Thought I'd post the lines early this week and then update later so we can see the movement. First, the Pac-12:

#22 UCLA +4.5 @ #11 Utah. The line opened at 6.5 and the money's been mostly on UCLA so far, probably because the injury status for much of Utah's team is still up in the air. the total is 52.5, so expected score is roughly 28-24.
Arizona -10.5 @ Stanford. This actually opened at 9.5 and is already up to 10.5, and you can see as high as 12 some places. Stanford is bad, Arizona is solid. Total is 58.5 right now, so expected score is roughly 29-19.
#5 USC -33.5 @ ASU. This opened at 27.5 yesterday and is already up to 33.5, which is a ton of movement. Bettors expect USC to bury ASU. Total is 61.5, so expected score is roughly 48-14.
#19 CU +21.5 @ #10 Oregon. Vegas still doesn't have a ton of faith in CU, particularly after the CSU game. Bettors agree, as this one opened at 17 and all the money's been on Oregon. A week ago the early line was 14, so the CSU game has shifted expectations quite a bit. Total is 70.5, so expected score is roughly 46-24.
Cal +21.5 @ #8 UW. Yes, the Cal/UW line is the same as the CU/Oregon line. I'll let you take from that what you will. The total for Cal/UW is a little lower, at 62.5, so the expected score is roughly 42-20.
#14 ORST -2.5 @ #21 WSU. The Beavers are a slight road favorite this week, but they opened at 6.5, so the money's on the Cougars. Total is 56.5, so the expected score is roughly 30-27.

Now the rest of the top 15:

UAB +41.5 @ #1 UGA. Total is 53.5, so expected score is 48-6.
Rutgers @ #2 Michigan. No line on this one, I'm not sure why. Maybe Vegas forgot Rutgers was an FBS program?
#3 Texas -14.5 @ Baylor. Total is 51.5, so expected score is 33-19.
#4 FSU -2.5 @ Clemson. FSU's close game against BC is probably pushing this line down a little bit, although Clemson has looked good the past two weeks after losing their week 1 matchup to Duke, 28-7. Total is 55.5, so expected score is 29-27.
#6 OSU -3.5 @ #9 Notre Dame. This is Utah's (and Oregon's) biggest chance to move up, as ND losing puts both of us up a spot. If OSU loses big, that could also move UW up a spot. Total is 54.5, so expected score is 29-26
#21 Iowa +14.5 @ #7 PSU. Total is 41.5, so expect a Big 10 slugfest ending roughly 28-14.
Arkansas +17.5 @ #12 LSU. Total is 55.5, so expected score is 37-19.
#15 Ole Miss +7 @ #13 Alabama. Bama is struggling right now, so there's a distinct shot at an upset for Ole Miss here. Total is 54.5, so expected score is 31-24.

Future Big 12 conference mates:

UCF +6.5 @ KSU. This has bounced around a little bit, from as low as 5.5 and up to 7 at some points. Total is 55.5, so expected final score is roughly 31-25.
TTech -5.5 @ WVU. Tech is bad, so WVU must be really bad. Total is 54.5, so expected final is 30-24
#16 Oklahoma -14 @ Cincy. Total is 59.5, so expected total is 37-23
Sam Houston +12.5 @ Houston. This game should be played every year. Total is 38.5, so a defensive showdown, with an expected final of 25-13.
SMU +6.5 @ TCU. Iron Skillet at issue, total is 63.5, so expected final is 35-29.
OK ST +3.5 @ ISU. Total is only 36.5, the lowest total of the day, so the final expected score is 20-17.
BYU +9.5 @ Kansas. Yes, that's right, BYU is a 10 point dog to KANSAS. Total is 55.5, so expected final is 33-23.


If you're curious, the 1-2 USU Aggies are 5.5 home dogs to James Madison. The Aggies might not be very good, but getting almost a TD at home for a team travelling from Virginia is a bet worth checking out.

