Penn State at Utah - 1/2/23 College Football Picks and Prediction

Utah Utes (10-3) vs Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)

Game Info: Monday, January 2, 2023 at 5:00 pm (Rose Bowl)

Betting Odds: Utah Utes -2.5 -- Over/Under: 52.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The Utah Utes will play the Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday evening in the Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

The Utah Utes are 10-3 this season after they defeated USC by a score of 47-24 in the PAC-12 Title game. Utah out gained USC by a total of 533-419 and held them to 1-12 on third down attempts in the win. Utah finished the season by winning six of their last seven games and claiming the PAC-12 Championship. The Utah offense is averaging 40 points per game with 252.5 passing yards per game and 220.2 rushing yards per game. Cameron Rising has thrown for 2,939 yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for the Utes this season. Micah Bernard has rushed for 474 yards and four touchdowns, while Devaughn Vele has caught 50 passes for 595 yards and five scores for Utah. The Utah defense is giving up 20.4 points per game and 325.3 yards per game.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are 10-2 this season after they defeated Michigan State by a score of 35-16 in their last game. Penn State out gained MSU by a total of 410-254 and forced three turnovers in the win. Penn State played very well this season, but lost 41-17 against Michigan and 44-31 against Ohio State. The Penn State offense is averaging 35.8 points per game with 250.3 passing yards per game and 182.1 rushing yards per game. Sean Clifford has thrown for 2,543 yards, 22 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for the Nittany Lions this season. Nicholas Singleton has rushed for 941 yards and 10 scores, while Mitchell Tinsley has caught 45 passes for 528 yards and four touchdowns for Penn State. The Penn State defense is allowing 18 points per game and 317.9 yards per game.

Penn State is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 January games. The over is 4-1 in Penn State’s last 5 bowl games. Utah is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 bowl games. The over is 4-1 in Utah’s last 5 non-conference games.

This is going to be an exciting game between two evenly matched teams, but both teams are missing some key pieces due to opt-outs. Penn State finished third in the Big Ten East, but was able to make the Rose Bowl after Michigan and Ohio State were selected for the College Football Playoff. Utah won the PAC-12 Championship and has scored 40 points per game this year. This game could go either way, but I think Penn State has a big advantage on defense. I will take the points with Penn State.

David’s Pick Penn State +2.5

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The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.
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