Week 8: Utes vs Beavers
Week 8 college betting action sees the Utah Utes taking on the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore. Cappers Picks provides free college football handicapping tips all season long.
Entering this contest, both programs are coming off close wins. Utah took down then-No. 8 UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 4, while the Beavers handled Colorado on the same day. The two teams won by two and five points, respectively, and both are coming off a bye entering Week 8.
College Football Odds
#20 Utah (4-1) vs. Oregon State (4-1)
Thursday, Oct. 16
10:00 PM ET
Reser Stadium (Corvallis, Ore.)
Pac-12 Network
College Football Betting Lines: Utah -2.5
College Football O/U: 57
***2014 CFB BONUSES***
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Utah
The Utah Utes are riding high at the moment. Their win against the UCLA Bruins was unexpected by most nationwide, and as a result, they find themselves as a top-2o team entering Week 8.
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So far this season, the Utes have found a nice balance between winning games with offense and winning with defense. The team is averaging 39.6 points per game, which is good enough for 19th in the country, and it’s only giving up 21.4 to opponents, which is good enough for 38th.
For those counting at home, that’s an average point margin of 18.2 in Utah’s favor. The last two games (UCLA and Washington State) haven’t gone that way, however, which is why the spread is less than a field goal just days before the team travels to Corvallis, Ore. to take on the Beavers.
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Oregon State
Unlike Utah, the Oregon State Beavers are only winning games by an average of 4.8 points per contest. That number, however, is less an indictment on their overall play, and more a direct result of the 35-10 trouncing they got on Sept. 27 courtesy of the then-ranked No. 18 USC Trojans.
At this point in the season, Oregon State’s success on offense has come from the passing game. It hasn’t been nearly as potent as it was with Brandin Cooks leading the way, but with quarterback Sean Mannion still leading the way, the team is 48th in passing yards per game compared to just 104th in rushing yards.
Against the Utes, expect that theme to remain the same. Utah is 22nd in rushing yards allowed this season, while it’s struggling mightily in pass defense, giving up 263.4 yards per game in that category — only good enough for 101st in the nation.
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Expect the Beavers to attack the porous pass defense of the Utes, leaving balance on offense for another day.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends:
* ORST are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games.
* Under is 8-2 in UTAH last 10 conference games.
* Under is 20-8 in UTAH last 28 games in October.
* Under is 10-4 in UTAH last 14 games overall.
Week 8 NCAA Football
Oregon State hasn’t done well ATS at home as of late, but as the underdogs in this one, a win straight up will take care of that little problem.
Free NCAA Betting Pick 4* Oregon State 2.5
Expect the passing game of the Beavers to be the biggest difference-maker in this one. If it successfully attacks the secondary of the Utes, it’s going to be a long day for a defense that would love to see OSU go to the ground.
Look for an upset win in this one with the Beavers’ home-field advantage (and more specifically, the leadership and abilities of Sean Mannion) propelling the team to victory not just against the spread, but straight up.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 8 Odds.
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