Washington Huskies vs Utah Utes Odds
| Washington Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 49.5 -110o / -110u | +260 |
The last Pac-12 team to make the College Football Playoff was Washington a mere seven seasons ago.
Gone are head coach Chris Petersen and quarterback Jake Browning, as current head coach Kalen DeBoer looks to remain undefeated with current Heisman favorite Michael Penix Jr. leading his offense.
The Huskies remain undefeated after a trip to the LA Coliseum and a 10-point victory over USC. The remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the nation for a team competing for a national title. Washington will look to stave off Oregon State and Washington State, along with its Week 11 matchup with Utah.
There may not be a better coaching job in all of FBS football than what has occurred in Salt Lake City.
Kyle Whittingham has been the head coach of Utah since 2005, trailing only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz for the longest tenure. The two-time defending conference champions have an injury report as long as a CVS receipt, including quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe.
As Utah struggles with another injury in the offensive backfield, Whittingham has relied on defensive players and a pig farmer to generate points. It has been a masterful coaching job that's sure to propel Whittingham to the front of the line for Coach of the Year.
Let's dive into the Washington vs. Utah odds and find some predictions and picks for Saturday's college football showdown.
Washington Huskies
This juggernaut of a Huskies team took a detour during Pac-12 Conference play. Washington was denied a touchdown at home against Arizona State, following that performance up with heavy defensive issues against Stanford.
There may not be a better remedy for a college football team to get off the struggle bus than facing USC, as the Huskies scored 52 points in a victory at the Coliseum.
Washington scored a touchdown on seven of its 10 possessions, throwing in an additional field goal, punt and interception.
Heisman Trophy favorite Michael Penix Jr. stepped out of the spotlight, allowing running back Dillon Johnson to gain over 250 yards with four rushing touchdowns.
DILLON JOHNSON IS GONE 🔥
pic.twitter.com/fa0IMAw7g7— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 5, 2023
Defensive coordinator Chuck Morrell's 2-4-5 defense generated enough stops against USC and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Caleb Williams.
Washington continues to struggle to stop teams on the ground, ranking 129th in Defensive Rushing Success Rate and near dead last in Line Yards. Teams that opt to pass have had far less success, as Washington ranks 16th in limiting pass explosives.
The Huskies rank top-20 in coverage but have struggled to maintain a national average Success Rate in any package other than quarters.
Utah Utes
Utah desperately needed a get-healthy game following a Week 9 rout at the hands Oregon. The loss in Rice-Eccles Stadium saw the Utes fail to score a touchdown, a surprise after previous home victories over top-25 teams in USC and UCLA.
The offense has been assisted by one of the most unlikely players in quarterback Bryson Barnes.
Bryson Barnes in the first half:
• 15/23 (65.2%)
• 130 yards
• 3 touchdownsUtah leads Arizona State 24-3 pic.twitter.com/nIdSpRb4Lz
— Ensign Gridiron (@EnsignGridiron) November 4, 2023
Barnes has dominated the defenses of Arizona State and USC, tallying seven touchdowns to a single interception. The offense that runs a heavy amount of 11 and 12 personnel ranks 17th nationally in Quality Drives, a statistic that measures drives with 10 plays, lasts longer than three minutes or covers 50 yards.
However, the offense has struggled in scoring position, falling to 118th in Finishing Drives.
While the offense continues to gain yards and come up short in points, the defense has continued to drive the team.
Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley runs a 3-3-5 scheme that ranks top-10 in Defensive Havoc, generating eight forced fumbles while recording 57 tackles for loss.
The Utes meet the national average in blitz rate at 32% with moderate success, using a heavy amount of Cover 1 and Cover 3 against opponents passing attempts. This is the top team in the nation in Defensive Success Rate during passing downs, consistently knocking teams off schedule.
Utah is second-best in the nation defensively in opponent distance on third downs, generating an average of 9.2 yards to go.
Washington vs Utah
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Washington and Utah match up statistically:
Utah Offense vs Washington Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 110 | 129 | |
| Line Yards | 98 | 132 | |
| Pass Success | 80 | 12 | |
| Havoc | 90 | 115 | |
| Finishing Drives | 118 | 65 | |
| Quality Drives | 17 | 51 | |
Washington Offense vs Utah Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 7 | 22 | |
| Line Yards | 47 | 34 | |
| Pass Success | 2 | 11 | |
| Havoc | 30 | 3 | |
| Finishing Drives | 9 | 43 | |
| Quality Drives | 5 | 7 |  |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 23 | 84 |
| PFF Coverage | 57 | 20 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 39 | 84 |
| Middle 8 | 18 | 12 |
| Seconds per Play | 30.1 (120) | 27.4 (74) |
| Rush Rate | 64.1% (11) | 40.9% (124) |
Washington vs Utah
Predictions, Picks
The Washington offense is back on track after a trip to Southern California. Penix completed 22-of-30 passes without a single turnover-worthy play, allowing the rushing attack to take center stage.
The Huskies offense nearly doubled the national average in available yards against the Trojans, averaging 7.9 yards per play on the ground and a whopping 58% Success Rate in 19 passing downs.
While every team has had offensive success against USC, this was a game the Huskies desperately needed to get on track and complete an undefeated regular season.
On the other side, Whittingham is sure to be a front-runner for Coach of the Year, but the Utes fell flat at home against Oregon in Week 9. The results have been mixed on the road for Utah with one-possession victories over USC and Baylor while struggling to get any offense against Oregon State in Week 5.
Injuries may catch up to Utah this weekend, primarily with workhorse running back Ja'Quinden Jackson. The place to attack the Washington defense has been on the ground, but Utah may have to rely on freshman running back Dijon Stanley.
For those wanting to see Sione Vaki's return to the backfield, Whittingham said his offensive workload would be just 30% of snaps.
While the Utah head coach did mention more tempo in his weekly press conference, issues persist in scoring opportunities for the Utah offense. In 54 offensive drives extending past the opponent's 40-yard line, the Utes average just 3.1 points per trip.
Utah ranks 111th in red-zone touchdown efficiency, an issue that will come to light against a Washington team looking to make Week 11 an offensive shootout.
Pick: Washington -9.5 or Better
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