College football odds Week 4: How to bet Utah-Arizona State

The Utah Utes will travel to Arizona Saturday night to take on the Sun Devils in a college football, Pac-12 contest.

The 2-1 Utes are coming off a 35-7 win against San Diego State. The Sun Devils are coming off two-straight losses to Oklahoma State and Eastern Michigan and the recent firing of head coach Herm Edwards. 

Will Utah leave the desert with a win? Or will Arizona State get an upset victory at home?

Here’s everything you need from a betting perspective on the game between Utah and Arizona State from the point spread, moneyline, total over/under and expert pick (odds via FOX Bet).

No. 13 Utah @ Arizona State (10:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN)

Point spread: Utah -15.5 (Utah favored to win by more than 15.5 points, otherwise Arizona State covers)
Moneyline: Utah -769 favorite to win (bet $10 to win $11.30 total); Arizona State +500 underdog to win (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Total scoring over/under: 54 points scored by both teams combined

Pick via FOX Sports Analyst Geoff Schwartz:

Arizona State fired head coach Herm Edwards on Sunday night after an embarrassing loss at home to Eastern Michigan. I believe this firing could give the Sun Devils’ squad a bit of juice to start this game on Saturday. 

Edwards’ squads were always good at two things — conservative game plans and penalties. With him out of the building, it’s fair to assume those will change. The program will get a jolt of energy. Overall, I expect the Sun Devils will move forward with a more aggressive game plan and more hands-on coaching from the top dog in the program.

In addition to the Sun Devils getting a mental boost with a new staff, I do believe there are a few matchups on the field that can keep this game close for the first half. 

State’s rushing attack is the best in the country at generating explosive run plays. Running back Xazavian Valladay has 6.5 yards per carry, and the Arizona State offensive line is giving him nearly three yards per rush before contact. Utah’s rushing defense has struggled at times this season. The Utes are 85th in rushing success rate and have been poor at allowing explosive running plays. The Sun Devils have an athletic quarterback in Florida transfer Emory Jones who should be used more in the offense. Utah struggled in Week 1 against a similar style of quarterback.

Utah seems to have issues as a program playing games in the Arizona desert. They are 1-3 in Tempe since joining the conference, and while this game is at night, something about the environment in Tempe has bothered the Utes. Utah has started slow in its last two games, only scoring seven points combined in the team’s two first quarters.

This is only a first-half wager on the Sun Devils because Utah will overwhelm the Devils for a full 60 minutes. Utah is a far better team, and once the burst of new energy wears off, the Utes will dominate this game. I think you could even take Arizona State first half and Utah full game. 

But I’ll just roll with the Sun Devils for the first half.  

PICK: Arizona State +8 1st half

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