You used to be Utah, right?
People thought the Utes would be the best team in the new Big 12, but they have lost three games in a row and are off to a shockingly bad start.
They no longer have any dreams of winning the conference title. With games against BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, and UCF still to come, it will be hard for them to even get into a bowl game. A win here.
Houston has lost three of its last four games, but it beat TCU, which just beat Utah in Salt Lake City.
Three of the next four games are at home, and beating the Utes would be huge for the progress. This season has been hard for rebuilding.
Utah vs Houston Preview
Utah vs Houston How to Watch
Date: Saturday, October 26, 2024
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
Venue: TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX
How to Watch: ESPN+
Houston (2-5), Utah (4-3)
Why Utah Will Win
Houston could be the cure for what is wrong with Utah.
Utah has not been really Utah. It is not taking over games, blowing up teams, or pulling away like it does when everything is going well. The Utes ran for 170 yards or more in all four wins and 140 yards or less in all three losses. This is not an accident.
Part of the problem has been injuries, lack of consistency, and trouble finding a good passing game. The O just stopped working when the ground attack was not clicking, though, which was another problem.
In the three losses, it ran the ball no more than 33 times. In the four wins, it ran it at least 37 times. Kansas learned that if they keep running on Houston, good things will happen.
Cougars beat Rice (24) and TCU (22) when they ran less than 25 times, but…
Why Houston Will Win
Texas needs to get better at passing.
There are some good things about the Cougars, but they have been very inconsistent. The team stays in games when the middle passes go through.
Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss, the passers, will not get to 70%, though. Just half of the passes that teams try to make are going through Utah. However, they only make the third down throws.
Houston is 2-0 when it converts more than 40% of its third down attempts and 0-5 when it doesn’t, so…
Utah vs Houston: Who Will Win
The Utes will be safe because of the defense.
The defense has not let anyone convert 40% of third downs yet—that is only 26% of the time this year, and only two teams got above 30. The offense will still sputter and cough. 29.4% of Houston’s third down tries are made.
The Utes will win, but it will not look good.
Utah vs Houston Prediction, Betting Lines
Utah 24, Houston 13
Line: Utah -4.5, o/u: 36.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 4
Utah vs Houston Must See Rating: 2
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