Utah Utes CFB Betting
The Utah Utes ended their 2024 football season on a high note, snapping a seven-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over the UCF Knights in Orlando. The Utes, known for their defensive prowess, leaned heavily on their defense, scoring two touchdowns off turnovers, including a game-defining 60-yard pick-six by Zemaiah Vaughn in the second quarter. The win improved Utah’s record to 5-7 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 play, though the team fell short of bowl eligibility for the first time since 2020. Utah was the favorite to win the Big 12 but fell far short.
Utah Utes 2024 Season Recap
Utah was one of the biggest disappointments and worst betting on college football using crypto values on the board in 2024.
Last game, the Utah Utes won 28-14 against the UCF Knights as 9.5-point road dogs. The game went under the total of 46. Utah has a record of 5-7 straight up, 5-7 against the spread, and 4-7-1 over/under the total. Utah ranks 116th for total offense, 99th for passing, 98th for rushing and 102nd for scoring. Defensively, they rank 29th overall, 42nd against the pass, 38th against the rush, and 28th for points allowed. Also, Utah ranks 124th for fewest turnovers lost and 46th for takeaways.
The Utes' defense set the tone early, recovering a fumble by UCF quarterback Dylan Rizk on the game’s opening drive. This led to a 37-yard field goal by Cole Becker, giving Utah an early lead. Midway through the second quarter, Vaughn intercepted Rizk and returned it for a touchdown, putting Utah ahead 10-0. While UCF responded with an 89-yard touchdown drive capped by RJ Harvey’s 5-yard run, Utah managed to maintain momentum. A 24-yard field goal by Trey Coleman extended their lead to 13-7 at halftime.
“That was amazing,” Vaughn said. "I've been waiting for that my whole career. I'm glad I got it before the season came to an end. We just do what we do every week. Our main goal is to get the offense back the ball. I felt we did a good job of that today."
In the second half, Utah’s offense showed flashes of life. Luke Bottari, Utah’s fourth starting quarterback of the season, connected with Landen King for a 15-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, making it 21-7. Bottari finished the game, completing 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards. Micah Bernard contributed significantly to the offense as well, rushing for 87 yards on 22 carries. However, the Utes’ defense ultimately sealed the win. Smith Snowden intercepted a pass by UCF backup quarterback EJ Colson and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, extending Utah's lead to 28-7.
Despite being outgained 379-198 in total yards, Utah capitalized on UCF’s mistakes, forcing three turnovers and turning them into 21 points. Meanwhile, RJ Harvey was a bright spot for UCF, rushing for 119 yards and breaking the program record for career touchdowns with his 47th. UCF, however, closed their season on a sour note, losing eight of their final nine games to finish 4-8.
The win provided Utah a small silver lining in an otherwise challenging season plagued by injuries, particularly at quarterback. As the Utes look toward the offseason, questions loom about the future of head coach Kyle Whittingham, who has hinted at retirement after 20 seasons with the program.
“It's very rewarding to see them have a chance to have some positive fruits for their labors,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “They've been working hard week after week and have not much to show for it, for them to show the character and resiliency and ability to have adversity and come back one more time together and put together a game like that was very positive.”
2024 Utah Utes Football Schedule
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCORE |
RECORD |
| Aug 29 |
vs. Southern Utah |
W 49-0 |
1-0 |
| Sep 7 |
vs. Baylor |
W 23-12 |
2-0 |
| Sep 14 |
at Utah State |
W 38-21 |
3-0 |
| Sep 21 |
at Oklahoma State |
W 22-19 |
4-0 |
| Sep 28 |
vs. Arizona |
L 10-23 |
4-1 |
| Oct 5 |
OFF |
| Oct 11 |
at Arizona State |
L 19-27 |
4-2 |
| Oct 19 |
vs. TCU |
L 7-13 |
4-3 |
| Oct 26 |
at Houston |
L 14-17 |
4-4 |
| Nov 2 |
OFF |
| Nov 9 |
vs. BYU |
L 21-22 |
4-5 |
| Nov 16 |
at Colorado |
L 24-49 |
4-6 |
| Nov 23 |
vs. Iowa State |
L 28-31 |
4-7 |
| Nov 29 |
at UCF |
W 28-14 |
5-7 |
The Utah Utes have never won a national championship but boast 25 conference titles in their history. Utah has posted double-digit win seasons in their last two fully scheduled campaigns. Whittingham has had seven double-digit win seasons since 2008 and led Utah to a national ranking of 2nd that year.
Whittingham is a former national coach of the year and a 2-time Pac-12 coach of the year.
Previously head coach Ron McBride was the first consistent winner at Utah. McBride put Utah in six bowl games from 1990 through 2002. He led Utah to a final national ranking of 10th in 1994.
Urban Meyer coached only two years at Utah but led a 12-0 season in 2004 and a final national ranking of 4th. Meyer parlayed that success into a job in Florida, where he won two national championships.
The Utes are in their greatest era of glory, and the best may yet be coming.
2024-2025 College Football Schedule
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