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The Utah Utes (1-0) and the Baylor Bears (0-1) meet Saturday at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Utah vs. Baylor odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Utah opened the season with an impressive 24-11 thumping of the visiting Florida Gators, avenging last season’s opening loss in Gainesville. It was especially impressive given the Utes used QB Bryson Barnes in just his 2nd career start for the injured QB Cam Rising. NFL prospect TE Brant Kuithe was also sidelined due to injury, yet the Utes still rolled.
While there is no update on Kuithe, Rising was able to practice without limitations this week.
The Bears also have a big injury at the quarterback spot. QB Blake Shapen was knocked out of the opener against Texas State, as he suffered an MCL injury and will be sidelined at least 2-3 weeks. QB Sawyer Robertson will get the nod against the high-powered Utes.
Baylor lost its opener last week against the Bobcats, falling 42-31 as heavy favorites, and it appears in danger of starting 0-2 for the 1st time since 2017 in the Matt Rhule era.
Utah is No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.
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Utah at Baylor odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:01 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Utah -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | Baylor +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
- Against the spread (ATS): Utah -7.5 (-115) | Baylor +7.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 47 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Utah at Baylor picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah 34, Baylor 10
Moneyline
Utah (-300) will cost you 3 times your potential return, and that’s just too much risk for not enough reward, especially on the road.
While Baylor (+240) is banged up, and the Bears are a hurt animal after last week’s embarrassing loss to a Sun Belt team, this still could be a dangerous team at home, even with a backup QB.
PASS.
Against the spread
UTAH -7.5 (-110) was one of my 1st plays when I saw the line was under a flat 7 earlier in the week. It has crept up a bit, perhaps due to cynicism that Robertson can get the job done, and perhaps due to the fact Rising could return. Even if the starter is sidelined, Barnes looked more than capable in last week’s beating of Florida.
Over/Under
UNDER 47 (-110) is the play.
We could potentially have 2 backup QBs facing each other, and we know that Utah’s defense is super nasty. It limited the Gators to just 3 points for a majority of the game before Florida tacked on a late TD and 2-point conversion to make things look more respectable.
Robertson starting against the Utes could be a nightmare, and the Bears could fail to growl much on offense. The Baylor D was a joke against Texas State, so Utah could have a day on offense. But this Utes offense should still be in the 30’s, points-wise.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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