Two straight Pac-12 championships, three seasons with 10 or more wins in the last three full campaigns and yet the Utah Utes still don’t get the respect they deserve. You can call them the Rodney Dangerfield of college football. Most of the attention within the conference is being directed elsewhere, both on and off the field, but until further notice the league title runs through Salt Lake City. How the Utes do will depend on the health of Cameron Rising, the dude running the show the last two years. Rising sustained a knee injury in the Rose Bowl and it’s expected he’ll be back for the opener. Bet on college football using crypto with the Utes win total positioned at 8.5.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Utah Utes
Over 8.5 ( +104 )
Under 8.5 ( -120 )
Only one Utah coach was around longer than Kyle Whittingham and none have more wins. With 20 years in the books Whittingham was almost a goner halfway through his tenure when the Utes put up back to back 5-7 campaigns. Since then and not counting the COVID shortened 2020 year, the Utes have averaged more than nine wins, including postseason, and success is now expected on the hill with 8.5 the projected win total.
Roster
It’s actually kind of sad that most experts believe the success of the 2023 Utes is dependent on the health of one player. Granted he’s a huge part of the program and a key to Utah winning two straight Pac-12 championships. But a team with hopes of another conference crown and potentially a trip to the College Football Playoff is much more. Without a doubt the Utes are a better team with Cameron Rising behind center but they’ll be fine even if he isn’t ready once the season starts.
With Rising throwing for over 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, the Utes won their second straight conference title knocking off USC in the championship game. A trip to the Rose Bowl was devastating on several fronts. Not only did the Utes lose the game, they also lost Rising to a torn ACL And while he’s on target to return for the opener there’s always the question of how ready he’ll be. Bryson Barnes was the primary backup last season throwing 57 passes while also running for 116 yards, but the QB of the future is Brandon Rose.
One thing the Utes have done well in the past is dominate the line of scrimmage. And you can expect more of the same, especially if the QB situation is unsettled entering the year. The line is big and mean, helping the ground game average more than 217 yards to place 11th nationally last season. Five different players rushed for at least 360 yards. Ja’Quinden Jackson is an electrifying runner who averaged 6.8 yards a carry with nine touchdowns last year. Micah Bernard was good, too, compiling 533 yards while also catching 34 passes.
Another strong defense allowed the Utes to reach double figures in wins. They held eight of their opponents to 20 points or less with the 27th best total defense in the country. There were a few bumps along the way notably allowing 42 points in consecutive games against UCLA and USC, but otherwise the group was as good as ever. The Utes led the Pac-12 in sacks and TFLs and was solid against the run allowing only 111.4 yards per game on the ground. As many as eight players who saw significant time in 2022 return with Junior Tafuna anchoring what should be another nasty defensive front.
Schedule
It’s hard to see nine or more wins with a schedule like Utah has. The Utes open with non-conference games against Power 5 Florida and Baylor then get the best the Pac-12 has. The road slate isn’t easy with the Bears followed by trips to Oregon State, USC and Washington before finishing at Arizona. The Utes also get UCLA and Oregon at home. Schedule makers didn’t do Utah any favors leaving league rivals Wazzou and Stanford off the list.
Prediction
For a team that’s been so good for a number of years it’s hard to imagine Utah not winning at least nine games. The situation with Rising is troubling since we don’t know how he’ll hold up even if he’s cleared to play. The top of the Pac-12 is going to be tough and the Utes have to play them all. And scheduling Florida and Baylor in back to back weeks to start the year wasn’t a good move. While the win total of 8.5 is considered low for the program, I’m backing the UNDER.
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