A heart-breaking loss to unranked Arizona have almost surely ended No. 13 Utah’s chances of making the College Football Playoff with already two losses this season. The Utes will also be without control in securing a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game. USC and the Utes’ next opponents, UCLA, can earn a berth in the conference title game by winning out, which makes this game even more crucial.
The UCLA Bruins have relished being on the road, going 11-1 in their last 12 games away from home. Their lone loss came against then-No. 15 Stanford on October 15. The Bruins’ hopes for a berth in the conference championship game took a hit in a 31-27 loss to Washington State, allowing a touchdown with three seconds to go.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Quarterback Josh Rosen continues to drive UCLA’s offense. He had his fourth 300-yard performance in the past five games last week, but didn’t score a touchdown. But he did extend his streak of games with no interceptions to four. Rosen has a pretty good matchup against a Utah passing defense, which ranks ninth in the Pac-12 with 256.3 yards allowed per game.
Wide receiver Jordan Payton gives Rosen a solid threat in the receiving corps with a team-high 904 yards. Thomas Duarte adds another option as a scoring threat with a team-high eight receiving touchdowns.
Running back Paul Perkins could give the Bruins a change of pace with 1,082 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 180 carries. But Perkins will have his hands full against Utah’s conference-best rushing defense, allowing just 118.7 yards per game.
With Utah’s star running back Devontae Booker out for the season, UCLA may face a one-dimensional Utah offense. The Bruins’ passing defense has been solid this season, ranking third in the Pac-12 with just 218.3 yards allowed per game. They have a handful of solid defensive backs with a knack for causing turnovers. Ishmael Adams, Randall Goforth and Jaleel Wadood all have two picks this season.
The total has gone under in the past four meetings.
Betting on the Utah Utes (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12)
A 37-30 double-overtime loss to Arizona brought the Utah Utes back to earth after going a solid 8-1 prior to their Week 11 loss. A season-ending injury to running back Devontae Booker further compounded their problems. Booker will be replaced by Joe Williams, who only has 78 yards rushing on 19 carries this season.
Booker has been the centrepiece of the Utah offense with 1,261 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns. He’s helped the Utes rank fifth in the Pac-12 rushing offense (184 yards per game) and sixth in rushing touchdowns (20). The Utes haven’t enjoyed as much success through the air, ranking 11th in the league with just 205.1 yards passing per game.
Starting quarterback Travis Wilson hasn’t been highly-effective this season with 1,806 yards passing with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. But he has spread out his touchdown passes among some of his top receivers in Britain Covey (four), Harrison Handley (four) and Kenneth Scott (three). Having three different receivers capable of scoring should help exploit a stingy UCLA defense, allowing just 218.3 yards passing per game.
Utah could enjoy some success if they can continue creating plenty of turnovers. The Utes rank first in the Pac-12 with 16 interceptions this season, one returned for a touchdown. Senior defensive back Marcus Williams has been solid with a team-high four picks, while Dominique Hatfield, Justin Thomas and linebacker Gionni Paul are a step behind with three each.
The Utes are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against UCLA.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bruins (+1.5) pile even more misery on the Utes. Create a betting account now and get the best action college football has to offer.
