Written by :
Published on :
The TCU vs. Utah spread was listed at Texas Christian -5 at around 75 percent of the online sportsbooks after opening at -4.5. Some books were still holding at -4.5 as of Wednesday afternoon. Around 65 percent of the spread action was on TCU. 90 percent of those backing the total of 52 were on the OVER.
In the Mountain West’s premier matchup, both teams come into this game ranked (TCU at #4 and Utah at #6). Neither have lost a game this season. One will after this matchup. This game will ultimately decide which of the two teams remain in the BCS Standings top 10. The importance of this game for both sides cannot be overstated.
"I've been taking it one game at a time, but honestly we all knew when the day was," Utes quarterback Jordan Wynn said. "It's going to be a showdown."
Last season, it was the Frogs who realized victory against the Utes and moved onward.
"We've got to get back to them from what they gave to us last year," Utah junior safety Greg Bird said. "We're going to bring it to them."
As an underdog, the Utes have performed particularly well, especially when listed with +3.5 to +10 odds. They are 24-10 Against The Spread as +3.5 to +10 dogs. In their last 5 games as home underdogs, Utah is 5-0. Gambling911.com should note that TCU’s record as a favorite is relatively even when it comes to wins/losses.
TCU has never won in three trips to Salt Lake City, including a 13-10 loss in 2008 that eventually propelled the Utes to a BCS bowl game. This, and the fact that Utah has covered three of the last four in this series, certainly give the Utes an advantage here for bettors.
A few more important trends pertaining to the TCU vs. Utah game appear below.
Of last, Utah has been performing especially well Against The Spread overall. They are 9-1-1 ATS in their last games.
The Utes are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 conference games. The Horned Frogs are 23-9-1 ATS in their last 33 conference games.
One of the more negative trends related to TCU is that the Horned Frogs are just 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
