With all due respect to Utah, which I think is a solid team that should probably be favored...I'm a little offended by this. They scored THREE points in their title game vs. Washington. Three.
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I’m a lot offended by this. We get no respect.With all due respect to Utah, which I think is a solid team that should probably be favored...I'm a little offended by this. They scored THREE points in their title game vs. Washington. Three.
The Minnesota line was more outlandish than the Ioa line, in my view.Wow. That seems as bad as the Iowa line.
Hope Fitz plays up the disrespect because that seems like a joke.
Yeah, that's why I compared it to the Iowa line.The Minnesota line was more outlandish than the Ioa line, in my view.
Anyway, we just lost to a team that got pounded by Purdue, so how can we complain?
Advanced stats love this Utah team. Efficient offense and defense.Sagarin says 6.5 I think, and I find the opening lines are generally close to that.
I think their QB was out, but could be back for our game, so last week may not be representative...With all due respect to Utah, which I think is a solid team that should probably be favored...I'm a little offended by this. They scored THREE points in their title game vs. Washington. Three.
Utah is ranked above us, but this is still a slap in the face! Take it from here, Fitz.
Oddsmakers aren't actively trying to "disrespect" anyone. They're trying to make as much money as possible. The line will adjust as money pours onto one side or the other
8.5 is a joke. Utah is good, but I’m surprised this is more than 5.Where initial lines are set reflect a perception of the teams playing. The oddsmakers and the stats they use have regularly underestimated the strength of this NU team. Usually the betting public has subsequently reinforced that misperception. That has happened repeatedly this year and seems to be happening again in this bowl game matchup.
8.5 is a joke. Utah is good, but I’m surprised this is more than 5.
Utah fan here. The fanbase is really excited to play in the Holiday Bowl and NU may be the best bowl opponent the Utes have faced in about a decade (Alabama in Sugar Bowl '08 season).
This is probably the best team the Utes have fielded since joining the Pac-12 seven or eight years ago. They have had some key injuries as a few of you have noted. Namely, arguably their three best offensive players - Tyler Huntley (QB who may be back for the game), Zach Moss (NFL-caliber RB who is done for the season), and Britain Covey (slot WR who was hurt in the Pac-12 championship game and is almost assuredly out for many months). That said, despite losing Huntley and Moss the Utes still be Oregon, Colorado, and rival BYU and lost by a TD to Washington in the conference championship game. No bones about it, the Utah offense had a poor showing against Washington and had its worst game of the season, but the defense was excellent holding Washington to 3 offensive points.
The Utes win bowl games (Coach Whittingham has lost only 1 bowl game ever...something like 10-1), so I'd expect the team to be well-prepared to play on 12/31 and they'll take NU very seriously. The Utes play excellent defense and special team. Their defense is good at every level - DL, LB, and DBs. Chase Hansen (LB #22) is the leader of the defense and is NFL-caliber. They are stout up front and fast on the edges. They play man-to-man generally (like Michigan, I believe).
The special teams have arguably the best kicking duo in the country. The kicker (Matt Gay) won the Lou Groza award last season and is a finalist this year. The punter (Australian Mitch Wishnowsky) won the Ray Guy award two seasons ago. The head coach leads the special teams and that phase of the game is taken very seriously. Britain Covey being was their best (and most electric) PR and KR, but is out for the game so that may impact the return game.
For many seasons the team has lacked a strong, consistent offense, which some believe is the reason they've struggled to win their Pac-12 division until this season. This year's offense may be the best overall they've fielded, albeit there have been some "off" games (both games against Washington). The coaching staff adjusted the offense slightly in mid-September which led to a mini-renaissance of sorts leading to a lot of high scoring games (40+ for four straight, including against USC, Stanford, and UCLA). Currently, there is not a single go-to person on offense, but I'd expect them to look to the group as a whole to produce on offense. The Utes tend to spread the ball around, using three different RBs (but mostly Shyne, the RB2), two TEs, and four or five WRs. They generally try to be run-first and use RPO and play action to set up the pass. They OL is big and physical. Either QB who starts is a running threat (Huntley or Shelley), but both are pass-first, in my opinion, but are more than capable of scrambling or running the option (particularly Shelley).
Overall, expect a very physical team who will not quit or let-up. Along with Stanford and Washington, Utah is one of the more physical teams in their conference. They've faced quite a bit of adversity this season and so I expect them to play very, very hard against the Cats.
Utah fan here. The fanbase is really excited to play in the Holiday Bowl and NU may be the best bowl opponent the Utes have faced in about a decade (Alabama in Sugar Bowl '08 season).
This is probably the best team the Utes have fielded since joining the Pac-12 seven or eight years ago. They have had some key injuries as a few of you have noted. Namely, arguably their three best offensive players - Tyler Huntley (QB who may be back for the game), Zach Moss (NFL-caliber RB who is done for the season), and Britain Covey (slot WR who was hurt in the Pac-12 championship game and is almost assuredly out for many months). That said, despite losing Huntley and Moss the Utes still be Oregon, Colorado, and rival BYU and lost by a TD to Washington in the conference championship game. No bones about it, the Utah offense had a poor showing against Washington and had its worst game of the season, but the defense was excellent holding Washington to 3 offensive points.
The Utes win bowl games (Coach Whittingham has lost only 1 bowl game ever...something like 10-1), so I'd expect the team to be well-prepared to play on 12/31 and they'll take NU very seriously. The Utes play excellent defense and special team. Their defense is good at every level - DL, LB, and DBs. Chase Hansen (LB #22) is the leader of the defense and is NFL-caliber. They are stout up front and fast on the edges. They play man-to-man generally (like Michigan, I believe).
