College Football Week 2 Preview
Utah State lost its last 12 games to Utah, with road team covered five in a row in series; Utes won their last six visits to Logan, winning last three by combined score of 154-16. Utah has a junior QB with 20 career starts and three starters back on OL (9 back on offense, 7 on defense)- they've got rivalry game with BYU on deck next week. Utes are 12-10 as away favorites since 2006. Aggies have 6 starters back on both sides of ball; they're 2-3 as home dogs under Anderson. Both teams had ridiculously easy tuneup wins over I-AA clubs last week.
Armadillosports.com
Utah at Utah State: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Utah Utes at Utah State Aggies (+7.5, 52.5)
It has been nearly four years since Utah paid a visit to non-conference rival Utah State. That streak will end Friday when the team’s square off at Romney Stadium, but it may also be the final chapter of the lopsided rivalry - at least in Logan.
The unfortunate thing about the nation's ninth-longest rivalry slowly dissolving is that the Aggies, who have lost 12 straight in the series by an average of 24.1 points, are as well-equipped to compete with the Utes as they have been in quite some time. They made their first bowl appearance since 1997 last season and opened 2011 with a 34-3 win over Southern Utah.
Utah, meanwhile, is formidable as usually and is coming off its first shutout in five years – a 41-0 blanking of Northern Colorado. This is the first meeting in Logan since the Utes blasted the Aggies 58-10 in 2008. Utah also cruised to a 35-17 home victory in the most recent meeting in 2009.
LINE: Oddsmakers opened Utah as a 7-point road favorite which climbed to -8 before buyback on the home side brought the spread to -7.5. The total opened at 53 and climbed as high as 54 before dropping to 52.5 points.
WEATHER: The forecast for Logan calls for clear skies and temperatures will drop from the 80s to the mid-60s later in the night. Winds will blow north at 6 mph.
ABOUT UTAH (1-0): The Utes flashed a dominating defense and a ball-control offense in their opener, albeit against an overmatched Northern Colorado team. Utah’s defense, anchored by sure-fire first-round pick in defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, held the Bears to 114 total yards. Meanwhile, senior running back John White (24 carries, 119 yards, touchdown) paced an offense that set an Rice-Eccles stadium record with a 21-play, 91-yard drive, which took 10:42 off the clock. Elsewhere, fourth-year junior quarterback Jordan Wynn (he was granted a medical hardship) appears healthy after undergoing two shoulder injuries in a 10-month period. He finished 19-of-27 for 200 yards with two TDs and an interception. Both touchdown passes went to emerging sophomore tight end Jake Murphy, the son of baseball Hall of Famer Dale Murphy.
ABOUT UTAH STATE (1-0): The Aggies, a popular pick to win the Western Athletic Conference in their final season in the league (they’re headed to the Mountain West Conference in 2013), racked up 581 yards of offense against Southern Utah. Sophomore Joe Hill ran for 116 yards and three scores and fellow sophomore Chuckie Keeton passed for 304 yard and two touchdowns. Keeton regained the starting job this spring after an injury forced him to miss the final five games of last season. Keeton showed his potential when he nearly led the Aggies to a season-opening upset of Auburn in 2011.
TRENDS:
* Over is 3-0-1 in their last four meetings.
* Utes are 5-0 ATS in their last five meetings in Utah State.
* Road team is 5-0-1 ATS in their last six meetings.
* Aggies are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games following a S.U. win.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Utah first-year offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was the Utes' quarterback in the most recent meeting in Logan. He was 22-of-31 for 204 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
2. Utah has won 20 of the last 22 meetings and leads the overall series 77-28-4.
3. The Utes bought their way out of the 2014 matchup in Logan for $500,000, and the only other two remaining contests are slated for Salt Lake City (2013, 2015).
Utah at Utah St.
By Brian Edwards
VegasInsider.com
Our first edition of Friday Night Lights in 2012 takes us to the Beehive State, where Utah (1-0 straight up, 0-1 against the spread) will go on the road to take on Utah St. in Logan at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.