Let the bloodbath begin. Should be entertaining

A win, getting guys healthy, no turnovers, and a 3-0 record with everything to play for heading into conference play. Was it perfect? No. But what more can you really ask for from this team given the amount of players sidelined this week.

Victorious in his first start and a solid showing across the board from Nate Johnson. Not necessarily a great game, but not too much to complain about. He completed more than 60% of his passes, held onto the football, looked confident, and the offense ran just fine.

The defense continued to do their thing as the starters only allowed 7 points, Lander Barton secured a pick-six (20th season in a row for the program) and the depth was able to see some snaps in the fourth quarter.

Sure, there were a few areas that weren’t great like special teams and the amount of holds from the offensive line, but the Utes took care of business.

Now some rest and preparations for UCLA next week.

What stands out to you guys after today?

They both jump Bama who fell three spots and Colorado fell one.

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Official Week 3 College Football Power Rankings

As always, here are the lines this week. First, the rest of the Pac-12:


UTEP +18.5 @ Arizona. Opened 16.5 and all the money's been on Arizona so far. Total is 57.5, so score would be roughly 38-19
Fresno -3 @ ASU. Yes, Fresno is favored by three AT ASU. Fresno, is 2-0 with a win over Purdue, ASU is 1-1 with a very close win over SUU and then a collapse to OKST 27-15, despite leading 15-10 at the half. This actually opened ASU favored by 2.5, so a ton of money's been on Fresno this week. Total is 49.5, so the score would be roughly 26-23 Fresno.
CSU +23.5 @ #18 CU. Everyone believes in CU now. Opened 19.5 and all the money's been on CU. Total is 62.5, so score would be roughly 43-20 CU.
#8 UW -16.5 @ MI ST. Yes, Washington is favored by more than 2 TD on the road against Michigan State. Opened this week at 12.5, so all the money's on Washington. Total has been moving down and is now at 55.5, so the score would be roughly 36-20
Hawaii +38.5 @ #13 Oregon. That line basically means Vegas thinks Oregon can pick the score. This opened about 38, so it hasn't moved much. Total is 69.5, which is insanely high and means Vegas thinks it will be roughly 54-16
SDSU +24.5 @ #16 OSU. This opened at 20.5 and all the money's been on the Beavers. Total at 48.5, so score should be roughly 36-12.
Weber St. @ #12 Utah. No line for FCS games.
N. Colorado @ #23 WSU. No line for FCS games.
NC Central @ #24 UCLA. No line for FCS games.
Idaho @ Cal. No line for FCS games.
Sac St. @ Stanford. No line for FCS games.
#5 USC. Bye this week.

For the Pac-12, that appears to be mostly garbage. Every Pac-12 team is favored by at least 2 TD (or by so much Vegas won't put a line on it) except for ASU, who looks to be fairly bad this year. Now the rest of the AP top 15:

S. Car. +27 @ #1 UGA. This line has bounced around a little bit, but it opened roughly the same spot. Total is 54.5, so anticipated score is roughly 41-14
BGSU +40.5 @ #2 Michigan. This line hasn't moved at all, but the total has moved up a bunch. It's now at 53.5, so Vegas thinks the final will be roughly 47-6.
#3 FSU -24.5 @ BC. This actually opened at 28, so bettors are expecting a letdown after FSU's big win. Total is also moving down, it's at 46.5 right now, so the final score would be roughly 36-10.
Wyoming +29.5 @ #4 Texas. This opened at 26.5, so money's been on Texas. Total is 49.5, so final score would be roughly 40-10
WKU +29.5 @ #6 OSU. This opened at 27.5, so money's been mostly on OSU. Total is 65.5, so final score would be roughly 48-19
#7 PSU -14.5 @ Illinois. This line has been mostly steady, as has the total, which is at 48.5 right now, putting the final score at roughly 31-17
CMU +34.5 @ #9 ND. This opened at 30.5, so the money's on Notre Dame. Total is 51.5, so the final score would be roughly 44-9
#10 Bama -33.5 @ USF. How is this game happening? Bama is going TO USF? Regardless of that scheduling miracle, the line opened at 29.5, so bettors are expecting Bama to be angry. Total is 61.5 right now, so expected score is 48-14
#11 Tennessee -6.5 @ UF. Opened at 8.5, so most of the money has been on Florida. Total is 56.5, so expected score is roughly 32-25
#14 LSU -9.5 @ Miss. St. This opened at 7.5 but was up to 9.5 by the end of the day, although it's bounced a little bit. Total is 53.5, so expected score is 32-22
#15 KSU -3.5 @ Mizzou. This opened at 1.5, jumped up to 5.5, and then settled down. Total is 48.5, so expected score is roughly 26-23.

