Washington vs. Utah Prediction
With its playoff hopes on the line, will Washington win and cover versus Utah at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Huskies are 10-point road favorites versus the Utes after opening as a 10.5-point favorite earlier this week. As for the total, the number has jumped to 54 after hitting the board at 51.
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The Huskies have won eight of nine all-time meetings between these two teams but the Utes won 34-23 last season at Husky Stadium. The 34 points allowed were the most by Washington all of last year. The Huskies’ current 10-game winning streak is tied with Western Michigan for the second-longest active streak in the FBS behind Alabama’s 20 in a row.
The Utes, meanwhile, can match their best win against an AP-ranked opponent in school history, which came back in the 2009 Sugar Bowl against No. 4 Alabama. Each of Utah’s two wins versus AP Top-5 teams have come under the guidance of Kyle Whittingham, who also helped the Utes beat No. 5 Stanford in 2013.
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OUR PREDICTION: Their overall numbers aren’t eye-popping but Utah has some clear strengths when you dive deeper. For starters, the Utes’ have an FBS-high 22 takeaways this season and are tied for the FBS lead with 14 interceptions. Utah’s average third down conversion distance defensively is 8.3 yards, which is fourth-best in the Power 5 behind Michigan, Miami and Alabama. Joe Williams has also given their offense a boost after coming out of retirement. Over the last two weeks, Williams leads the FBS in rushing yards with 511. Utah will be jacked at home for this game and should give Washington all it can handle.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 9 PICK: UTAH UTES +10