Oregon Ducks (9-1) vs. Utah Utes (7-3)
November 20, 2021 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Utah Utes -2.5 ; Over/Under: 58.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Utah Utes meet the Oregon Ducks on Saturday in week 12 Pac-12 college football action from Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon is coming off a matchup versus Washington State last weekend. In that one the Ducks put together a 14-point win. As for Utah, they played Arizona in their last game. The Utes ended up winning by nine points there. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Oregon started out the year at 4-0 but then hit a 31-24 overtime loss to Stanford back on October 2. The Ducks bounced back with victories in their next four games, taking out California, UCLA, Colorado and Washington.
In last weekend’s matchup versus Washington State, the Ducks outscored the Cougars 24-10 in the second half on the way to a 38-24 win. QB Anthony Brown posted 135 yards with one TD and also led the rush with 123 yards and a score. Johnny Johnson caught three balls for 43 yards.
Over on the Utes’ side, they went 4-2 over their first six games with wins versus Weber State, Washington State, USC and Arizona State. Utah would lose to Oregon State, then the Utes managed wins over UCLA and Stanford in the next pair.
In the Saturday game versus Arizona, Utah scored in every quarter (and allowed points in every quarter) on the way to a 38-29 win. QB Cameron Rising finished on 294 yards with two scores, and TJ Pledger had 119 yards and two TDs from 25 carries.
The Ducks are 8-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 on turf. Oregon is 1-5 ATS in the last six after an ATS win.
Meanwhile, Utah is 6-2 ATS in their last eight November games and 15-6 ATS in their last 21 conference games. The Utes are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 on turf.
PICK: I’m sticking with Oregon. The Ducks had a mild passing day amid their 441 total yards in the Washington State win, with just 135 coming through the air. The rush (306 yards) made up for the rest on the way to 6.4 yards per play and 26 first downs. Oregon also came up with three turnovers on the other side.
As for Utah, they put up 468 yards of offense against Arizona with 26 first downs and 6.3 yards per play overall. It took the Utes a quarter or so to get going, but the team ended up with a solid victory. Still, I think Oregon has cover control here.
