On Friday night, the Utah Utes (5-3) will take on the Stanford Cardinal (3-5). Held at Stanford Stadium, the kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at Utah at Stanford odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Coming off a dominating 44-24 victory vs. UCLA and nearly upsetting Oregon, Utah has lost just three games. However, going on the road in the Pac-12 is never easy.
All three of Utah’s losses are on the road. The Utes’ strength is in their run game, nearing 200 yards per game on the ground. That’s incredibly impressive and something the Cardinals will look to limit.
As for Stanford, at home, the Cardinal gave Oregon its only loss. Oddly enough, two of their three wins are over Oregon and USC. Stanford has lost three straight games, two of which were on the road.
Stanford’s offense is the opposite of Utah’s, relying heavily on QB Tanner McKee. He has 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on the season.
Utah at Stanford odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:26 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Utah -340 (bet $340 to win $100) | Stanford +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
- Against the spread (ATS): Utah -8.5 (-108) | Stanford +8.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Utah at Stanford odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah 31, Stanford 27
Money line
PASS on the money line.
If Stanford weren’t so cold, I’d suggest its +260 money line, but I’m going to pass here as the points are just too much to overlook. Especially given that Stanford hasn’t won in over a month.
Against the spread
“LEAN” on STANFORD +8.5 (-112) as it’s not winning, but will make this a tight game. Stanford would’ve covered a touchdown spread in three of its last four games.
The Cardinal didn’t play well early on in the season but has kept games close since.
With a pass-heavy offense behind McKee, Stanford will try to expose a Utah team that gave up more than 400 passing yards to USC. The Utes have allowed over 200 passing yards in five straight games.
In Utah’s last two road games, the Utes have given up over 300 passing yards per game. Given how McKee-centric Stanford’s offense is, I think the Cardinal will live or die by McKee’s arm.
I think Stanford lives in this scenario. Neither defense is overly competent, so I’m favoring the team with the crowd backing them.
Over/Under
BET on the OVER 54.5 (-105) as QB Cameron Rising may be too much to deal with.
Rising is a dual-threat quarterback and is Utah’s second-leading rusher, topping 300 yards on the season. The Utes have scored more than 100 points in their last three road games combined.
Stanford is giving up over 200 yards per game on the ground.
The Cardinal is bad at what Utah does well. I expect Stanford to load the box on Friday, making Rising’s beat the Cardinal in the air. If Utah doesn’t, Stanford will roll.
I expect points to be scored, and I think McKee will keep Stanford in this game. Nonetheless, I think a high-scoring affair is a safe bet given the two offenses taking the field.
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