by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2021
Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, December 18, 2021
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Where to Watch: ABC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Oregon State +7, USU -7; Over/Under: 66 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Oregon State +7, USU -7; Over/Under: 66 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Oregon State +7.5, USU -7.5; Over/Under: 64.5 points
Season Record
Oregon State Beavers: 7-5 (3rd place, Pac-12 North)
Utah State Aggies: 10-3 (1st place, MW Mountain)
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Oregon State Beavers vs Utah State Aggies Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Oregon State Beavers: lost on the road on Nov. 27 against the Oregon Ducks 38-29.
Utah State Aggies: won on the road on Dec. 4 against the San Diego State Aztecs 46-13.
Oregon State Beavers Analysis
Oregon State is coming into this FBS game after finishing their regular season with a 7-5 record overall and they will be playing their first neutral site game this college football season in this game. They have won 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 2 game winning streak that they were on. Their 2 wins were against the Stanford Cardinal and the Arizona State Sun Devils while their loss came against the Oregon Ducks in their last game. Chance Nolan completed 25/39 passes for 308 yards, 2 touchdown passes and 1 interception. B.J. Baylor led the team in rushing with 59 yards and 1 touchdown on 13 carries while Nolan also ran in 1 TD himself. Luke Musgrave led the receivers with 85 yards and 1 touchdown on 7 receptions while Trevon Bradford was right behind with 79 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 receptions. Kitan Oladapo led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. No one on the defense was able to record a sack or came up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 393 points in their 12 games this season averaging 32.8 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 311 points against them allowing 25.9 PPG. Their offense is averaging 418.8 YPG while their defense is allowing 388 YPG.
Utah State Aggies Analysis
USU is coming into this game after finishing their season with a 10-3 record overall and they will be playing in the first neutral site game on their schedule this season. They have won 7 of their last 8 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Wyoming Cowboys while their 2 straight wins came against the New Mexico Lobos and the San Diego State Aztecs in their last game. They made it to the Mountain West Conference finals and they won the MWC Championship over SDSU by a score of 46-13. Quarterback Logan Bonner completed 29/42 passes for 318 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception in that one. Calvin Tyler Jr. led the team in rushing with 41 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries while Jordan Nathan also ran in 1 TD on the ground as well. Brandon Bowling had a very nice day as he led the receivers with 154 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 receptions while Derek Wright had 57 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 receptions. Deven Thompkins led the team in receptions with 9 while Justin McGriff caught the other touchdown pass in that one. Justin Rice and Hunter Reynolds both led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 4 assisted ones each. while Justin Rice had 1 sack as well. Byron Vaughns and Marcus Moore both led the defense in sacks in that game with 1.5 each while no one on the defense was able to come up with an interception for them in that one. They have scored 432 points in their 13 games this season averaging 33.2 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 329 points against them allowing 25.3 PPG. Their offense is averaging 453.6 YPG while their defense is allowing 391.1 YPG.
Oregon State vs Utah State Prediction
USU is coming into this Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl as a 7 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook and other betting sites. USU has been having a great season with just 3 losses all year and they have a conference championship under their belt as well after finishing 1st in the ranks of their conference division. They smashed SDSU in that conference title game and it was not even close at any point in that game. This team is on another level right now and Oregon State has not been having the best year and has been very inconsistent this season. USU has been playing too well recently and they are going to carry that over into this game to win a bowl game and cap off their season. The best type of wager to place in this game is on USU to cover the spread here and be the winner of the game by a lot.
Oregon State Utah State Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 18, 2021 (7:30 pm ET start time) is USU 41 Oregon State 24.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Oregon State Beavers: 19-11 ATS in all games. 8-4 ATS when the total is greater than or equal to 63. 14-8 ATS after playing a conference game. 17-9 ATS in games played on turf. 10-5 ATS off 1 or more straight overs. 8-3 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 10-3 ATS after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 15-6 ATS after a game where they committed 1 or less turnovers.
Utah State Aggies: 2-7 O/U in minor bowl games (played in December). 2-8 O/U when the total is greater than or equal to 63. 1-6 O/U when the total is between 63.5 and 70. 8-13 O/U after playing a conference game. 3-10 O/U in December games. 8-21 O/U after having won 3 out of their last 4 games. 1-5 O/U off a win over a conference rival as an underdog of 6 or more points. 7-21 O/U after 2 consecutive games with a turnover margin of +1 or better.
Key Injuries
Oregon State Beavers: S. Lolohea (DL) Ques Dec 18 - Ankle injury. J. Levengood (OL) Ques Dec 18 - Ankle injury. C. Anderson (DL) Ques Dec 18 - Undisclosed injury. Deshaun Fenwick (RB) Ques Dec 18 - Undisclosed injury.
Utah State Aggies: J. South (OL) Ques Dec 18 - Knee injury. A. Peasley (QB) Ques Dec 18 - Undisclosed injury.
Notable Quotes
“For me, it felt like the right time. We had three games left and I wanted to have this done before the end of the season.” - Scott Barnes on extending the contract of head coach Jonathan Smith.
"We're unbelievably proud of this man and what he's gone through. Me and Brandon have known him longer than most guys. He's been through a lot in his life, and we were there for that. We followed him here because we believed in him, and we're so proud of him." - Logan Bonner after his team’s win against SDSU in the title game.
Starting Lineups
Oregon State Beavers
WR Beason, Zeriah
WR Trevon Bradford
WR Lindsey, Tyjon
TE Quitoriano, Teagan
TE Musgrave, Luke
QB Nolan, Chance
RB Baylor, B.J.
Utah State Aggies
WR McGriff, Justin
WR Wright, Derek
WR Thompkins, Deven
TE Terrell, Carson
QB Bonner, Logan
RB Tyler Jr., Calvin
Statistical Leaders
Oregon State Beavers
Passing: C. Nolan (2414)
Rushing: B. Baylor (1259)
Receiving: T. Bradford (608)
Touchdowns: B. Baylor (13)
Utah State Aggies
Passing: L. Bonner (3560)
Rushing: C. Tyler Jr. (764)
Receiving: D. Thompkins (1589)
Touchdowns: D. Wright (11)
Coaches:
Oregon State Beavers: Jonathan Smith (4th season)
Utah State Aggies: Blake Anderson (1st season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
