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It is officially college football bowl season! Utah State and Oregon State face off in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl on Saturday. It's time to continue our college football odds series with a Utah State-Oregon State prediction and pick based on Utah State Oregon State odds.
Utah State is the Mountain West Conference Champions this year after dominating No. 19 San Diego State 46-13 for the title. SDSU was missing over 20 starters for the game, but Utah State took advantage of that nonetheless. It's been one of the better seasons for Utah State in recent memory, finishing 10-3. They will now take on Oregon State in a bowl game and have a chance to defeat a PAC-12 school for the second time this season. Utah State defeated Washington State for their first win back in September. Utah State became the fourth team in history to win 10 games the year after finishing with less than two wins the year prior.
Oregon State continues to be a no-show in the PAC-12. It's another year of average play and it's been a long time since they were really relevant in the PAC-12. They finished the season 7-5 which is good enough for a bowl game, but they need to improve if they want a shot at the conference title in the future. This is the Beaver's first bowl appearance since 2013. They are 1-5 on the road this season but their lone win came in LA when they knocked off USC. If Oregon State wins this game, however, then that would be a big momentum boost heading into 2022.
Here is how FanDuel set the Utah State-Oregon State line for Saturday night.
College Football Odds: Utah State-Oregon State Odds
Utah State: +7 (-105)
Oregon State: -7 (-115)
Over: 67 (-110)
Under: 67 (-110)
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Why Utah State Could Cover The Spread
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Utah State's quarterback Logan Bonner has a school-record 36 touchdown passes this year. Bonner led the Aggies to the title and needs just eight more passing yards to surpass Jordan Love's school record. His favorite target is Deven Thompkins who also has a school-record 1,589 receiving yards and has six 100 yards games. Running back Calvin Tyler Jr. will be a name to watch in this game. He transferred from Oregon State this year after spending the last four seasons there. He ended the year with 764 rushing yards and three 100-yard games.
The Aggies can cover this spread if they continue to let Bonner let loose. When Bonner and Thompkins are feeling it, their offense is very tough to stop. I can't expect that the Beavers will do much to contain them. The Mountain West and PAC-12 split at 5-5 this year, so it's not easy to tell who will come out on top in this one. Although, the Aggies beat Washington State early in the year who then beat Oregon State. That could be a factor in this game. Utah State shouldn't have any issues scoring, so if their defense contains the strong Oregon State run game, then they should upset the Beavers and cover the spread.
Why Oregon State Could Cover The Spread
Oregon State is built off its strong run game. Starting running back B.J. Taylor led the PAC-12 Conference with 1,259 rushing yards. He is the first Beaver to accomplish that feat since Steven Jackson in 2003. That is going to be what wins the game for Oregon State today. Utah State contains a solid defense that is one of the nation's leaders in tackles for loss. If Oregon State can avoid that, then they should have no problem running all over them. The Aggies' defense did shut down a very good SDSU run game in the Conference Title game.
Utah State is 9-4 against the spread and Oregon State is 7-5 against the spread this season. These two teams are neck-and-neck when it comes to points scored and allowed. The only major difference is that Utah State averages about 20 more yards per game than the Beavers. This should be a very close game and one that could be high-scoring as well. If the Beavers establish their run game early on, then it will be tough for the Aggies to fight back. Although, the Aggies are known for their passing game.
Final Utah State-Oregon State Prediction & Pick
This is a tough one to predict because of how evenly matched these teams are. Based on their last game, I am going to go with Utah State to cover this spread. Whether they win or not, I don't think they will lose by a touchdown. I think this game will be very close and it could even go to overtime. I am also taking the over at 67 because I think it will be a shoot-out. Both of these teams' offenses are what is going to win them the game.
Final Utah State-Oregon State Prediction & Pick: Utah State +7 (-105) & Over: 67 (-110)
