Free NCAA Football Prediction: Utes vs. Gators Odds
Looking for Utah Utes vs. Washington State Cougars free picks? College football betting sees the Utes taking on the Cougars on Thursday, October 27th at Martin Stadium in Pullman, WA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 9 predictions like this Utes-Cougars free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 9
(5-2) Utah Utes vs. Washington State Cougars (4-3)
Date: Thursday, October 27th, 2022
Time: 10:00 pm EST
Venue: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: UTA -7 | WSU +7 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Utes -325 | Cougars +220
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 58.5
The Utah Utes will travel to Pullman and take on the Washington State Cougars from Martin Stadium this Thursday night on FS1. Utah will open as the 7-point favorites, with the total opening at 58.
HISTORY: Utah and Washington State met sporadically prior to becoming Pac-12 rivals in 2012, and the Utes lead the all-time series 10-9, after winning three of the last three matchups.
Utah Utes
Utah responded to a Week 1 loss in the Swamp to Florida with four straight wins. The Utes defeated rivals San Diego State and Southern Utah, then began Pac-12 play by taking down Arizona State and Oregon State.
Their second trip to Rose Bowl this didn’t go well in Week 6, as the Utes would drop their second game of the season to UCLA. Last time out, Utah would get some retribution on the city of Los Angeles with one of their biggest wins in school history.
In Week 7, Utah defeated USC, 44-43, handing them their first loss under the Lincoln Riley era. Rice-Eccles would turn into a red storm, as the Utah faithful stormed the field after the one-point victory.
Utah scores 40.7 points per game, while allowing 22.2 ppg.
Cameron Rising delivered in the biggest start of his career versus USC. The junior quarterback threw for a career-high 415 yards, tossed a pair of touchdowns, and rushed for three more scores. Rising’s performance was one of the best in school history, and it’ll be interesting to see how he follows it up here.
Rising has thrown for 1,885 passing yards with 15 touchdowns to three interceptions, and he’s added 308 yards on the ground and six scores through the first half of the season.
Tavion Thomas returned after a 20-touchdown season in 2021, and he’s been steady again in the Utah backfield. The junior running back had his highest total since Week 1 versus UCLA, and he leads the Utes with 414 rushing yards and five scores. Micah Bernard has added 428 total yards (217 rush, 211 rec) and 20 catches out of the backfield.
The absence of Brant Kuithe has burdened the passing game. The fifth-year senior led the Utes in receiving last season, and he’s one of the best tight ends in the country. With Kuithe out for the season, Dalton Kincaid has received a bump at the position. Kincaid had a career day against Southern Cal, catching 15 passes for 217 yards and a score. Kincaid now leads the Utes in receptions (38) and receiving yards (541), and he’s got a team-leading six touchdown grabs.
DeVaughn Vele has also seen a few more targets over the past three weeks. The sophomore wideout has caught six passes or more in each game during this span, and he matched last seasons total with a solid showing versus UCLA. Vele leads Utah with 32 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns.
Washington State Cougars
Washington State looked pretty good early on this season. The Cougars picked up three non-conference victories, with strong road win over Wisconsin standing out. They split their first two Pac-12 games with a loss to Oregon and a win over Cal, but they’ve found themselves in trouble on the road the last two times out. A loss in Los Angeles to USC was followed by a trip to Corvallis that didn’t end well.
In Week 7, Washington State lost to Oregon State, 24-10, dropping to 4-3 against the spread this season.
Washington State scores 24.6 points per game, while allowing 20.7 ppg.
Cameron Ward has come in and made a strong transfer from FCS to Power 5 play. The Incarnate Word transfer threw for 340+ yards in his first two Pac-12 games, but he’s been sacked eleven times over the past two games, and it’s hindered the Wazzu offense. Hopefully they come out of the bye with a solution up front, or they could have the same issues against Utah Thursday.
Ward has thrown for 1,962 passing yards with 16 touchdowns to eight interceptions through his first seven starts as a Cougar.
Wazzu takes the pass-first approach, but Jaylen Jenkins has come on in the absence of leading rusher Nakia Watson. Jennings dashed for a career-best 130 yards versus USC, and he may lead the backfield again this week.
Ward has distributed the ball pretty well early. Donovan Ollie leads the team in receptions (33) and receiving yards (354), while De’Zhaun Stribling has 28 catches, 353 yards, and a team-leading four touchdowns. IW transfer Robert Ferrel’s rapport with Ward has been on display since the start of conference play, and he went for a season-high 131 yards versus Oregon State.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- UTAH is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- WAZZU is 3-3 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Utes are 5-3 ATS in their last 8 road games.
- Gators are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Free Week 9 NCAA Football Final Analysis:
Can Washington State protect Cam Ward versus this strong Utah front seven fresh off of a bye and one of the biggest wins in school history?
Utah is going to put this Wazzu offensive line to the test, and how well they contain them will determine what kind of and how close this game will be. There may be a possible hangover from Week 7’s monumental win over USC, but with a second straight Rose Bowl appearance in sight, they will likely build off of that performance. Kyle Whittingham’s team should come into this bout focused, fresh, and ready to take care of business. The Utes should lay the points here and enjoy another ten-day rest before taking on Arizona at home. Utah by 7
Take Utah’s spread for this Pac-12 contest Thursday
4* Free Week 9 NCAA Betting Pick: Utah -7
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