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The Baylor Bears (1-0) and Utah Utes (1-0) meet at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Baylor vs. Utah odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
This is a historic game for the Utah program — it’s 1st true conference game inside the Big 12.
Utah opened with a 49-0 whitewashing of FCS Southern Utah on Aug. 29 as a 37.5-point favorite while the Under (55.5) cashed. QB Cam Rising completed 10-of-15 passes for 254 yards, 5 TD and 0 INT before turning things over to backup QB Isaac Wilson. The latter threw 2 INT on 11 attempts, but he isn’t likely to see as much action, if any, against the Bears.
Rising hooked up with fellow NFL prospect TE Brant Kuithe for 3 scoring strikes, while WR Dijon Stanley ended up with 3 grabs for 150 yards and 2 scores.
The Utes limited SUU to 79 rushing yards on 30 attempts, with just 71 passing yards. Utah racked up 5 sacks, too, while committing just 6 penalties.
Baylor roughed up Tarleton State of the FCS by a 45-3 count in Waco, as the Bears covered a 35-point spread as the Under (54.5) held on. The Bears rushed for 164 yards, while passing for 278. Former Toledo QB Dequan Finn threw for 2 TD, but also had 2 INT, while rushing for another score.
Utah is No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll — conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports.
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Baylor at Utah odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:48 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Baylor +480 (bet $100 to win $480) | Utah -690 (bet $690 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Baylor +14.5 (-105) | Utah -14.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Baylor at Utah picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah 34, Baylor 17
Moneyline
Utah (-690) will set you back nearly 7 times your potential return, and it is never a good idea to bet such a heavy favorite, either as a standalone wager or part of a multi-leg parlay. Over the long term, it’s a losing betting strategy.
PASS.
Against the spread
Back UTAH -14.5 (-115) lightly, as that hook has been a problem early in the season.
However, while Baylor +14.5 (-105) looked impressive in its game against Tarleton State last week, Finn made too many mistakes. If he has similar miscues against the Utes, it won’t end well for the Bears in this Big 12 opener.
Over/Under
The UNDER 54.5 (-110) is a strong play in this conference opener for both sides.
Defense reigned supreme for Utah last week. It kept the Thunderbirds from accomplishing much of anything, but they’ll obviously get a much more stern test from the Bears.
Baylor also had a solid defensive effort last week, but facing Rising, Kuithe and the rest of the Utah offense is a much taller order. Utah will still get solid production, but in the end, we should get an Under result, as this number is a bit too high.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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