UConn vs Utah State Odds, Picks and Predictions: Spread is too Steep to take the Favorite

College Football is finally here, and the Utah State Aggies will meet the Connecticut Huskies to help get things started.

UConn has been a doormat for the last decade, but there seems to be some renewed optimism with new Head Coach Jim Mora leading things. The veteran HC took the job in November and will look to build on the Huskies' 1-11 finish last year. 

Utah State comes off one of the best finishes in school history and will now attempt to defend their Mountain West Championship in 2022.

Can the Aggies cover this large opening week spread? Find out in our free college football picks and predictions for Utah State vs. Connecticut on Saturday, August 27th.

UConn vs Utah State odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Odds for this game opened up with Utah State as hefty 27.5-point favorites. We've seen minimum movement since then, but you will find that bet down to 26.5 at some places. The total opened up a 60.5 and has since fallen to 59.5 at most locations, with some books offering 59.0.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

UConn vs Utah State predictions

• Prediction: UConn +27.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 59.5 (-115)
• Best bet: UConn +27.5 (-110)

Predictions made on 8/25/2022 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

UConn vs Utah State game info

• Location: Marlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium, Logan, UT
• Date: Saturday, August 27, 2021
• Kick-off: 4:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Fox Sports 1

UConn vs Utah State betting preview

Weather

Monitor gametime conditions with our College football weather info.

Key injuries

UConn: Cameron Ross WR (Out), Matt Drayton WR (Questionable). 
Utah State: No key injuries to report. 
Find our latest College football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 4-1 in Utah State's last five out-of-conference matchups. Find more NCAA betting trends for UConn vs. Utah State.

UConn vs Utah State picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

From a spread perspective, there are perhaps no more challenging games to call from the opening week than this one. Utah State will have the same offensive, defensive, and special team coordinators for the first time in five seasons. That stability against a new coach at UConn would initially lead you to side with the Aggies.

However, they have a matchup looming against Alabama the following week and you'd imagine that would make them want to be as vanilla as possible against a team that won just one game a season ago. The Jim Mora hire by the Huskies was a weird one to me, but many people in College Football circles have been impressed with his personnel moves thus far.

UConn picked up a transfer at Quarterback from Penn State in Ta'Quan Robinson. He immediately won the job, and now the Huskies have a Power Five caliber player behind center plus a veteran group of pass catchers.

Utah State could be excellent again this season. They have an offensive line that returns all of its starters and a wide receiver core that is both talented and well-seasoned. Last season, their offense ranked third in explosiveness and below average in finishing drives. The Aggies' defense is pretty young, losing four of their top five tacklers from 2021.

Several things line up for me to take Connecticut and points here. Firstly, my Power Rankings say this spread should be around 23.5. From a raw perspective, I see the value.

Beyond that, I expect you'll get a monotonous offensive showing against a defense in UConn that ranked in the Top 25 of explosiveness allowed next season. I'll take the Huskies as I expect Utah State to take a while to get going in their home opener.

Prediction: UConn +27.5 (-110 at WynnBET)

Over/Under analysis

We've seen this total steadily drop since it's been posted, signaling that there is some respected money coming in on the Under. I'm following that steam and believe it's the right spot here.

It would be one of the most significant upsets of all time, but if Connecticut were to have any hope in this one, they'd want to bleed the clock. Nathan Carter at tailback is also the most trusted asset of their offense, as he averaged 4.6 yards per carry a season ago.

I've already mentioned the aspect of Alabama looming and how the Aggies won't want to risk injury or put much on film. The projected game flow is that Utah State gets up early and sets things on cruise control. However, I anticipate they have more trouble than expected at doing so.

As previously mentioned, UConn was one of the better teams in the country at limiting the big play last year. In addition to that, Utah State didn't do a great job of finishing drives in 2021.

I believe this is more of a struggle early than Utah State would like, which makes it a natural Under play for myself.

Prediction: Under 59.5 (-115 WynnBET)

Best bet

I'm not sure how many times I'll be confidently backing Uconn to cover spreads this season. This team will improve, but they are still not good at football. However, they are being undervalued by the betting market here.

The defense did an excellent job limiting big plays last season and didn't lose many pieces. The simple addition of Jim Mora as head coach should also really help the offense this year.

Since the market opened for this one, money has steadily come in on the Huskies. I agree and will double down with UConn as my best bet.

Pick: UConn +27.5 (-110 at WynnBET)

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