Utah vs. Oregon State: TV info, betting odds, and score predictions
Utah heads to Corvallis, Oregon, for a much-anticipated Friday night showdown with Oregon State.
The 10th-ranked Utes (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) are coming off a 14-7 win over UCLA at home last weekend that was anything but comfortable. The 19th-ranked Beavers (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12) are looking to bounce back after Washington State handed them their first loss of the season last week, 38-35.
A year ago, this matchup was handled by Utah thanks to a first-quarter defensive touchdown and four interceptions off Beaver quarterbacks. The Beavers will hope for better quarterback play this time around. Through four games, DJ Uiagalelei is completing 58% of his passes for 828 yards, seven touchdown, and three interceptions.
Uiagalelei was hot through the first two games of the season, but has been more hit-and-miss over the last two weeks. Five of his touchdowns came in the first two weeks. He has two scores and three picks through the air in Oregon State’s last two games.
But Utah enters with quarterback issues of its own. The Utes hoped Cameron Rising would be ready for the season opener a month ago. He wasn’t, and they’ve spent each of the ensuing weeks wondering when they’ll have their captain back under center. In Rising’s absence, Nate Johnson has taken hold of the starting position and done what has been asked of him. He has 398 yards passing with two touchdowns and a 63% completion rate in two starts.
It’s the Utah defense that has really shined, though. Utah ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense (9.5 points allowed per game), fourth in run defense (2.0 yards per carry), and 12th in sacks (14).
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup:
TV and Kickoff Time
Kickoff time: 6 p.m. PT
Location: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
TV Network: FS1, streaming on FOXSports.com
Betting odds
Line: Oregon State -4
Total: 44.5
Money line: Oregon State -180, Utah +160
Via Bet365
Score predictions
ESPN’s FPI gives Oregon State a 58.6% chance of upsetting the Utes.
Bill Connelly’s SP+ projects a 26-25 Oregon State victory.
Saturday Out West’s Jon Gold predicts a 17-16 Oregon State win:
Oregon State is more experienced up front than UCLA and the Beavers are hungry after an embarrassing loss to the Utes last year, when they suffered their only truly bad loss of the year, 42-16.
Saturday Out West’s Derek Peterson picked Utah to cover when the spread was at 3.5 points:
We’ve got two games of Good DJ U and two games of Not Good DJ U. Whoever shows up in this one will have a huge hand in the outcome. Oregon State needs Uiagalelei to be a difference-maker against a defense that might just be one of the best in the country. I don’t think UCLA’s defense is getting enough credit for what it did a week ago against the Utes, and I don’t think Oregon State’s defense is quite as good.