Utah Utes vs. Colorado Buffaloes Betting Picks

The 1-2 Utah Utes will go on the road Friday night to face off with the 4-0 Colorado Buffaloes at 9:30 PM ET in Folsom Field. You can tune into the matchup on Fox Sports 1. The Buffaloes come in as two-point home favorites and we’re expecting somewhat of a defensive showdown with a 49.5 over/under. Let’s dive into how this one will go down and who will end up covering the spread. Make sure to check out the rest of my CFB Picks and Predictions for the upcoming weekend slate of games.

• Utes are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
• Buffaloes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• Under is 5-0 in Utes last 5 games following a ATS loss.
• Under is 5-1 in Buffaloes last 6 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.

The Utes got their first win of the season last week as they took down Oregon State 30-24. They opened the season with back-to-back losses to USC and Washington, so they’re looking at a .500 season at best with a win in this one. The Utes run it more than they throw it and freshman halfback Ty Jordan (296 yards, TD, 6.7 YPC) looks like a stud. He will see 15+ touches in this matchup with the backups seeing another 10-12 combined.

Quarterback Jake Bentley hasn’t been great, throwing four interceptions to three touchdowns with just a 64% completion rate. Against a Colorado team that can score the football, Bentley must step up and at least be able to keep the ball safe. They simply aren’t lethal enough to continue putting opposing offenses in good field position. Brant Kuithe (16 rec, 122 yds) is one of the best tight ends in the country and Bentley would be wise to pepper him with targets.

The Buffaloes might have started their season late, but have come out on fire here with four straight wins over solid opponents. After two wire-to-wire thrillers over UCLA and Stanford, the Buffs have comfortably beat San Diego State and Arizona. They’ve done it with a balanced attack that leans on the run. Sophomore Jarek Broussard is up to 733 yards and three touchdowns while senior QB Sam Noyer leads the team with five rushing touchdowns on top of 179 yards. Broussard is a monster and Utah is going to have a lot of trouble slowing him down. Noyer can also throw it, so it’s no liability when he drops back to pass.

On the outside, Dimitri Stanley and La’Vonte Shenault are elite. Yes, that is the little brother of superstar Le’Viska Shenault Jr., who was just drafted by Jacksonville in the first round on the 2019 NFL draft. The Buffaloes are a great team and will get another tough test against the Utes here.

The Buffaloes are just the better team here and they get the home field advantage. The Utes have shown no ability to throw the ball this season and Colorado is an elite offense in more than one way. Utah has also been middle of the road defensively and Colorado has held each of their last two opponents under 14 points. Colorado is the bet to make here and an excellent boost to the bankroll before the weekend rolls around.

This number is low, and for once the Utah defense isn’t why. The Buffaloes actually have the better defense this season and both squads want to run the ball a ton. Utah hasn’t shown an ability to throw the ball and Colorado only does it when they must. I like the under here as the number doesn’t seem very big until these two teams take the field.