No. 9 Utah vs Washington
Opening Line: Utah -1
This a showdown of Pac-12 powers and will have a huge impact on who will play No. 7 Oregon in the Pac-12 championship.
Utah is 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play and tied with USC (5-3 overall, 4-1 in conference), but USC holds the tie-breaker over Utah because of a 30-23 win over the Utes earlier this season. Utah needs help to move ahead of the Trojans. The Utes do not have to wait long for that help to arrive, as USC hosts No. 7 Oregon this Saturday and then travels to play at Arizona State the following week.
Current NCAAF odds show USC as a 4.5-point home underdog hosting Oregon. Suffice to say, these games will play a major role in the Pac-12 race.
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Why be Bullish on Utah?
Utah is on a four-game winning streak and has covered every game against the spread. Utah has played better in each game on both sides of the ball, and the Utes have yet to reach their peak performance levels. It is akin to watching Apple stock rise as it has in recent months to post all-time highs, but there are no signs of the numbers having peaked. This means that the stock will continue to move higher in price, just as the expectation is for Utah to continue playing better over the remainder of the season.
Utah has held six of its seven opponents to less than 100 rushing yards with the lone exception being Arizona State. The Utah pass defense was struggling in the first three games of the season and allowed a season-worst 368 yards to USC. Since that game, the Utes have significantly improved in each game and most recently held their last two opponents to a combined total of just 85 passing yards (Arizona State with 28 and California with 60).
Utah has held five of its seven opponents to season lows in points, including three teams that failed to score 10 or more points. The Utes have held four teams to season lows in rushing yards and four teams to season lows in passing yards. They held foes Northern Illinois and California to season lows in both rushing and passing yards.
So, there you have it. It's tough to see how Washington is going to be able to sustain drives and keep the chains moving against the vastly underrated Utah defense. The Huskies defense will have immense difficulties getting off the field, and the Utah offensive line is going to wear them down over the course of the game.
The Bullish Best Bet is on the Utes as 3-point favorites.
No. 7 Oregon vs USC
Opening Line: Oregon -4.5
You should be all over the Ducks in this matchup.
This is a situational betting system that has made over $4,000 per $100 NCAAF pick (95-52 for 65 percent winning NCAAF picks) spanning the last 10 seasons. Play on all teams from Week 7 on to the end of the regular season that are coming off a game in which the defense allowed less than 100 rushing yards and is a solid offensive rushing team averaging between 180 and 220 rushing yards per game on the season.
How will the USC defense keep the Oregon offense from scoring 28 or more points in this game? Note that USC is a money-losing 2-12 ATS over the last three seasons and 17-82 ATS since 2000 when it has allowed an opponent to score 28 or more points. When USC has had NCAAF odds as a home underdog and allowed the visitor to score more than 28 points, the Trojans are 1-8 ATS. It's a downright ugly situation for USC.
So, the Bullish Bet to Make with Confidence is on the Ducks as 4.5-point road favorites.