Other games of note:

BYU +8 @ Arkansas. This opened at 10.5, so the money's been mostly on BYU. The total's also moved down about 11 points, sitting at 47.5 right now, so the expected score is roughly 28-20 right now. At open the expected score was roughly 35-24.
USU +9.5 @ AF. This line hasn't moved, but the total's come down a little bit to 45.5, so the expected final score is roughly 28-18.

Quick notes on future conference mates:

IA ST -2.5 @ Ohio. Can't believe this is that low. IA ST may be reverting to the mean, by which I mean terrible.
S. Alabama +7.5 @ OKST. Again, this is pretty low. OKST showed some holes against ASU last week.
Miami (OH) +14.5 @ Cincy. Seems about right.
Pitt +2.5 @ WVU. Backyard brawl this weekend. Vegas expects a good game.
TCU -7.5 @ Houston. TCU's fall from grace has been sudden, but should not have been that unexpected considering what they lost. Houston is bad (beat UTSA by 3, lost to Rice by 2), so only being a TD favorite says a lot about TCU.
Kansas -28 @ Nevada. Nevada must be very bad, considering they lost to Idaho 33-6. Kansas isn't good, but they aren't Nevada bad.

Halie gives out today's game balls in today's win over Weber State:

Here are Cole’s takeaways from the game. As always, let’s hear everyone else’s takeaways as well:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/takeaways-no-12-utah-beats-weber-state-31-7

Here’s Joe’s article for today matchup. With Weber State being FCS, the numbers aren’t easy to predict for this one:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/statistically-speaking-utah-vs-weber-state-1

Cam Rising will NOT play against Weber State this afternoon.

Alex and I have also been told that Utah will be sitting several others who aren’t quite 100%. This is a good opportunity to get everyone as healthy as possible before heading into Conference play.

My sons little league football game got moved to 12:20 today so I can’t use my 2 tickets. I have been trying to get rid of them all morning, but been unsuccessful. If you would like 2 tickets, I’d like them to be used. Text 801-828-8307.

Micah Bernard - out for the year
Cam Rising- return is needed asap
Sidney Mbanasor - missed both weeks. Injured?
Chase Kennedy - ditto
Karene Reid - still in concussion protocol
Chris Curry - missed both weeks. Injured?
Johnny Maea- missed both weeks. ETA?
Simote Pepa - ditto
Brant Kuithe - ditto
Connor O’Toole - ditto

Dustin breaks down Weber State:

Hey all - my family and I are going to be out of town this weekend so I need get 8 tickets into the hand of Utah fans. They are great seats (IMHO). SEZ Section 49 rows 3 & 4 seats 1-4. The tickets don't say how much they are but IIRC, they are about $65/ticket BUT it's Weber and I want people in the seats who want to go so I will sell them for $30/seat. The first person to buy 4 also gets my Marriott library parking pass included in the deal. Go Utes!!

