The Utah Utes still have destiny within their own hands when it comes to the Pac-12 South title, but need to continue to win down the stretch. Utah is aiming to set up a titanic showdown with Colorado to end the season, and needs to take care of business against the Arizona State Sun Devils in Week 11 of the college football season.
Utah is a road favorite against a Sun Devils team which started off strong but has lost three in a row of late. Arizona State will make a push to become bowl eligible with a home win.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 11 game is set for Thursday, November 10, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. ET at Sun Devil Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Utah -5.5
Arizona State +5.5
Odds Analysis
The Utes are the better team and are getting much of the early backing. The bettors seem to like this spread as the action has come in heavy on the Utes. Don’t be surprised to see the line creep up to a touchdown difference, so jump on Utah if you want to take it against the spread.
Utah is 7-2 straight up and 5-4 against the spread this season. The Utes are one game behind Colorado and a half-game behind USC in the Pac-12 South.
Arizona State is 5-4 straight up but has lost four of six conference games. The Sun Devils are 5-0 against the spread at home this season and will aim to keep it that way in this matchup.
Injury Report
The Sun Devils have struggled in large part because quarterback Manny Wilkins has missed significant time due to injuries. Arizona State was down to its fourth-string quarterback last week against Oregon and predictably got blown out.
Wilkins is expected to return for this one, and while he hasn’t been great this season, it’s certainly a big upgrade. Wilkins has thrown for 1,421 yards on the season with six touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also a rushing threat, accumulating 227 yards on the season and will keep defenses honest with his legs.
The return of their starting quarterback will give the Sun Devils a boost, although Utah’s defense is good enough to keep Wilkins in check if they are clicking.
Key Stat
397.6. That’s the number of passing yards per game Arizona State is allowing, an obscene number for a team which doesn’t run the Air Raid on the other side of the ball.
The Sun Devils are giving up more than 36 points per game, which has played a big role in torpedoing their chances at making a run in the Pac-12 South.
Utah doesn’t throw the ball a lot, but if the secondary is going to allow a bunch of big plays the Utes will certainly use it to their advantage. Quarterback Troy Williams has thrown for 1,888 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. He could be in line for a big game.
Free ATS Pick
Arizona State has been good at home this season, upsetting Texas Tech, Cal and UCLA there. The Sun Devils have fallen on some lean times of late but will get an emotional and talent boost with the return of Wilkins.
While he is an upgrade, Utah is only allowing 237 passing yards per game and probably won’t be lit up by WIlkins. If the defense holds up, it seems a given the offense will put some big plays together.
While Arizona State has talent on offense and should be able to score early, eventually Utah will come up with the big plays needed to take control. The Sun Devils will make this one entertaining but go with the Utes to both win the game and cover the spread.
College Football Odds: Utah 35, Arizona State 27
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