- Idaho vs. Utah Pick: Utah 1Q Team Total Over 12.5
My Utah vs. Idaho best bet is on the Utes to go over their first-quarter team total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Idaho vs Utah Odds
| Idaho Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+34.5 -105 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | +4000 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-34.5 -115 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | |
- Idaho vs Utah point spread: Utah -34.5 (-115), Idaho +34.5 (-105)
- Idaho vs Utah over/under: 57.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Idaho vs Utah moneyline: Idaho +4000
Idaho vs Utah College Football Preview
Idaho Vandals Betting Preview
The first showing of the 2026 Idaho defense was pretty awful. The Vandals forfeited 38 points and over 300 yards to Cal Poly, along with four touchdowns for its quarterback.
Cal Poly receiver Tayvion McCoy torched the secondary in a tremendous individual effort, but the entire Mustang offense fired on all cylinders.
Thirty-four points wasn't enough for Idaho, and neither was over 350 yards from QB Joshua Wood, who consistently took shots downfield with an average depth of target of 13.2.
Receiver Tony Harste looks like a star (180 yards, two touchdowns), but Idaho struggled mightily to run the football, and it committed too many penalties.
Unfortunately for the Vandals, a lack of defense, losing the battle at the line of scrimmage, and penalties are trends that tend to carry with a team all season long.
Idaho stares down 0-2 as it travels to Utah in Week 2, then returns home to face top-25 Lamar and Abilene Christian in back-to-back games.
An 0-5 start is very real (Montana State sits after the bye), as is 1-6, and the wheels could fall right off. Trends from this Vandals team — which had very little room for error to begin with — are pointing in the wrong direction.
The biggest concerns come at the line of scrimmage. Cal Poly dominated both sides, and Idaho's poor tackling shined through en route to the thrilling loss. This could be a bad, bad football team.
Utah Utes Betting Preview
For the first time since 2004, Kyle Whittingham will not be the head coach of the Utah Utes. For the first time since 1993, he won't be on staff.
It's the dawn of the Morgan Scalley era in Salt Lake City, and he brings in two new coordinators. Kevin McGiven was poached from rival Utah State and brings an uptempo, quarterback-centered offense.
Linebackers coach Colton Swan, who spent six years in that role, takes over as the defensive coordinator.
Former OC Jason Beck left with Whittingham, as did offensive line coach Jim Harding — a massive, but under-the-radar loss for Utah, which recently has become an NFL factory at the position.
Dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier returns along with top running back Wayshawn Parker and run-specialist QB Byrd Ficklin. But the rest of the offense is brand new, including all five inbound linemen who didn't start at the FBS level last year.
Montana State transfer Cedric Jefferson is the most experienced of them all, but this is a green unit that needs time to come together.
Braden Pegan immediately becomes the top receiving option after following McGiven from Utah State.
There's almost as much to replace defensively, as just three starters return. Utah's top two playmakers — defensive end John Henry Daley and cornerback Smith Snowden — went with Whittingham to Michigan.
However, the entire secondary is back, and Rabbit Evans returns after missing last year to injury to replace Snowden.
The front touts good size, and Scalley has been at the forefront of defensive recruiting for years. Utah's front four should ultimately be fine.
It's a complex combination of old and new. Should the line come together, this team should be pretty good again, as much of what made it so dynamic last year returns.
Idaho vs Utah Pick, Betting Analysis
Idaho actually took the initial movement when this line opened, dropping from +35.5 to +34.5 across the board; the total also ticked up a point from 56.5 to 57.5. Weather looks pristine for this Thursday night game in Salt Lake City.
McGiven's offense looks to run a brisker tempo than Beck's already uptempo pace from last year. His 23.8 seconds per play finished inside the top 20 nationally, about a second per play faster than the Utes ran last year.
However, the Aggie offense was pretty inefficient (largely due to a lack of talent up front), and only two teams did worse on third down than Utah State (28%).
McGiven has a massive line advantage in this game against Idaho, and Dampier is a much more capable quarterback than he had in Logan.
Though I don't expect an exotic game plan from Utah on Thursday, I do expect McGiven to push the tempo. More tempo means more plays, and with such a stark advantage in the trenches, I believe Utah jumps out to a quick start offensively.
Seven times last season, Utah State had three-plus possessions in the first quarter. McGiven is an extremely good script designer, as the Aggies were held scoreless in the first quarter one time (at New Mexico).
When Utah State had the talent advantage (see: vs. McNeese, Nevada), McGiven jumped out to some fast starts. I expect that, with many new faces early in the year, McGiven will want to get this team into a rhythm.
First-quarter randomness is usually a stay-away for me, but with such a stark advantage, I don't see Idaho prolonging many drives early, and Utah can play fast and score quickly.
This number (12.5) allows for error in special situations like a missed extra point or a failed two-point try.
Pick: Utah 1Q Team Total Over 12.5 (Play to 14)
Idaho vs Utah Betting Trends
