The No. 16 Utah Utes (3-0) host the No. 17 Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-0) in a Big 12 battle on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Utes come into the games as -3 favorites (-165 on the moneyline), while the Red Raiders are +3 underdogs (+145 on the moneyline). The over/under, meanwhile, sits at 57.5 total points.
Both teams enter this conference clash at 3-0, looking to move to 4-0.
Let's take a look at our Utah vs. Texas Tech picks and college football predictions for this top-25 battle on Saturday, September 20.
Utah vs. Texas Tech Picks, Predictions
By Pete Ruden
The Big 12 is wide open.
With one team sitting at 4-0, four coming in at 3-0 and three more standing at 2-0, plenty of teams have their sights set on a conference title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
That includes Utah and Texas Tech.
The Utes and Red Raiders will duke it out on Saturday in a game that could have major conference championship and CFP implications.
After struggling at quarterback due to injuries to Cam Rising, Utah may have struck gold in the transfer portal.
New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier followed his offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, to Salt Lake City and has looked like the real deal, 628 yards passing with seven touchdowns and no interceptions on a 73% completion percentage.
On the other side, Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton is no stranger to the Big 12 lights. The Eastland, Texas, native has posted 7,129 yards passing in his college career and has tossed 11 touchdowns to one pick in 2025.
So, who holds the advantage in this top-25 showdown?
We polled our college football writers to get their takes on the spread and over/under. Let's dive into what they think.
Spread
Our Spread Pick: Utah -3
By Joshua Nunn
Our staff feels this game is likely to be an exceptional back-and-forth affair, with the majority siding with the Utes to cover the short number. This is the side I agree with, as I already have a play in on Utah.
Texas Tech hasn't been tested in the second half this season and will now hit the road for the first time in a game that kicks off at 10 a.m. local time at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah has historically been an exceptional home team, going 91-28 over the last 18 years in Salt Lake City.
Devon Dampier has been outstanding this season. The Utah quarterback has completed 73% of his passes with a 7:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio, fully answering the critics who questioned whether or not he could play at this level.
Utah has also been excellent in the red zone this year, cashing in for touchdowns on 15-of-16 red-zone possessions thus far.
Situationally, I believe Utah will be able to run the football and accumulate chunk plays on the ground against the Red Raiders defense.
The Utes' offensive line has been excellent in creating running lanes and winning the battles at the line of scrimmage, as the team averages 6.0 yards per carry on the ground.
Defensively, Utah hasn't faced a team that throws the ball like the Red Raiders do. However, the Utes have defended the pass well, allowing a completion percentage of 50% to go along with 134 passing yards per game.
This game is going to look much different for Texas Tech in the second half because none of the Red Raiders' primary contributors have had to play much in the third and fourth quarters this season.
I question how Texas Tech will respond when faced with adversity on the road in the second half, so I expect Utah to pull away late.
Over/Under
Over 57.5 | 2 Picks |
Pass | 1 Pick |
Under 57.5 | 7 Picks |
Our Over/Under Pick: Under 57.5
While the staff leans toward Utah, there’s significantly more conviction on the under — which makes total sense given the correlation.
We don’t usually get a Utah total this high. In fact, a Utah game hasn’t closed with an over/under of 57.5 or higher since November 2022.
Both defenses face tall tasks in unique ways.
Texas Tech’s offense has the ability to score in a flash, while Utah boasts NFL-ready offensive linemen who can help the Utes control the clock.
But as Duck iterated above, both the Red Raiders and Utes have passed the tests they’ve faced. Utah’s stingy 4-2-5 and Texas Tech’s upstart defense are both in the top 14 nationally in yards per play allowed.
Scanning new college football player prop models available in PRO, the top six edges are all signals to the under.
We’ll be siding with the home team in a lower-scoring game.
Utah vs. Texas Tech Odds
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -115 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | -165 |
| Texas Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -105 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | +145 |
- Utah vs. Texas Tech Spread: Utah -3, Texas Tech +3
- Utah vs. Texas Tech Over/Under: 57.5
- Utah vs. Texas Tech Moneyline: Utah -165, Texas Tech +145
