Baylor vs. Utah: Prediction, Preview, Picks and Odds
Week 2 of the college football season is here. No. 12 Utah plays Baylor, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 7; 2:30 p.m. (CT); Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, UT
TV: FOX
Records: Baylor (1-0); No. 12 Utah (1-0)
Last Week: Baylor 45, Tarleton State 3; No. 12 Utah 49, Southern Utah 0
Series History: Utah leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Utah 20, Baylor 13 (2023)
Fun Fact: Despite sharing the Big 12 this season, the Week 2 matchup between Baylor and Utah will be treated as a nonconference game after a home-and-home series was scheduled back in 2015.
Baylor vs. Utah Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Utah (-17)
Over/Under: 53.5
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Utah (77.8%)
KEY PLAYERS
Baylor Bears
QB Dequan Finn
As bad as the Baylor defense was in 2023, the offense was equally to blame for the disappointing 3-9 campaign. The Bears topped 35 points just once last season – a 36-35 comeback upset over the UCF Knights – and scored less than 20 points on five occasions. Then, Dequan Finn arrived in Waco. The former MAC Offensive Player of the Year led Baylor to 45 points in their season-opening win with two passing touchdowns and a 39-yard rushing score that showed off his dual-threat ability.
LB Matt Jones
After starting all 12 games and leading the Bears’ defense with 82 tackles last season, sixth-year senior Matt Jones is back in the middle of the BU defense and is the co-leader with seven tackles after Week 1. His job will be much tougher in Week 2, though, as the jump from Tarleton State’s offense to the Cam Rising-led Utah will be quite an adjustment.
Utah Utes
QB Cam Rising
Cam Rising’s third season as the starting quarterback at Utah started off with a bang last week as he threw for five touchdowns and 254 yards on just ten completions against Southern Utah in a 49-0 splattering. Baylor’s secondary will be a stiffer test, but it’s hard to imagine Rising will have just 15 attempts this week, either. If he has time to throw, it’s going to be a massive issue for Dave Aranda’s defense.
DT Junior Tafuna
Utah brings a wealth of talent into the Big 12 with it in 2024, and perhaps the most unsung of their upper-echelon players is defensive tackle Junior Tafuna. Listed at 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Tafuna has started each of the last 36 games for the Utes at defensive tackle and was an All-Pac-12 selection in each of his past three seasons. He’ll be a focal point for the Bears offensive line this week, and keeping him from disrupting the flow of Baylor’s offense will be paramount.
KEY STORYLINES
Baylor Bears
Can Dequan Finn do it against top competition? There’s little to no doubt that Baylor’s quarterback play will be improved in 2024 as compared to the previous two seasons, but the ceiling of this squad rests squarely on the shoulders of their new signal-caller. If Finn can stretch a defense like Utah’s and put anywhere near 30 points up on the road, the Bears will be a much tougher out than anyone anticipated. This game won’t count as a Big 12 matchup, but it’s a great chance for the Bears to stack themselves up against the league’s top competitor before their conference slate begins.
Utah Utes
Do the Utes have a homerun threat in the backfield? Against Southern Utah in Week 1, the Utah offense rushed for 185 yards on 39 carries. However, the leading rusher in that game was Dijon Stanley, who capped out at 34 yards on the night. Micah Bernard, who is the starter at running back, had five carries for 33 yards. Now, the efficiency wasn’t the issue for Utah, and much of their carries came from guys well down the depth chart. However, seeing Micah Bernard come alive in this game could open things up even more for Cam Rising, and if that happens, watch out.
PREDICTION: Utah 38, Baylor 27
Do I have faith in Baylor to go into Salt Lake City and win this game? Absolutely not. Do I think they will go up there and make it interesting for four quarters? You bet I do. Dequan Finn is probably the player in the Big 12 that isn’t being talked about enough, and I think he’ll give Kyle Whittingham and company some issues throughout the game.
However, I think Utah is a much more well-rounded football team than Baylor is right now, and I think their balance on offense and defense will win the day. Rising and Finn will trade scores for the first three quarters, but the Utes’ defense will eventually make a play that Baylor can’t overcome. While the Bears don’t come home with a win, I believe they will go to Rice-Eccles Stadium and show they can hang with the Big 12’s best, and it won’t cost them a game in the conference title race to do so.
