College football picks, Week 2: Utah vs. Baylor prediction, odds, spread, game preview, more
The Utah Utes (1-0) take on the Baylor Bears (0-1) on Saturday, September 9. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET from Waco, Texas. Utah started their season with a bang, beating the brakes off of Florida and keeping the Gators to three points for the first three quarters. Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes led the charge, as Cameron Rising continues to recover from an ACL injury that occurred last season. Rising is listed as questionable for the week ahead.
Baylor got shocked at home by Texas State, led by former LSU and Auburn quarterback TJ Finley. The Bears were never exactly close, and it was a brutal start to the season for Dave Aranda’s squad. To make it worse, quarterback Blake Shapen is now out for several weeks with a knee injury.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game and a pick.
SP+ Rankings
Utah: 16 overall, 20 offense, 15 defense
Baylor: 56 overall, 31 offense, 84 defense
Injury update
Utah
QB Cameron Rising - Questionable (knee)QB Brandon Rose - Questionable (undisclosed)RB Ja’Quinden Jackson - Questionable (knee)
TE Brant Kuithe - Questionable (Questionable (knee))
Baylor
QB Blake Shapen - Out (knee)LB Garmon Randolph - Out (undisclosed)
S Devin Lemear - Out (elbow)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
Utah: 1-0 ATS
Baylor: 0-1 ATS
Total in 2023
Utah: Over 0-1
Baylor: Over 1-0
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Utah -7.5
Total: 47.5
Moneyline: Utah -310, Baylor +250
Weather
The Pick
Utah -7.5
Baylor ...oof. They didn’t just get upset by Texas State, they got walked on. They were down 28-13 at the half and couldn’t make the second half adjustments they needed. Now, they’re going up against a Utah team that demolished Florida with a backup quarterback? I don’t like this start for the Bears at all. Cameron Rising is still questionable for this Saturday, but Bryson Barnes did everything he needed to do in his start against Florida. I don’t think Utah should have any issues covering here, particularly with Blake Shapen sidelined.
