Utah is a heavy favorite despite being on the road and hopes to play well in advance of the start of its Pac-12 slate. San Jose State rolled up 66 points last time out in a win over Portland State and hopes to be competitive in this showdown.
Watch this regular season Week 3 matchup live on Saturday, September 17, 2016, at 10:30 p.m. ET
at CEFCU Stadium.
NCAA Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Utah -13
San Jose State +13
Over/Under 47.5
Odds Analysis
The Utes are nearly two-touchdown favorites on the road, which is never an easy task, and yet they have plenty of believers as 83.8 percent of the money is coming in on Utah to cover.
The more popular choice on the scoring total is the under, as the bettors believe in the Utah defense enough to imagine this being a low-scoring contest. The Utes are only allowing an average of 9.5 points per game in wins over Southern Utah and BYU.
Letdown Matchup
This is a dangerous contest for Utah. It has to be feeling good after a hard-fought win over BYU last time out, and now is a big favorite against an inferior opponent.
Furthermore, the Utes are entering the Pac-12 schedule starting next week with a tough home game against USC. Utah wants to play well in the conference season, and after a nice start to the season it is natural to think it can turn it on and win this one and enter the Pac-12 slate 3-0.
However, San Jose State will be amped up to play this one in front of the home crowd and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this one remain close throughout.
Player to Watch
Kenny Potter. San Jose State didn’t fare very well in its opener against Tulsa, but a standout showing by Potter last week was very encouraging. He was 14-of-20 for 233 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and also added 11 carries for 49 yards and two scores.
He has dual threat abilities which will keep Utah on its toes. The Utes have shut down both offenses they have seen this year, and Potter will try to crack that group, but it won’t be easy. He has to be able to throw the ball to keep Utah honest defensively.
Free ATS Pick
Utah has done very well thus far, but the competition hasn’t been great. The real tests will come in the Pac-12 schedule when the level of difficulty increases exponentially. The Utes hope to enter it 3-0 and riding high, and that seems very likely to happen.
Quarterback Troy Williams has thrown for 466 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in his career, and as long as he keeps turnover under control, the offense could do pretty well against a San Jose State defense which is allowing 40 points per game on the season.
While Utah should be able to remain undefeated, the spread for this one is too high. The Utes aren’t a top-tier team nationally, and getting nearly two touchdowns on the road is generous.
Expect San Jose State to be able to cover the spread at home behind enough plays made by Potter and the offense. The scoring total isn’t high enough. Even though Utah’s defense has been great thus far, the Spartans should score a couple touchdowns to keep this game close and push the total to “over” when San Jose State hosts Utah.
NCAA Football Odds: Utah 31, San Jose State 20
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