The special teams have arguably the best kicking duo in the country. The kicker (Matt Gay) won the Lou Groza award last season and is a finalist this year. The punter (Australian Mitch Wishnowsky) won the Ray Guy award two seasons ago. The head coach leads the special teams and that phase of the game is taken very seriously. Britain Covey being was their best (and most electric) PR and KR, but is out for the game so that may impact the return game.
For many seasons the team has lacked a strong, consistent offense, which some believe is the reason they've struggled to win their Pac-12 division until this season. This year's offense may be the best overall they've fielded, albeit there have been some "off" games (both games against Washington). The coaching staff adjusted the offense slightly in mid-September which led to a mini-renaissance of sorts leading to a lot of high scoring games (40+ for four straight, including against USC, Stanford, and UCLA). Currently, there is not a single go-to person on offense, but I'd expect them to look to the group as a whole to produce on offense. The Utes tend to spread the ball around, using three different RBs (but mostly Shyne, the RB2), two TEs, and four or five WRs. They generally try to be run-first and use RPO and play action to set up the pass. They OL is big and physical. Either QB who starts is a running threat (Huntley or Shelley), but both are pass-first, in my opinion, but are more than capable of scrambling or running the option (particularly Shelley).
Overall, expect a very physical team who will not quit or let-up. Along with Stanford and Washington, Utah is one of the more physical teams in their conference. They've faced quite a bit of adversity this season and so I expect them to play very, very hard against the Cats.
Interestingly, Sagarin's recent statistic has us ahead by a quarter point over Utah. I think the game will be close.Sagarin says 6.5 I think, and I find the opening lines are generally close to that.
Utah's bowl record has been incredibly impressive over the years. Just shows how well prepared your team is for the postseason every year.Utah fan here. The fanbase is really excited to play in the Holiday Bowl and NU may be the best bowl opponent the Utes have faced in about a decade (Alabama in Sugar Bowl '08 season).
This is probably the best team the Utes have fielded since joining the Pac-12 seven or eight years ago. They have had some key injuries as a few of you have noted. Namely, arguably their three best offensive players - Tyler Huntley (QB who may be back for the game), Zach Moss (NFL-caliber RB who is done for the season), and Britain Covey (slot WR who was hurt in the Pac-12 championship game and is almost assuredly out for many months). That said, despite losing Huntley and Moss the Utes still be Oregon, Colorado, and rival BYU and lost by a TD to Washington in the conference championship game. No bones about it, the Utah offense had a poor showing against Washington and had its worst game of the season, but the defense was excellent holding Washington to 3 offensive points.
The Utes win bowl games (Coach Whittingham has lost only 1 bowl game ever...something like 10-1), so I'd expect the team to be well-prepared to play on 12/31 and they'll take NU very seriously. The Utes play excellent defense and special team. Their defense is good at every level - DL, LB, and DBs. Chase Hansen (LB #22) is the leader of the defense and is NFL-caliber. They are stout up front and fast on the edges. They play man-to-man generally (like Michigan, I believe).
The special teams have arguably the best kicking duo in the country. The kicker (Matt Gay) won the Lou Groza award last season and is a finalist this year. The punter (Australian Mitch Wishnowsky) won the Ray Guy award two seasons ago. The head coach leads the special teams and that phase of the game is taken very seriously. Britain Covey being was their best (and most electric) PR and KR, but is out for the game so that may impact the return game.
For many seasons the team has lacked a strong, consistent offense, which some believe is the reason they've struggled to win their Pac-12 division until this season. This year's offense may be the best overall they've fielded, albeit there have been some "off" games (both games against Washington). The coaching staff adjusted the offense slightly in mid-September which led to a mini-renaissance of sorts leading to a lot of high scoring games (40+ for four straight, including against USC, Stanford, and UCLA). Currently, there is not a single go-to person on offense, but I'd expect them to look to the group as a whole to produce on offense. The Utes tend to spread the ball around, using three different RBs (but mostly Shyne, the RB2), two TEs, and four or five WRs. They generally try to be run-first and use RPO and play action to set up the pass. They OL is big and physical. Either QB who starts is a running threat (Huntley or Shelley), but both are pass-first, in my opinion, but are more than capable of scrambling or running the option (particularly Shelley).
Overall, expect a very physical team who will not quit or let-up. Along with Stanford and Washington, Utah is one of the more physical teams in their conference. They've faced quite a bit of adversity this season and so I expect them to play very, very hard against the Cats.
If I am not mistaken, the opening line was about 8 1/2 and is now about 6 1/2 or seven.
Yeah, I'd give the home advantage to Utah (the best? or at least top 2-3 in the Pac-12 in terms of traveling), and then there's Whittingham's bowl record.As a utah fan I thought the line was a little large (I would guess Utah's bowl record plays into that somewhat). I expect a tough, hard fought game by two teams that rely on their defense and run games. Having watched both teams (although I've obviously seen Utah a lot more) I was impressed with how much they mirror each other. Should be a good game.
Yeah, I'd give the home advantage to Utah (the best? or at least top 2-3 in the Pac-12 in terms of traveling), and then there's Whittingham's bowl record.
In terms of our teams, we're pretty similar, both defensively oriented and more going for ball control/possession over the course of the final games.
Utah's QB Huntley returning is an extra wildcard.
I'd imagine a lot of neutral observers that see this matchup will think it's a close matchup and then just give the edge to Utah because of that bowl record; it's a fact that your teams are well-prepared for these games and find ways to win against all varieties of teams.
With all due respect to Utah, which I think is a solid team that should probably be favored...I'm a little offended by this. They scored THREE points in their title game vs. Washington. Three.