by Rod Pearson
Wednesday, Sep 20, 2023
Game Time: 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 23, 2023
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: UCLA +4.5, Utah -4.5; Over/Under: 51 points
Bet365: Point Spread: UCLA +4.5, Utah -4.5; Over/Under: 51 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: UCLA +4.5, Utah -4.5; Over/Under: 50.5 points
Season Record
UCLA Bruins: 3-0 (0-0) (7th place, Pac-12)
Utah Utes: 3-0 (0-0) (8th place, Pac-12)
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Recent Form
UCLA Bruins: won their last game at home against the North Carolina Central Eagles 59-7.
Utah Utes: won their last game at home against the Weber State Wildcats 31-7.
UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes Preview and Analysis
UCLA is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against NC Central 59-7. Dante Moore was the starting QB and he completed 8/12 passes for 182 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Anthony Adkins led the team in rushing yards with 96 and 1 TD. Kam Brown led the receivers with 74 receiving yards on 2 receptions and 1 TD. Carson Schwesinger led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Donavyn Pellot and Choe Bryant-Strother each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.
Utah is entering this game with a 3-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Weber State 31-7. Nate Johnson was the starting QB and he completed 13/21 passes for 193 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Nate Johnson led the team in rushing yards with 71 and 1 TD. Munir McClain led the receivers with 92 receiving yards on 3 receptions. Miles Battle led the defense in that game with 2 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Cole Bishop and Logan Fano each led the defense in sacks with 1. Lander Barton came away with the only interception for them in that game.
UCLA vs Utah Prediction
The current betting odds have Utah listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Utah is off to a 3-0 start this season and they have looked really good in their games despite being without their starting QB Cam Rising. Now they should be getting Cam Rising back for this game but even without him they have shown they have a good team with a lot of talent. UCLA has also looked good in their 3 games but they haven't really played any tough teams and haven't had to travel much either. They have played 2 home games against weaker teams and their 1 road win was against San Diego State so they didn't even have much of a travel there either. Now they have to play in the altitude of Utah and Utah has already been tested against some better teams like Florida and Baylor. Utah can cover the spread in this game even without Rising playing but if he decides to make his season debut here, UCLA will have no chance in this game against a superior Utah team. UCLA is also still figuring out their situation at QB so they could be in real trouble here if they fall too far behind. The best way to place a bet here is on Utah to cover the spread in this game.
UCLA Utah Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 23, 2023 (3:30 pm ET start time) is Utah 31 UCLA 17.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
UCLA Bruins: 6-16 ATS after 2 consecutive covers as a favorite. 7-12 ATS off a home blowout win by 28 points or more. 7-1 OVER as an underdog. 8-2 OVER off a home win. 10-4 OVER after 1 or more consecutive wins against the spread.
Utah Utes: 9-5 ATS as a home favorite. 17-8 ATS off 3 or more consecutive unders. 38-14 ATS after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in 3 straight games. 8-4 OVER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 15-9 OVER after allowing 17 points or less in 3 straight games.
Key Injuries
UCLA Bruins: A. Kaho (LB) Ques Sat - Leg. T. Mokiao-Atimalala (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed.
Utah Utes: C. Rising (QB) Ques Sat - Knee. B. Rose (QB) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. M. Pittman (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. D. Vele (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed. B. Kuithe (TE) Out indefinitely - Knee. M. Bernard (RB) out for season - Undisclosed.
Notable Quotes
“Nate Johnson played really well in the last couple of weeks but I think you have to prepare for all three of them.” - Chip Kelly on how he is preparing for his team’s next game with the QB situation at Utah.
“We’re looking for alignment, assignment, angles to the ball, fundamentals, technique, that type of thing more so than the final result. We’re looking at how we do things, not necessarily how we’re doing.” - Kyle Whittingham on how he is preparing for his team’s game against UCLA this week.
Starting Lineups
UCLA Bruins
WR Sturdivant, J.Michael
WR Ford, Kyle
WR Loya, Logan
TE Habermehl, Hudson
QB Garbers, Ethan
RB Harden, T.J.
Utah Utes
WR Parks, Money
WR Vele, Devaughn
WR Pittman, Mycah
TE Yassmin, Thomas
TE Kuithe, Brant
QB Rising, Cameron
RB Jackson, Ja'Quinden
Statistical Leaders
UCLA Bruins
Passing: D. Moore (615)
Rushing: C. Steele (243)
Receiving: J. Sturdivant (219)
Touchdowns: J. Sturdivant (2)
Utah Utes
Passing: N. Johnson (281)
Rushing: J. Jackson (213)
Receiving: M. Parks (138)
Touchdowns: N. Johnson (3)
Coaches:
UCLA Bruins: Chip Kelly (6th season)
Utah Utes: Kyle Whittingham (20th season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
