Utah vs. Colorado Total Prediction
Pac-12 opponents clash in Boulder on Saturday when the struggling Colorado Buffaloes host the Utah Utes at 1:30 p.m. ET. Can bettors trust the Buffs’ offense enough to play the over or is the under a better bet?
Game Snapshot
363 Utah Utes at 364 Colorado Buffaloes
1:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, November 17, 2018
Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Utes are 7-point favorites to beat the Buffaloes. The total, meanwhile, sits at 48 points. As of this writing, 68% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Utes.
Utah Utes
Utah freshman QB Jason Shelley completed 18-of-31 passes for 262 yards and ran for 22 yards with two touchdowns in a 32-25 victory over Oregon. Shelley is the starter with Tyler Huntley out for the season with a broken collarbone, and while it was far from a perfect effort, it was a vast improvement over what we saw from the freshman quarterback against Arizona State the previous week. He showed some ability to make plays with the legs, and there was just enough accuracy to keep the Oregon defense honest. Shelley is going to have his share of downs, but this was an up. Another up could come next Saturday against Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado AD Rick George said that no decision has been made as of yet regarding the future of HC Mike MacIntyre. A report from an ABC affiliate in Denver surfaced on Monday which had MacIntyre facing the axe at the end of the season. At least for now, George is not publicly committing to the coach’s termination. Said the AD, “We do comment on speculation or unsubstantiated rumors with anonymous sources. Let me just say I have made no decisions regarding the future of our football program.” MacIntyre would be owed a buyout of $10-plus million if he is fired without cause. The Buffs are currently in the midst of a five-game losing streak, with one of those losses coming in spectacularly implosive fashion against Oregon State after CU had worked out to a 31-3 lead. Colorado will finish out the campaign with contests against Utah and Cal. Stay tuned.
Betting Trends
Utah
The over is 5-2 in the Utes’ last seven games overall and 5-2 in their last seven conference games.
Colorado
The under is 10-2 in the Buffaloes’ last 12 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Prediction
I thought Colorado would play well at home versus Washington State last week and it did…for about a quarter. The Buffs are in disarray, MacIntyre is likely out and their offense won’t move the ball against Utah’s stout defense. Meanwhile, Shelley played well last week with Huntley out but he’s still a freshman playing on the road against a Colorado defense that, if it hasn’t given up yet, is good enough to keep the scoring in check. I’ll take the under.
College Football Prediction: Utah/Colorado under 48