Utah vs. Washington Prediction, Odds, Trends and Key Players for College Football Week 11

Washington's undefeated season continued at USC last weekend, hanging 52 points on the hapless Trojans defense, but now it faces one of the PAC-12's best defenses in Utah on Saturday.

The Utes have been battling injuries all season, but pose a stout defensive test for Washington, who stil has dreams of a College Football Playoff berth and a Heisman Trophy for its quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Washington is laying nearly double digits in this one, as the team looks to continue to find its footing on defense. Is this the spot for them?

Here's our best bet for this PAC-12 showdown:

Utah vs. Washington Odds, Spread and Total

Washington vs. Utah Betting Trends

• Utah is 5-3-1 against the spread (ATS) this season
• Utah is 1-2 ATS as an underdog
• Utah has gone UNDER in six of nine games this season

Utah vs. Washington How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, November 11
• Game Time: 3:30 PM EST
• Venue: Alaska Airlines at Husky Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): FOX
• Utah Record: 7-2
• Washington Record: 9-0

Utah vs. Washington Key Players to Watch

Utah

Bryson Barnes: Utah is fresh off a demolition of Arizona State, 55-3, bouncing back off a disheartening loss to Oregon . Barnes was terrific last week, completing a shade under 68% of passes for 161 yards with four touchdowns. The Utah offense has been poor over the balance of the season -- outside the top 100 in EPA/Play -- as its battled injuries, but Barnes could be turning in a corner as the team hits the road.

Washington

Michael Penix Jr.: The Heisman trophy front runner out-dueled last year's winner Caleb Williams, passing for 256 yards while completing 73% of his passes. This will be one of the toughest tests for Penix Jr.'s campaign against a disciplined Utah secondary, but the edge lies with the Huskies at home, who are top 10 in both EPA/Pass and passing success rate.

Utah vs. Washington Prediction and Pick

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The key in this game will be if Utah can keep Washington's offense off the field. While the Utes went toe-to-toe with USC in a high scoring game, I do hold the Huskies defense in a slightly higher regard.

With that being said, this is still a poor defense.

The Huskies are 112th in defensive success rate and a particularly bad at stopping the run, 117th in EPA/Rush and 124th in rushing success rate allowed. If the Utes can stay ahead of schedule with Barnes under center and a hopefully healthy Ja'Quinden Jackson, who is fresh off an 111-yard performance despite leaving the game early, the team may be able to limit Washington's possessions.

Utah's secondary grades out as a top 10 defense in terms of EPA/Play, but this is arguably the best passing offense in the country, so it's going to be difficult to expect a lockdown effort. With that being said, the Utes do as good of a job as any team in the PAC-12 at getting to the passer, ranking 12th in total sacks and the best third down defense in the country (25%).

The Utes can stay competitive on the margins with its ability to generate pressure, get off the field on third down and lock down in the red zone (57%). While I won't call for the outright upset, I believe the team is going to be able to keep up by playing the game on its terms and limiting Washington's offense from seeing the field too often.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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