The No. 8 Utah Utes will take on the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday evening in the first matchup ever between the power-conference programs. Utah and Penn State will meet in the 2023 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Utah is 10-3 overall and making its second-ever Rose Bowl appearance after winning the Pac-12 this season. Penn State is 10-2 and making its fifth Rose Bowl appearance after closing the regular season with four consecutive victories. NFL opt-outs for this game are cornerback Joey Porter Jr. for Penn State and tight end Dalton Kincaid, cornerback Clark Phillips III and running back Tavion Thomas for Utah.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Nittany Lions as 1.5-point favorites. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 54 in the latest Penn State vs. Utah odds. Before making any Utah vs. Penn State picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Penn State vs. Utah and just locked in its picks and Rose Bowl 2023 predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for Utah vs. Penn State:
- Penn State vs. Utah spread: Penn State -1.5
- Penn State vs. Utah over/under: 54 points
- Penn State vs. Utah money line: Penn State -125, Utah +105
- PSU: The Nittany Lions are 8-3-1 against the spread this season
- UTAH: The Utes are 8-5 against the spread this season
- Penn State vs. Utah picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Penn State can cover
Penn State's defense is outstanding this season. The Nittany Lions leaned on their defense on the way to a 10-win season, and Penn State allowed only 18.0 points per game. Penn State also limits opponents to only 317.9 total yards per game, and the Nittany Lions are elite against the run. Penn State is giving up only 105.2 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry this season. The Nittany Lions are also stout against the pass, with opponents completing only 52.8% of passes and averaging 5.9 yards per pass attempt.
Penn State has more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes allowed (10), and the Nittany Lions led the Big Ten with 37 sacks. On the offensive side, Penn State ranked in the top four of the Big Ten in scoring offense (35.8 points per game), total offense (432.4 yards per game), passing offense (250.3 yards per game) and rushing offense (182.1 yards per game).
Why Utah can cover
Utah's offense is stellar, averaging 40 points per game and generating more than 470 total yards per contest, but the Utes also lean heavily on an outstanding defense. Utah led the Pac-12 in scoring defense this season, allowing only 20.4 points per game, and the Utes gave up only 325.3 total yards per game. That yardage mark also led the conference, and Utah's rushing defense is elite with only 107.0 rushing yards allowed per game and 3.8 yards allowed per carry.
Utah is very good against the pass, holding opponents to 218.3 passing yards per game and leading the Pac-12 with 38 sacks. Opponents are also completing fewer than 61% of passes against Utah, and Penn State ranked in the bottom five of the Big Ten in third down efficiency this season, moving the chains on only 36.5% of attempts.
How to make Utah vs. Penn State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 51 points. It also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Penn State vs. Utah in the Rose Bowl 2023? And which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that is up almost $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