With Rising’s return drawing near, we expect Nate Johnson to get the start on Saturday. Here’s Halie’s article on Johnson:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/utah-qb-johnson-ready-for-his-opportunity-1

Cole breaks down the keys to the game and the position battles:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/keys-and-position-battles-utah-vs-weber-state

Dustin breaks down the Baylor game and takes a deep dive at the grades:

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I really hope he gets the help he needs.

Halie looks back at last week's questions and poses this week's thoughts for Weber State:

I'm curious as to who Justin is (the guy who Whitt always calls on to ask the first question). I love that he does that and think it's great for Justin, but I was just wondering if anybody knows the back story on it. TIA.

I haven’t been able to rewatch the game yet. For some reason the game didn’t record, so I’m snagging an Xfinity log-in to rewatch today.

If you were screaming at your TV most of the game for Whittingham to keep Johnson in, you were probably in the 99th percentile of Utah fans. I think Barnes can be a good QB, but he absolutely overthinks and questions himself during games. I’ve said since last year that he overlooks wide open guys for difficult passes, instead. That’s continued and that’s why the offense stalled under him for almost all possessions other than the 80 yard TD.

It’s the opposite for Johnson. He’s not the best practice player. He’s young so he can be inconsistent in practice, but yesterday was proof that when even when he’s given a larger role, he has the “it” factor when the lights are brightest. He also has the Rising style swagger that is contagious that the entire team and the fans feed off of.

There’s zero question though, they need Rising back.

Ja’Quinden and Glover were phenomenal yesterday. As much as I enjoyed watching Ja’Quiden run yesterday, the Weber State game is needed, so he can get some run time and then rest to get healthy. Glover grew up on the field yesterday and suddenly looks like a weapon. Now if one of them can show the versatility in receiving that made Bernard so vital to Utah’s attack.

Mikey Matthews might start turning into WR1 faster than anyone might have expected. It’s been inevitable, and yesterday he came through in the 4th when he was trusted and given space to operate.

I wanted to give the OL the benefit of the doubt, but the unnecessary holding penalties continued when Johnson was in, proving that it wasn’t just because Barnes was making their life difficult by holding the ball too long.

Defensively, Cole Bishop was the rock solid dude everyone has come to expect from him. He did have one deep ball that he went to help on that he could have played differently, but no one will complain about his overall game. He had timely stops and that INT was a season saver. This is his defense and he’s quickly becoming an all-time Ute.

The DL needs to be better, they really struggled with stopping the run most of the game. Zero sacks was also surprising.

Lander Barton is special gift. Enjoy him. He made Bishop’s INT possible. Plus the overturned call on his forced fumble was complete bull$#!+. The receiver took multiple steps and made a football move… before absolutely getting hammered.

DBs were hit and miss yesterday, giving up some big plays. That final play could have gone either way. After first I thought it was PI, but then the close-up angle told me otherwise. The smartest thing Battle did was keep his eyes up for the ball.

Cam is almost back—sometime in the next two weeks—the Utes will be undefeated by the time he steps on the field. I know it’s been a bit stressful, the best case scenario is happening, while everyone is getting healthy.

Matt takes a close look at Weber State, one of the top FCS programs in the country:

The initial 2026 Rivals100 was just revealed. Take a look at the coverage:

Top 10 Countdown for 2026 class
Meet the initial five-stars in 2026
Tuesdays with Gorney: Thoughts on the 2026 rankings
Who's the top player at each position in 2026 class?
2026 Rivals100

Here’s Matt’s rundown of the recent games of the 2024 Utah commits:

https://utah.rivals.com/news/tracking-utah-2024-commit-games-davis-second-int-of-season

Incoming Euro FR Karahan Efeoglu has been dismissed from the team for breaking some ncaa rule for international players. He’s is going to a JC in Florida now.

Also it’s 50/50 weather or not Deivon Smith receives his waiver to play this season.

It doubtful Smith will be able to fill Efeoglu’s scholarship this late in the game and if Smith doesn’t get his waiver Utah could play next season down TWO scholarship players.

One step forward three steps back for Utah basketball