Football Betting – TCU, Utah Meet To Decide Mountain West Title

Football betting fans know that the TCU Horned Frogs and the Utah Utes have pointed to this game all season long. Now they’ll meet to decide the Mountain West championship, and possibly a lot more.

TCU Horned Frogs @ Utah Utes

Saturday, November 6th – 3:35 PM ET

Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City
Broadcast: CBS College Sports Network
Football Betting Odds: TCU -4.5, Utah +4.5
Total: 51

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The Horned Frogs could have looked ahead to this game last Saturday night in Las Vegas, but coach Gary Patterson’s team didn’t miss a beat. TCU hammered UNLV, 48-6, in yet another standout performance by the Horned Frogs’ elite defense. There’s no question that TCU has a national-championship-caliber gang of 11 on that side of the line of scrimmage. The Frogs have allowed just 10 total touchdowns in nine games this season, and they’ve allowed more than one touchdown in only two of their nine outings. TCU’s defense has allowed just two touchdowns in its last five games and has held each of its last five opponents to seven points or fewer.

On the other side of the divide, the team TCU will tackle this weekend – though perhaps not as mature as the Utah team that waited out the Horned Frogs in 2008 – is developing the poise of a worthy adversary. After pulling out a tough win at Air Force this past weekend, it’s clear that this Utah team knows how to win with Wynn. Jordan Wynn is the Utes’ newest star quarterback – the sophomore took over the starting job in the middle of last season as a freshman, and he quickly grew into the position. This year, he’s become the unquestioned leader of the Utah offense and hasn’t lost a game in two months of action. Utah beat TCU two years ago because its quarterback, Brian Johnson, didn’t lose his nerve in tense situations during that taut thriller.

Wynn shows signs of being that kind of quarterback, the steely leader who can lead a last-minute drive just as Johnson did in 2008.

Football Betting: What TCU Has To Do To Win

TCU signal caller Andy Dalton – while immensely gifted and able to light up the scoreboard on his best days – is still profoundly inconsistent. TCU scored only six points in the first half against Colorado State on Oct. 2 and just three points in the first 28 minutes of the first half against Brigham Young on Oct. 16. TCU has gotten off to slow offensive starts in many games this season, and if that happens again on Saturday, the Utes are definitely good enough to take advantage of that deficiency on the part of the Horned Frogs.

TCU’s outlook is simple, and accordingly, so is the basis for predicting the game. If Dalton plays really well, TCU will win comfortably. If Dalton plays very poorly, Utah will win decisively. If Dalton is so-so, the game will be close, with a few key situations creating the margin between victory and defeat. TCU needs to do what it can to ensure that its quarterback gains a rhythm. The Horned Frogs’ offensive coaches need to tell Dalton to make the simple play and take the easy seven-yard gain instead of forcing a pass 20 yards downfield into double coverage. If Dalton plays a smart, no-turnover game, TCU will be in great shape.

Football Betting: What Utah Has To Do To Win

Because Dalton is so clearly the key to this game, Utah and its defensive coaches need to disguise coverages and do whatever they can to throw Dalton off balance. Typically, Dalton will make two or three poor decisions in a game and give an opposing defense a chance to make high-impact plays. Utah’s defense has to be good enough to confuse Dalton in the first place, and then, if a bad pass is thrown by the TCU quarterback, the Utes’ defenders can’t drop the interception. With Utah’s own quarterback, Jordan Wynn, still only a sophomore, the Utes need to win this game on defense, just as they did in their 13-10 triumph from 2008 in Salt Lake City.

Football Betting: Outlook & Pick

It might be boring, but it’s true: This game is all about one man: Andy Dalton. That point can’t be stated emphatically enough. Dalton will play poorly, and Utah’s defense will rise up in an outright home-field victory for the Utes.

Football Betting Pick: Utah +4.5