Not many college football teams have played 3 games at this early date in the season. The San Jose State Spartans might be more highly-touted if they hadn’t.
It’s been a woeful late-summer for HC Brent Brennan’s gang. A 42-22 loss to ranked USF didn’t seem too painful. But while the Associated Press called SJS’s 34-17 win over Cal Poly in Week 2 “dominant,” it was still only a 17-point margin over a lower-division opponent.
Then the Spartans traveled to play a struggling Texas team and lost 56-0, seemingly killing any notion that the team can compete with major P5 programs this year.
Meanwhile, the Utah Utes bested state rival BYU last weekend 19-13, and are 2-0 behind a solid defense and dual-threat QB Tyler Huntley passing to Darren Carrington II.
Who: San Jose State Spartans at Utah Utes
When: Saturday, September 16th, 10 PM EST
Where: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
Lines: San Jose State (+26) at Utah (-26) / O/U Total: (59.5)
Huntley is also the Utes’ leading rusher through 2 games, which has to be a minor area of concern. RB Zach Moss has been decent, but any game plan against an under-sized underdog like the Spartans must begin with establishing a running back inside or outside.
The Utes are connecting on well over 73% of their passes, and should experience soft coverage on their WRs in the flat on Saturday night. But to blow the visitors out, a defense which held BYU to 233 yards of total offense must play equally hard against talented freshman QB Montel Aaron of the Spartans.
The O/U has been jumping with the action. An opening line of (50) points caused bettors to flock to the Over, causing the number to rise by 9.5 points on most sports books.
Does the new (59.5) point total put value in the Under?
We’re thinking that despite the lesser competition, the Utes will continue to go slow and steady on offense. Huntley has only tossed one TD pass in 2 games, and RBs will get increased touches as coaches try to develop a consistent push up the middle.
That will bleed the clock and cut down on scoring. Aaron and the Spartans are unlikely to score more than 13 points, and Utah is unlikely to score more than 45.
45 + 13 = 58, still under the point total. Take the Under bet for a winner on Saturday night.