This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: Oregon State vs. Utah Best Bets
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The Utes will travel to Corvallis to face Oregon State, who are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Washington State. Meanwhile, Utah struggled through a low-scoring matchup against UCLA, and though they pulled out the win, the offense continued to look very one-dimensional without Cameron Rising in the lineup. Can youngster Nate Johnson get the ball out to his playmakers and keep Oregon State's solid defense on its heels? Let's see what the sportsbooks have to say.
Oregon State vs. Utah Betting Odds for Week 5
Spread: Oregon State -3.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: 44.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Oregon State -164 (FanDuel Sportsbook, Utah +140 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
After sitting as a Pick'em last weekend, the pendulum has swung Oregon State's way, as the public money seems increasingly convinced that the Beavers are for real and can take down the Utes. The total has stayed roughly in the same range.
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Oregon State vs. Utah Betting Picks for Week 5
There are several reasons why the Beavers are favored in this matchup. Not only are the Utes without Rising, but they also lost RB Micah Bernard for the season and are also trying to cope without Ja'Quinden Jackson at 100 percent. Add in an injured Brant Kuithe, and you're looking at a severely depleted offense. If Nate Johnson starts as expected, the Utes will be limited in what they can do vertically. Johnson does not yet have the goods to throw downfield consistently, and it will be necessary against a stalwart Oregon State defensive front that will load the box and force Utah to do something other than run the ball, which they did 74 percent of the time last week. Oregon State is far from a perfect team, but their defense is light out against the run, and while they showed their weakness defending the pass against Washington State's relentless aerial attack, they have nothing to worry about against Utah. The Utes have one of the best defenses in the country, but if they can't put any points up, it won't matter much. I was initially tempted to take Oregon State, but I'm convinced that the Under is the better play right now. Utah will contain Oregon State's offense and do little of their own scoring.
Oregon State vs. Utah Expert Pick: Under 44.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
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Oregon State vs. Utah Predictions for Week 5
The big question will be how effective Damien Martinez and Deshaun Fenwick will be against Utah's defense. Baylor has been the only team that's compiled over 100 yards against them, meaning they contained guys like Carson Steele and Trevor Etienne with relative ease. Martinez is on another level, but it will be up to the offensive line to create openings for him. The Beavers will also need DJ Uiagalelei to limit mistakes and mix up the playbook enough to keep the offense balanced. It will probably be another rough day for Johnson, who was sacked four times and held to two rushing yards. As I said above, I believe the two defenses will cancel each other out, and the only way we'll see the Over is if the defenses can either score or flip the field with a turnover a few times. Oregon State 23, Utah 13.
