The Utah Utes start the season off the radar of most gamblers in NCAA betting. The Utes get lost in the Mountain West with much of the attention on TCU. Utah could be a major player this year though and they will host TCU late in the season in what should be a huge college football betting matchup. NCAA betting odds favor Utah in their home opener against Pittsburgh on Thursday, September 2nd. If the Utes can win that game they will start to get some respect. The Utes returns quarterback Jordan Wynn who was the MVP of the Poinsettia Bowl as he threw for 338 yards in the win over California. Wynn could have a lot of success in 2010 as the Utes return four starters on the offensive line. They have excellent running backs with Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata. The receiving corps is a concern but the Utes do have tight end Kendrick Moeai.
The Utah defense should be good again this season. They were third in the conference last season. The front line looks solid with Derrick Shelby, Sealver Siliga and Dave Kruger returning. The linebacker corps suffered a loss when Nai Fotu was lost to a knee injury. The secondary looks strong with Brandon Burton and Lamar Chapman.
The kicking game for Utah was a pleasant surprise last season as kicker Joe Phillips made 20-of-22 field goal attempts while Sean Sellwood averaged 42.9 yards per punt.
Last season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Utes but they still won 10 games. They could be even better this season and they will definitely have a say so in who wins the Mountain West title. The schedule is pretty favorable for Utah after their opener against Pittsburgh. Every game on the slate is very winnable until November when they host TCU. It would not be a shock to see Utah at 8-0 heading into that contest. The Utes travel to Notre Dame following the game against TCU before closing out the season vs. San Diego State and BYU. This will be the last season for Utah in the Mountain West as they move to the Pac-10 next year. It could be a banner year for the Utes who start the season a bit underrated.