Oregon vs Utah Opening Odds – Utes Small Home Favorites in Battle of Pac-12 Division Leaders

• Utah hosts Oregon in a Pac-12 showdown on Saturday, November 20th
• The Utes have opened as small home favorites in Salt Lake City
• Read below for the full opening odds and projected line movement

Utah (7-3) and Oregon (9-1) faceoff in Salt Lake City on Saturday, November 20th in what could be a preview of the Pac-12 Conference Title game. Both teams can clinch a spot in the game with a victory.

The Utes have opened as small home favorites at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Ducks have won three of the last four meetings in the series, including a 37-15 victory in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship game.

Let’s take a look at the Oregon vs Utah opening odds and examine which direction the line is likely to move.

Oregon vs Utah Week 12 Opening Odds

Odds as of November 14th at DraftKings

Utes’ Offense Catching Fire

Utah’s offense is firing on all cylinders entering their biggest game of the season against Oregon in Week 12. The Utes have scored at least 34 points in five straight games, including a 38-29 win over Arizona in Week 11. Kyle Whittingham’s team failed to cover the spread has heavy -24 road favorites.

A win’s a win.

UTAH MAN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Tz8rYGD3tY

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 13, 2021

The Utes are led under center by sophomore quarterback Cameron Rising, who has thrown for 1,752 yards and 14 TDs with only two interceptions this season. Utah was without leading rusher Tavion Thomas against Arizona, but T.J. Pledger stepped up to the plate with 199 yards and two scores.

While Utah’s offense is dynamic, their defense is also impressive. The Utes are only allowing 347 yards of offense per game and rank 19th nationally in average sacks per game (3). They held Arizona to only 329 total yards of offense, but the Wildcats were able to do some decent damage through the air.

Ducks Eying CFP Berth

Oregon remains in the hunt for a College Football Playoff berth entering Week 12 against Utah. The Ducks are occupying third spot in the CFP rankings thanks to a big Week 2 win over Ohio State in Columbus. Mario Cristobal’s team survived a scare from Washington State in a 38-24 Week 11 victory.

DUCKS WIN‼

No. 3 Oregon improves to 9-1, rushes for 300+ yards in win over Washington State.

Next: 11/20 at Utah#GoDucks pic.twitter.com/qLuKX6x6yl

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) November 14, 2021

Much like with Utah’s win over Arizona, Oregon’s victory over the Cougars wasn’t all that convincing. The Ducks just barely covered the spread as -13.5 favorites depending on which sportsbook you look at. QB Anthony Brown had a big day with his legs, as Oregon gashed the Cougars for over 300 rushing yards.

Oregon’s defense has had it’s issues, but their ability to force turnovers is impressive. The Ducks came away with three takeaways vs Arizona and rank sixth nationally in interceptions per game (1.40). Despite losing RB CJ Verdell to injury early in the year, Oregon’s biggest strength remains its rush attack, which is averaging 227 yards per game.

Oregon vs Utah Expected Line Movement

The Oregon vs Utah opening odds list the Utes as home favorites, but this line could shift come kickoff. On the surface, these are two evenly matched teams with strong rushing attacks and decent defenses. The Utes get the edge with home-field advantage, but that loses some weight when you consider Oregon is 9-5 all-time in Salt Lake City.

This line will likely shift a bit in Oregon’s direction, as the public loves betting on top-ranked teams facing schools with inferior records. Furthermore, the Ducks boast one of the country’s top players in DE Kayvon Thibodeaux. Neither Oregon or Utah have been particularly good against the spread, however, with both teams owning 4-6 ATS records.

There’s a good chance the total for this game will also get hit, as both teams showed defensive vulnerability in Week 11. The “over” has cashed in three straight meetings between Utah and Oregon. Rising and Brown are two talented QBs who could light up the scoreboard Saturday night in primetime.