The Oregon State Beavers (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12) and Utah State Aggies (10-3, 6-2 Mountain West) meet Saturday in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Kickoff at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Oregon State vs. Utah State odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Oregon State is going bowling for the first time since 2013 thanks to its excellent offensive line and running game. RB B.J. Baylor rushed for 1,259 yards and 13 touchdowns and figures to get a heavy workload in this one against a Utah State rush defense allowing 162.6 yards per game (82nd nationally).
But Utah State didn’t get here because of its defense – the Aggies have one of the most prolific passing attacks in the country, throwing for 305.8 yards per game to rank 15th nationally). Look for the dynamic combination of QB Logan Bonner (3,560 passing yards) and WR Deven Thompkins (1,589 receiving yards) to have a field day against a Beavers pass defense that ranks 87th in yards allowed (241.1 yards per game).
See also: AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Oregon State vs. Utah State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Oregon State -270 (bet $270 to win $100) | Utah State +210 (bet $100 to win $210)
- Against the spread (ATS): Oregon State -7.5 (-107) | Utah State +7.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 68.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Oregon State vs. Utah State odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah State 34, Oregon State 31
Money line
While we have to take Utah State’s 10-3 record with a level-of-competition grain of salt, it enters this game on a roll. The Aggies have won seven of their last eight games and have covered in six of their last seven.
Outside of its Oct, 23 win over Utah, Oregon State’s wins have generally come from lower-level, Pac-12 competition. With two mediocre defenses on the field, we’ll hedge that the offense with the more explosive passing attack will pull this one out.
UTAH STATE (+210) is good enough to win outright, and the odds are fantastic.
Against the spread
If you think the Aggies are good enough to win outright – that’s our call here – then take the primo odds on the money line and PASS on the spread.
Over/Under
While both defenses are mediocre, they’ve given up a combined total of just 51.2 points per game this season – far below the number in this game. It’s not quite that simple since both offenses have been above average, but we’ll lean to the UNDER 68.5 (-108) given Oregon State’s lack of a passing game.
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