Utah vs. Arizona State: Prediction, Preview, Betting Odds
Week 7 of the college football season is here. Utah plays Arizona State, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Friday, October 11, 2024; 9:30 p.m. (CT); Mountain America Stadium; Tempe, AZ
TV: ESPN
Records: Utah (4-1, 1-1); Arizona State (4-1, 1-1)
Last Week: Utah Football: Bye Week; Arizona State Football: Def. Kansas, 35-31
Series History: Arizona State leads, 22-12-0
Last Meeting: Utah 55, Arizona State 3 (2023)
Fun Fact: Arizona State dominated this series until 2015, after which Utah is 6-2 against the Sun Devils. Before that, ASU had won 11 straight meetings with the Utes and had a 20-6 edge in the all-time series.
Utah vs. Arizona State Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Utah (-5)
Over/Under: 45.5
Key Players
Utah Utes
QB Cam Rising
After missing the last three games, Utah quarterback Cam Rising will make his return to the field against Arizona State on Saturday. Without Rising, the Utes’ offense has averaged just 16 point per game in Big 12 play and has, in large part, been handicapped by the inexperience of Isaac Wilson. Now, with Rising back in the fold, the Utah offense should have its bite back, and that could be problematic for ASU.
DE Van Fillinger
Through the first four games of the season, Utah defensive end Van Fillinger was one of the most disruptive players in the Big 12. Then, after 5.5 sacks through four games, he was held without one against Utah. Fillinger has been the chaos coordinator for the Utes this season, and against Arizona State, he’ll need to be that once again.
Arizona State Sun Devils
QB Sam Leavitt
Sam Leavitt and the Arizona State offense appeared to take another step forward in a comeback win over Kansas this past weekend. The freshman signal-caller completed 14 of 24 attempts for 157 yards and four touchdowns (1 INT) and also added ten rushes for 77 yards on the ground. He’ll need to be dynamic and take care of the football this week to give his team a shot at a win over a ranked opponent.
LB Keyshaun Elliott
Junior linebacker Keshaun Elliott has been one of the top defenders for Arizona State this season, and ranks second on the team in tackles with 36 stops on the year. He’s also added an interception and a sack to his tally, but will miss the first half of this game after being ejected for a targeting call in the second half of the Kansas game. As the signal-caller for the Sun Devils’ defense, missing Elliott could have a big impact on communication for ASU in the first half, so that will be a major focus for them this week at practice.
KEY STORYLINES
Utah Utes
How effective is Cam Rising? After missing the last three games due to an injury to his throwing hand, Rising is set to make his return to the field. If he’s close to 100% this week, Utah will look much more like the team that was picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason. If he’s rusty, or still has issues placing the ball like he wants to, it could prove to be the thing that keeps Utah from reaching its ceiling in 2024. All eyes will be on Rising in Tempe, Arizona, this weekend.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Can Arizona State live up to the moment? Getting a comeback win over Kansas last week was huge for the Sun Devils, but a win over Utah could change the program’s trajectory. The college football world will be tuned in on Friday night, and ASU going out and knocking off Utah would be the biggest win of Kenny Dillingham’s career. This will be a tough test for an ascending Arizona State group, but they should have all the motivation in the world after Utah embarrassed them 55-3 last year.
PREDICTION: Utah 34, Arizona State 20
Prior to learning that Cam Rising was set to make his return against Arizona State on Saturday, this felt like a game that Utah was going to have to stretch out to win in a close, low-scoring affair. We had the Utes winning (without Rising), 24-20, and getting back on track after a disappointing loss to Arizona and a bye week to recover.
However, Cam Rising getting back on the field for Utah is a huge boost for the offense, and that changes how this game will play out.
The Utah offense will finally have some real balance with Rising back under center, and that will allow the Utes’ coaching staff to approach their game plans with a little more aggression. That makes all the difference, and Utah re-positions itself as one of the teams to beat in the Big 12 race.
