Utah vs. Stanford picks and best bets for Week 10

The Utes have a Pac-12 South title within their crosshairs and they’ll look to inch a step closer when facing spiraling Stanford.

By Nick Simon@Nick_JSimon Nov 5, 2021, 4:00am PDT

The #Pac12AfterDark shift on Friday night brings us out to Palo Alto, CA, as the Utah Utes head west to meet the Stanford Cardinal. The game will kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Utah (5-3, 4-1 Pac-12) is currently in the driver’s for the south division title in the Pac-12 and could move one step closer to locking it up with a win on the road tonight. The Utes bounced back from a loss to Oregon State with a 44-24 victory over UCLA last Saturday, one where running back Tavion Thomas ran for 160 yards on 24 carries and four touchdowns. The Utes jumped out to a 28-10 lead at halftime and never looked back.

Stanford (3-5, 2-4 Pac-12) has fallen down the ladder since upsetting Oregon a month ago, dropping three straight games in conference. Their latest setback came in a 20-13 loss to Washington last Saturday, one where they turned the ball over three times to the Huskies’ zero and put up just three points through the first three quarters.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Utah: 30th overall, 27th offense, 34th defense
Stanford: 87th overall, 76th offense, 93rd defense

Injury update

Utah

WR Solomon Enis Questionable - Undisclosed

Safety Cole Bishop Questionable - Undisclosed

OL Jaren Kump Out for the season - Undisclosed

LS Keegan Markgraf Out for the season - ACL

Stanford

CB Ethan Bonner Probable - Undisclosed

TE Bradley Archer Probable - Undisclosed

WR Elijah Higgins Questionable - Undisclosed

WR Brycen Tremayne Questionable - Leg

FB Jay Symonds Questionable - Undisclosed

WR Michael Wilson Probable - Foot

Safety Noah Williams Questionable - Undisclosed

WR John Humphreys Questionable - Undisclosed

QB Tanner McKee Questionable - Undisclosed

TE Lukas Ungar Out - Undisclosed

RB Casey Filkins Out - Undisclosed

K Emmet Kenney Questionable - Hip

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Utah: 3-5 ATS
Stanford: 3-5 ATS

Total

Utah: Over 6-2
Stanford: Over 3-5

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Utah: 34th overall, 26th offense, 55th defense
Stanford: 26th overall, 24th offense, 28th defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Utah -9
Total: 54
Moneyline: Utah -335, Stanford +260

Opening line: Utah -6.5
Opening total: 52.5

Weather

58 degrees, 5 MPH Winds WNW, Partly Cloudy

The Pick

Utah -9

Stanford is sputtering and to make matters worse, starting quarterback Tanner McKee is questionable for Friday’s matchup. That’s not good for a team that is edging on missing a bowl game for the second time in three years. The Utes are hitting their stride with a Pac-12 South title within reach and they should cover here with the outright win.

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