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The San Diego State Aztecs take on the Utah Utes. Check out our college football odds series for our San Diego State Utah prediction and pick.
The San Diego State Aztecs made the Mountain West Championship Game last year. They produced a very good season which ended on a sour note in a loss to Utah State. The Aztecs entered this season bringing back a lot of players from last year's group, and what was supposed to make this season extra special for SDSU was that it would finally play in an on-campus home facility, Snapdragon Stadium. The Aztecs played in Jack Murphy (later Qualcomm) Stadium for decades, sharing the home of the former San Diego Chargers. That stadium was demolished, however, and last year, the Aztecs had to play in the Los Angeles metropolitan area as a temporary location. After being a nomadic team without a true home-city field, the Aztecs finally had their own home in 2022. When they took the field against Arizona in their season opener on CBS television, everything seemed possible and attainable.
Then the Arizona game started.
The Wildcats buried the Aztecs by 18 points in a game which was never close. The Aztecs allowed 38 points to a clearly faster and hungrier Arizona team. Seven of their own 20 points came on an Arizona mistake, a punter kicking the ball into the blocker in the end zone. SDSU's offense scored only 13 points. It was a complete disaster for a team which expected to do a lot this year. A wounded Aztec team has a lot to prove heading into this game.
Utah also got wounded in Week 1 of the season. The Utes lost to a Florida team which subsequently fell to Kentucky in Week 2. Utah really needed that Florida loss to look better and better as the season unfolded, but Week 2 immediately put a dent in those plans. Utah's College Football Playoff hopes are already in great danger. There is zero margin for error the rest of the way. The Utes must drill every opponent and get help from lots of outside sources if they want to make a breakthrough. The journey begins with this game against San Diego State.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the San Diego State-Utah College Football odds.
College Football Odds: San Diego State-Utah Odds
San Diego State Aztecs: +20.5 (+100)
Utah Utes: -20.5 (-122)
Over: 49.5 (-106)
Under: 49.5 (-114)
Why San Diego State Could Cover the Spread
Utah just isn't as good as we thought. The Utes could not stop Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, but one week later, Kentucky was able to figure out how to handle the Gator signal-caller. Kentucky is a good team, to be sure, but the Wildcats were not supposed to be better than Utah this year. It's true that teams can and do evolve after Week 1, but from what we have seen, it sure seems that Utah's upside was overestimated and that the Utes had more limitations than many were willing to admit. Keep in mind that last year's Utah team lost multiple games before the Rose Bowl against Ohio State. The ceiling of this team was viewed as being higher than it actually is. San Diego State can keep this one close.
Why Utah Could Cover the Spread
After the loss to Florida, Utah seemed to get the message against Southern Utah in Week 2. Many will say that Southern Utah offers no real basis for measurement, and that's a fair point, but Utah did crush its FCS opponent by scoring more than 70 points. That's what a top-10-level team should do. Utah is ready to regroup and play the way it is supposed to.
Final San Diego State-Utah Prediction & Pick
If Utah plays up to its capabilities, it will run away with this game. Given the urgency attached to the pursuit of a playoff berth and the need to maximize this season, Utah will indeed hammer the Aztecs.
Final San Diego State-Utah Prediction & Pick: Utah -20.5
