Southern Utah vs Arizona State Odds, Picks, and Predictions: A Dance With the Devils

College football is back in full swing with a full slate of games this weekend. 

The action begins Thursday night which is when we’ll see Kenny Dillingham’s debut as Arizona State’s head football coach. He brings plenty of excitement and an infectious attitude, so it’s curious to see how that will combine with this week’s news that the program will serve a self-imposed one-year bowl ban.

The first order of business for Dillingham and company will be getting past Southern Utah, an FCS team that finished with a losing record a year ago but may offer more resistance than expected with an effective three-year starter at quarterback. 

Given the Tunderbirds’ proclivity for allowing points against FBS opponents and both teams’ preference for the offensive side of the ball, this one could turn out to be high-scoring. Read on for my college football odds breakdown, best bet and full college football picks and predictions for Southern Utah vs. Arizona State on Thursday, August 31 to find out.  

Southern Utah vs Arizona State best odds

Southern Utah vs Arizona State picks and predictions

The big news about the Arizona State football program is that they announced Sunday morning that they’ll serve a self-imposed bowl ban this season. Considering Vegas lists ASU’s win total at just 4.5, that ban isn’t expected to be of much consequence. 

I’d say that last season was one from hell, but I’m not sure if that would imply it was a good thing for a team named the Sun Devils. Anyhow, it was a disaster, and the team opted to bring in 33-year-old head coach Kenny Dillingham to turn around the program. 

His first step was to completely remake the roster, bringing in 50 new scholarship players to bring them near the NCAA’s 85 scholarship limit. Roster turnover is commonplace in today’s college football but the sheer amount of turnover at ASU is still a standout among other programs like Colorado that took a similar approach to a rebuild. 

One of those new faces is true freshman quarterback Jaden Rashada, a four-star who emerged victorious from a three-way quarterback competition. The staff has praised his ability to throw the deep ball and to me that signals that they want to be aggressive, which makes sense considering the way the pieces assemble on this roster. 

I expect the Sun Devils’ identity in 2023 to be a team that is capable of scoring points offensively while allowing its fair share of yards defensively. This is a team that I have circled to play Overs on this season when the time is right as they have an underrated receiving room and are weak up front defensively. The staff will likely be happy to get into shootouts as that’s their best path to find wins. 

Leading receiver Elijah Badger and linebacker Will Shaffer have been suspended for the first half of the opener. There’s ample talent to fill in including Xavier Guillory, Gio Sanders, Melquan Stovall, and Troy Omiere, as well as emerging star Jalin Conyers at tight end. Guillory in particular offers intrigue after posting 785 receiving yards for Idaho State a year ago. He stands 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and was clocked running 22.78 mph during an ASU scrimmage. 

Southern Utah finished with a losing record of 5-6 a year ago and was demolished 73-7 by Utah in the Thunderbirds’ lone game against an FBS opponent. They do return quarterback Justin Miller, who was named to the 2023 Walter Payton Award Watch List as a three-year starter who could rewrite the school record book this season.

Miller returns his top target from a year ago, Isaiah Wooden. The versatile weapon posted 832 receiving yards and six touchdowns while adding 253 more yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Miller’s second-favorite target, Tim Patrick, also returns and therefore this passing attack should only improve after averaging 260.7 yards per game a year ago.

I expect the Thunderbirds to contribute on the scoreboard offensively against an ASU defense that ranked 118th in Success Rate last year, returns five starts, and isn’t strong up front. Defensively, the Thunderbirds have allowed 402 combined points to their last seven FBS opponents for an average of 57.4 PPG. 

Give me the Over. 

My best bet: Over 56 (-110 at Unibet)

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Southern Utah vs Arizona State spread and Over/Under analysis

Southern Utah opened at +27 but moved to +31 twenty minutes later, which is where the line resides as of the time of this writing. The total opened at 52.5 and also saw some quick movement upwards to 56. 

The Thunderbirds haven’t had much luck when stepping up in competition, dropping eight straight games against the Pac-12. Perhaps they won’t be too put out by the likely upcoming dissolution of the conference. 

Southern Utah was known more for its offense (30.1 PPG) than its defense (27.9 PPG) last year. There are concerns at the cornerback position, where the team is very green. That may not be a good thing considering the tough test on Thursday night. Defensive coordinator John Kelling summarized the situation: “The group is a work in progress. Lots of new faces but lots of talent. I am anxious to see what they can do as they continue to grow."

The defense has failed to meet the challenge when playing FBS competition. Here are the results since 2017:

There is enough skill talent around Rashada, even with Badger absent for the first half, that one should expect a solid debut from the young gunslinger. 

Southern Utah vs Arizona State betting trend to know

Southern Utah has allowed 57.4 PPG in its last seven games against FBS opponents. Find more NCAAF betting trends for Southern Utah vs Arizona State. Find more college football betting trends for Southern Utah vs Arizona State.

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