Among the Week 2 action for college football, we have a Big 12 matchup with the Utah Utes hosting the Baylor Bears. The Utes are heavy favorites at college football sportsbooks, but we’ll look at how each team might fare in this matchup below.
Utah favored over Baylor ahead of conference matchup
How Utah could win this game and cover the spread
The Utes notched a 49-0 victory in Week 1, beating Southern Utah. The team had quarterback Cam Rising back in the lineup after he got hurt in 2023. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 254 yards and five touchdowns and had four carries for 25 yards. The Utes also had tight end Brant Kuithe back. He caught four passes for 69 yards and three TDs, while Dijon Stanley had three catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Baylor has nine starters back on defense. In 2023, the Bears allowed 443 yards (119th), 35.7 points (122nd), and opponents to score 4.4 offensive touchdowns (123rd) per game.
How Baylor could cover the spread
The Bears have a new quarterback, Dequan Finn, coming over from Toledo. In their Week 1 win over Tarleton State, he completed 14 of 22 passes for 192 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions to go along with six carries for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Baylor held Utah’s offense to 153 passing yards in 2023, but that was with Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson at quarterback. They’ll need to replicate that against Rising.
