College football picks, Week 9: Oregon vs. Utah prediction, odds, spread, game preview, more

The meat of the Pac-12 conference schedule continues from Rice-Eccles Stadium when the Oregon Ducks take on the Utah Utes. The kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Oregon leads the overall series 24-12 and won last year’s game 20-17 in Eugene, Oregon.

Oregon (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12) was able to bounce back from its loss against Washington by beating Washington State 38-24 on Saturday. This was a tight game in the first half before the Ducks went on a 21-3 run and never looked back. Bo Nix went 18-25 for 293 yards and two touchdowns through the air, adding an addition rushing TD on the ground.

Utah (6-1, 3-1) rallied to knock out the USC Trojans 34-32 on the road to keep pace the top of the Pac-12 standings. Quarterback Bryson Barnes threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns while adding 57 rushing yards and a touchdown. His scramble late in the fourth quarter led to the Utes game-winning field goal. Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson had 117 rushing yards.

SP+ Rankings

Oregon: 5th overall, 3rd offense, 31st defense
Utah: 24th overall, 43rd offense, 12th defense

Injury update

Oregon

RB Mar’Keise Irving — Probable (undisclosed)DB Khyree Jackson — Questionable (undisclosed)PK Andrew Boyle — Out (undisclosed)RB Noah Whittington — Out for Season (foot)

WR Josh Delgado — Out (undisclosed)

Utah

QB Cam Rising — Out for season (knee)TE Brant Kuithe — Out for season (knee)TE Thomas Yassmin - Out for season (undisclosed)WR Mycah Pittman - Out for season (undisclosed)RB Chris Curry - Out for season (undisclosed)DE Logan Knee — Out for season (knee)

QB Brandon Rose — Out (undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread in 2023 (check here)

Oregon: 5-1-1 ATS
Utah: 4-2-1 ATS

Total in 2023 (check here)

Oregon: Over 3-4
Utah: Over 2-5

Oregon: 1.96 plays per minute of offense (128th overall)
Utah: 2.29 plays per minute of offense (57th overall)

Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Oregon -6.5
Total: 47
Moneyline: Oregon -238, Utah +195

Opening line: Oregon 5.5
Opening total: 50.5

Weather

Mostly sunny skies will give way to clouds in the late afternoon with a slight chance of snow flurries. High of 46 with winds out of the northwest at 10-15 MPH

Our Best Bet for Oregon vs. Utah

Utah +6.5

This game might be more about the defenses than most Pac-12 battles. The Ducks have a clear advantage on offense, and their rush defense is also going to be tough for the Utes to crack through. But Utah has a defense and a darn good one. They will get a couple of turnovers on Bo Nix and score on a couple of short fields. If Oregon has the ball in the end, they will have the advantage with Nix, but Utah is not going to go away easily.