Utah vs. Arizona Prediction
Will No. 23 Utah and Arizona find themselves in a typical Pac-12 shootout when the two meet up on Friday at 10:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Utah is favored on the road in this game, as the Utes are getting odds of -3 points against Arizona. The over/under total for the game has been set at 61 points. Arizona has won four of the last five in this series and the two have hit the over in their last two meetings. Friday’s game will take place from Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona and air live on FS1.
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Utah is off to a 3-0 start heading into conference play, picking up wins over North Dakota, BYU and San Jose State. The Utes are 2-1 with the under this year as they have given up only 15 points per game. The defense has been dominant, allowing only 246 total yards per game, including just 49.3 yards per game on the ground. On offense, Utah is putting up 36.7 points and 476.7 yards per game. Quarterback Tyler Huntley has thrown for 868 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for a team-high 212 yards and three scores. Receiver Darren Carrington II has been tough to stop, as he has 26 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns.
Arizona has started the season 2-1, suffering a 3-point loss to Houston while beating UTEP and Northern Arizona. The Wildcats are 2-1 with the over thus far thanks to an offense that is putting up 47 points per game. Arizona has managed to do most of that offensive damage on the ground, rushing for 328 yards per contest. Five different players have over 100 yards on the ground so far, led by Brandon Dawkins. Dawkins has 251 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries. He also is the leading passer with 422 yards and four touchdowns, completing 66.7 percent of his passes. Defensively, Arizona has been stingy, allowing just 19.7 points per game this season. They also give up 387.7 yards per game.
I expect this game to be pretty competitive. While Utah has some really impressive defensive numbers thus far, the Utes haven’t exactly played a stellar schedule to this point. However, Arizona’s run game wasn’t quite able to dominate Houston, so the Wildcats could also struggle with Utah. Still, I don’t see both teams rattling off big play after big play. I think there will be plenty of defensive stops. Both teams rely on their quarterbacks to make plays with their legs and feet, so that can take a toll on them in a physical battle.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: UTAH/ARIZONA UNDER 61