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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is back from a break and BYU tries desperately to get back on track after three-straight losses.
The games start on Thursday this week, so make your picks here.
No. 14 Utah (5-2) at Washington State (4-3)
Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. MDT (FS1)
Utah's high-powered offense meets a struggling Washington State team with just one win in Pac-12 play.
Why Utah will win: The Utes are averaging 40 points per game to just 24 for the Cougars. The team had a bye week last week to recover after its dramatic 43-42 win over USC on Oct. 15.
Cam Rising is up to 15 passing touchdowns on the year and also scored three times on the ground against the Trojans, including the game winner. Dalton Kincaid is up to six receiving touchdowns on the year after his monster game against USC, and the Utah offense looks to keep things moving in Pullman this week.
Why Washington State will win: Despite averaging just 24 points on offense, the Cougars also hold opponents to just 20 points on average.
Quarterback Cameron Ward is letting it fly this season with 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions on nearly 2,000 passing yards already. He will have to go shot-for-shot with the other quarterback named Cameron to have any chance against the Utes.
Betting line: Utah -7
Over/under: 55
East Carolina (5-3) at BYU (4-4)
Friday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. MDT (ESPN2)
BYU is still the favorite in this matchup at home, but the Cougars' record and recent results do not bode well against the Pirates (5-3).
Why East Carolina will win: The Pirates can score the football, putting up 47 and 48 points this month in wins against Memphis and USF, respectively. Going up against a broken BYU defense that has given up 41 and 52 points in its last two games must have them licking their chops.
Quarterback Holton Ahlers leads the attack with 18 touchdowns on 2,435 passing yards. His favorite receiver, Keaton Mitchell, has eight touchdown catches this season.
Why BYU will win: The Cougars are in a tough place: losers of three straight and totaling as many losses as the last two seasons combined. Their one hope still relies on Jaren Hall at quarterback.
Hall is up to 19 touchdowns on the year and still has just three interceptions. He and the offense were stymied in last week's 41-14 loss to Liberty, but they return home to LaVell Edwards Stadium now, where they've scored at least 35 points in each of their last three games.
Betting line: BYU -3
Over/under: 62
No. 2 Ohio State (7-0) at No. 13 Penn State (6-1)
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. MDT (FOX)
The Buckeyes face their first ranked opponent since Week 1 against No. 5 Notre Dame as they hit the road to face Penn State.
Why Ohio State will win: The Buckeyes have the Heisman front-runner in C.J. Stroud, a perfect record and are outscoring opponents 49-14 on average.
Stroud has 28 touchdown passes through seven games, and running back Miyan Williams has nine scores on the ground already. The only time they have been held under 25 points was in Week 1 against Notre Dame.
Why Penn State will win: The Nittany Lions are coming off a dominant 45-17 win over Minnesota at home last week, but struggled in their only ranked matchup of the season in a 41-17 loss to No. 5 Michigan.
Quarterback Sean Clifford has been efficient throwing the ball, totaling 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Nicholas Singleton leads the ground game with 561 yards and seven touchdowns.
Betting line: Ohio State -15.5
Over/under: 61
No. 9 Oklahoma State (6-1) at No. 22 Kansas State (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. MDT (FOX)
The Cowboys and Wildcats meet in a battle for second place in the Big 12 behind undefeated TCU.
Why Oklahoma State will win: The Cowboys have momentum after taking TCU to double overtime two weeks ago and beating No. 20 Texas last week.
Spencer Sanders crossed 2,000 passing yards on the season last week and is up to 15 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Running back Dominic Richardson has eight touchdowns on the ground.
Why Kansas State will win: Home-field advantage gives the Wildcats a slight edge in the Vegas odds, and they'll have to hope their defense — which is holding opponents to under 20 points on average — is up to the task against a Cowboys offense averaging 44 points per game.
Quarterback Max Duggan and running back Kendre Miller led the way on offense in last week's 38-28 loss to TCU, putting up three and two scores, respectively.
Betting line: Kansas State -1.5
Over/under: 56
Coastal Carolina (6-1) at Marshall (4-3)
Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. MDT (NFL Network)
Marshall has lost three of five since its stunning Week 2 win over No. 8 Notre Dame, and it looks to regain its footing in the Sun Belt against league-leading Coastal Carolina.
Why Coastal Carolina will win: The Chanticleers are coming off a bye week after dropping their first game of the season to Old Dominion.
Quarterback Grayson McCall is, once again, lighting it up for the Chanticleers, totaling 18 touchdowns and just one interception this season. The defense will have to step up against Marshall, however, after giving up 49 points to Old Dominion at home.
Why Marshall will win: The Thundering Herd is 1-2 in Sun Belt play and looking for a bounce-back in front of its home crowd.
Running back Khalan Laborn is the star for Marshall and has already hit 1,000 rushing yards on the season and racked up 12 touchdowns so far. The Herd has yet to give up more than 23 points to any team in regulation this season.
Betting line: Marshall -2.5
Over/under: 55.5
Make your picks here.
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Caleb Turner
