Free Pick | NCAA | Saturday | Sep. 23

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Check back Sunday for our NFL Week 3 selections with a 7-1 start the first two weeks.

#366 Utah -3 over UCLA 2:30 PM CT

A lot of Pac-12 teams are in the spotlight but the Utah team that has been one of the conference’s most consistent performers has often been overlooked. The Utes are 3-0 with notable wins over Florida and Baylor and the 24-11 win over the Gators now looks even more impressive with Florida blasting Tennessee last week. Utah’s offensive production has been modest with Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes sharing snaps at quarterback. Early in the week there seemed to be a realistic chance that Cam Rising could return this week with Kyle Whittingham not offering a lot of information, but noted Rising was a full practice participant this week, though this line has climbed downward slightly in the past 24 hours. The 3-0 start for UCLA deserves scrutiny. Coastal Carolina and San Diego State have been solid teams in recent years, but both have looked much worse than the recent levels with Coastal Carolina blown out Thursday night while the San Diego State defense has not resembled its peak form, taking another loss Friday night with 34 points allowed. Dante Moore is a talented young quarterback that has hit some big plays this season but has some accuracy concerns. The Bruins also won’t be able to rush for their season average of 7.4 yards per carry against a Utah defense allowing just 2.7 yards per carry and delivering a consistent track record of run defense success under Whittingham. UCLA won 42-32 in Los Angeles last season, but that outcome snapped a 5-0 S/U and ATS run for the Utes in the series including Utah winning by 20 in the last Salt Lake City meeting in 2021 with a similar favorite price. UCLA’s ability to wear teams out with its rushing ability and pace has been muted to some degree with the rule changes and the Bruins are 5-11 S/U as a road underdog under Chip Kelly including 0-2 S/U and ATS at Rice-Eccles. There are some questions at quarterback and Rising could show some rust if he does get into the game, but Utah has been able to win a pair of major conference tests without him, leaning on a defense that should have significant edges against an inexperienced Bruins quarterback in a venue that has proven to be one of the nation’s toughest in recent years as well with Utah 28-2 S/U in the past 30 home games going 19-11 ATS.