The San Jose State Spartans take on the Utah State Aggies in Logan, UT. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Utah State is favored by -4 points on the spread with a moneyline of -185. The total is set at 61.5 points.
Here’s my San Jose State vs. Utah State predictions and college football picks for Saturday, October 17, 2025.
San Jose State vs Utah State Prediction
- San Jose State vs. Utah State Pick: Over 61.5
My Utah State vs. San Jose State best bet is on the over. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
San Jose State vs Utah State Odds
| San Jose State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | +155 |
| Utah State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 61.5 -110o / -110u | -185 |
- San Jose State vs Utah State point spread: Utah State -4
- San Jose State vs Utah State over/under: 61.5 points
- San Jose State vs Utah State moneyline: San Jose State +155, Utah State -185
San Jose State vs Utah State Preview
San Jose State Spartans Betting Preview: Crushed Hopes for Spartans So Far
San Jose State comes in off a disastrous performance in the second half against Wyoming in a road conference loss. If you're measuring teams against their preseason expectations, this would be par for the course for the Spartans in 2025.
Many thought this San Jose State team would be the darlings of the Mountain West. The Spartans had an experienced coach who had now successfully implemented his system, a returning quarterback in Walker Eget and a replacement for departing wide receiver Nick Nash in the form of Danny Scudero.
The season hasn't gone according to plan, and last week against Wyoming proved yet another disappointing data point in a season full of them.
San Jose State seemingly had this game firmly in hand while scoring four touchdowns before the halfway point of the second quarter. It also led 28-14 at halftime.
Scudero had four touchdown catches in the first five San Jose State drives, but the Spartans were unable to sustain the offensive success, as they didn't score again after that point.
Several miscues, including turnovers, missed field goal and a special teams touchdown against them, proved to be very costly. Eget went out in the second quarter after sustaining a big hit and didn't return until the final Spartan drive.
The San Jose State defense has struggled in each of the last three games while allowing 430 yards per game and 6.5 yards per play during that stretch. The pass defense has been the worst, with the secondary consistently out of position and surrendering far too many explosive pass plays.
What is equally concerning is how this defense has fallen apart in the second half of each of their last three games, and with this group playing at elevation for the second straight week, this is something to watch for.
Utah State Aggies Betting Preview: Disappointing Aggies Could Face Defensive Troubles
Utah State is coming off a disappointing performance at Hawaii last week. The Aggies held first-half and second-half leads, but the offense stalled far too frequently in the second half, as quarterback Bryson Barnes was consistently under pressure from the Hawaii pass rush.
Barnes never looked comfortable in the pocket, and missed opportunities and penalties stalled promising second-half drives, putting Utah behind the chains frequently. Utah State finished 2-for-12 on third downs.
The defense was really up against it, as Hawaii was able to throw the ball all over the field against this secondary. Hawaii quarterback Micah Alejado threw for 413 yards, as Hawaii ran 83 offensive plays while outscoring Utah State 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
The secondary was gassed in the second half and provided very little resistance. Seemingly every time Utah State would make a play behind the line of scrimmage or force “third-and-medium” or worse, it was unsuccessful at defending the pass.
This defense will be tested against the pass this week, as San Jose State has seemingly abandoned the ground game. This will be something to watch for here.
San Jose State vs Utah State Pick, Betting Analysis
Eget’s status this week has been upgraded to probable, and with him in the lineup, San Jose State has an opportunity to make some noise on Friday night. The line has bounced around between -3 and -4 in favor of Utah State for much of the week.
The total has dropped, but I disagree with the decision. I'm going to play over 61.5, but that hinges on the status of Eget and Scudero, who could be out with injury. I'll analyze the game as if these two are playing, but I'll wait to play it until their statuses are confirmed.
San Jose State is going to come out fast in this one, as it'll likely be disappointed after how last week's game against Wyoming concluded.
We should see this pass offense firing on all cylinders early against a Utah State pass defense that's given up 740 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns in the last two weeks.
The Utah State secondary ranks 93rd nationally in Pass Play Success Rate allowed and will struggle to defend the pass-happy Spartans, just as it struggled to defend Hawaii last week.
I would expect Scudero to have a highly productive game and find the end zone at least twice in this one.
San Jose State grades out as the second-worst coverage unit in the Mountain West Conference, per PFF. The Spartans are 99th nationally in defensive success rate and have very little pass rush to speak of.
I would expect a clean pocket for Barnes to throw out of and for Utah State’s receivers to make plays against this San Jose State back seven.
San Jose State’s defense has shown over the last three weeks that it can't be relied on to secure stops in the second half. San Jose State has been outscored 48-9 in the fourth quarter over the last three games.
San Jose State throttled down its offensive attack last week, and it really cost it the game against Wyoming. I would expect the full court press this week, with the Spartans aiming to score as many points as possible, knowing they'll likely be in shootouts.
Scudero played through a concussion last week, and he's so critical to their offensive success. Eget was hurt but came back into the game to try to lead the comeback.
Stand by and follow my action in the award-winning Action App, as I'll be putting the play in as soon as we have confirmation that Eget and Scudero are playing.
If either is out, I'll likely pass. If they're a full go, all systems go on the over.
Pick: Over 61.5 (If Eget & Scudero Are Available for SJSU)