As of late Thursday afternoon, most betting shops were listing the Utes as 7½-point favorites with a total of 52 ½. Gamblers can take Utah St. (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) on the money line for a plus-250 return (risk $100 to win $250).
Kyle Whittingham’s team opened the season last Thursday with a 41-0 win over Northern Colorado as a 42 ½-point home favorite. John White rushed 24 times for 119 yards and one touchdown, while quarterback Jordan Wynn connected on 19-of-27 passes for 200 yards and a pair of scores. Jake Murphy was on the receiving end of both of Wynn’s TD passes and finished with six receptions for 78 yards.
Utah’s defense limited the Bears to merely 114 yards of total offense.
Utah St. captured a 34-3 win over Southern Utah as a 20½-point home favorite in its season opener last Thursday. Sophomore QB Chuckie Keeton completed 22-of-26 throws for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Hill ran for 116 yards and three TDs and needed just 11 carries to do so. Matt Austin brought down five catches for 116 yards and one TD, including a 35-yard TD grab.
Utah went 8-5 last season with a 30-27 overtime win over Ga. Tech as a two-point ‘dog in the Poinsettia Bowl. The Utes return nine starters on offense and seven on defense.
However, one of those defensive starters, leading returning tackler Brian Blechen, is suspended for the first three games of the year. Blechen, a junior strong safety, had 78 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions in 2011.
Utah St. went to the postseason last year for the first time since 1997, but the Aggies blew a lead in the final minute of a 24-23 loss to Ohio in the Idaho Potato Bowl on the smurf turf in Boise. The Aggies lost outright as two-point favorites.
Gary Andersen’s squad brings back six starters on offense and defense.
After a stellar freshman campaign, Keeton appears poised for a monster season. He has 13 career TD passes compared to only three interceptions. Yes, just three picks on 200 passing attempts as a freshman and sophomore. That’s taking care of the football and exactly what Andersen wants from his signal caller.
These schools haven’t met since 2009 when Utah won a 35-17 decision but Utah St. covered the number as 20½-point underdogs. The 52 combined points resulted in a push for bets on the total.
As a home underdog during Andersen’s four-year tenure, the Aggies own a 2-3 spread record with one outright win over BYU by a 31-16 count in 2010.
Utah has compiled a 12-12 ATS mark in 24 games as a road favorite on Whittingham’s watch.
B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets
While appearing on the Tim Brando Show on Wednesday, Paul Finebaum had this to say when asked about Tennessee’s win over N.C. St. and the status of UT head coach Derek Dooley: “It was what you had to have. You’re starting the season in a national game on a big platform. Whether or not N.C. St. turns out to be any good really doesn’t matter. Now [Tennessee] has momentum and excitement. If Derek gets by Florida, the hot-seat stuff is out the window. He’ll be around next year. And that may give him some time to relax and do some coaching rather than worrying about saving his job.”
Penn St. RB Bill Belton, who is an integral part of Bill O’Brien’s offense, has been upgraded to ‘probable’ at Virginia after leaving last week’s loss to Ohio in the second half with a sprained ankle. PSU cornerback Stephon Morris also sprained his ankle against the Bobcats, but he is ‘probable’ at UVA. The Cavs are 10-point favorites at most spots.
Purdue is 5-7 ATS in 12 games as a double-digit underdog during Danny Hope’s four-year tenure. The Boilermakers are catching 14 points Saturday at Notre Dame. As for the Irish, it is 6-3-1 ATS in 10 double-digit ‘chalk’ situation under Brian Kelly.
I have no clue how the Florida-Texas A&M total is in the 50s. I made it 45. Have the oddsmakers seen UF’s anemic offense the last 14 games? Seven of the Gators’ last eight contests have had 48 combined points or less.
South Carolina has a 17-13 spread record in 30 games as a home favorite since Steve Spurrier took over in 2005. The Gamecocks are 22-point favorites Saturday vs. East Carolina. As of Thursday, South Carolina QB Connor Shaw remained ‘questionable’ with a bruised right (throwing) shoulder.