College football prediction market apps are preparing for a stacked slate of key Saturday afternoon matchups this weekend, starting with the No. 9 BYU Cougars traveling to Salt Lake City to take on the No. 3 Utah Utes.
This market is already approaching $1 million in total trading volume on Kalshi, where the Utes currently enjoy a meaningful margin over a Cougars team that has looked lackluster in its two most recent outings. Technically, this will be a “Saturday morning” game in local time that will be broadcast live on ABC.
The No. 3 Utah Utes are 5.5-point favorites to win this game on their home field. The Cougars are in need of an immediate about-face after losing to the UCF Bulls and defeating unranked Arizona State by a lone touchdown.
We see no reason to soak up contracts on the Cougars to win or keep this game close on the road. Sure, the trip from Provo is just a 45-minute direct drive using I-15. But the Utes’ home-field advantage will be extremely difficult to overcome for a team that struggles managing the clock in crucial scenarios.
Our best picks revolve around the Utah Utes remaining undefeated and handing the Cougars a loss that is likely to knock them out of postseason contention. Utah’s contracts on Kalshi can currently be purchased for 64¢ apiece.
BYU running back LJ Martin is unconfirmed for this Saturday’s game. If he’s not able to participate, the line could skew even more in favor of Utah. The Utes lost offensive lineman Kelvin Obot (lower leg) for the rest of the season.
Saturday’s game will be a historic event for the Utah Utes, whose No. 3 national ranking is one the highest in the college football team’s history. A win at home would all but secure a spot in the Big 12 Championship game for the Utes and pave the way for a potential showdown with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Utah’s final three opponents (following this Saturday’s game) are Big 12 teams that should be easy to overcome.
Only Miami and Georgia are ranked ahead of Utah in the most recent College Football Playoff poll. The Utes could move into pole position for a first-round postseason bye if they are able to take care of business against BYU in Salt Lake City.
As with most highly anticipated sports forecasts, the in-game trading on this game could be furious regardless of which team jumps out to an early lead. The stakes are extremely high for BYU, in particular, due to the Cougars’ mishaps over their last two games.
Big 12 officials and fans alike will be keeping a close eye on clock management, as BYU has been fortunate up to this point to benefit from a couple of key (and controversial) press box mistakes. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time.
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