In this week's College GameDay matchup, Houston heads to Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City to take on undefeated Utah today at 10:15 p.m. ET (ESPN).
The lines on Kalshi have the Utes as 6.5-point home favorites with the total at 56.5, and my Houston vs. Utah prediction and college football picks expect this Big 12 showdown to live up to the hype with an offensive explosion.
For the rest of today's slate, see our Week 8 college football top picks and Brad Powers' Week 8 predictions.
Who will win Houston vs Utah today? Pick: Utah -6.5
Utah has never beaten Houston, with the Cougars 5-0 all-time against the Utes. But there's a first time for everything, and with Houston coming off a massive win over Oklahoma State, Willie Fritz's team is in a letdown spot in the Beehive State.
Although Utah had a shaky game last week against Colorado, I like the Utes to cover up to -9.5 at home against the Cougars in the No. 1 must-watch game of my Week 8 Top 25 predictions. Utah is 5-1 ATS this season, 4-0 at home, and has the far better defense.
Utah's defense ranks sixth nationally in success rate allowed (36.9%) and is ranked top 20 in points per opportunity allowed (2.73). The Utes have yet to give up more than 24 points in a game this season, and their run defense (ninth in EPA per rush) could make Houston one-dimensional on offense. For more spread plays, see our college football Week 8 picks against the spread.
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TOP PICK
Houston vs Utah Over/Under pick: Over 56.5
Though Utah's defense is the reason I think it will cover at home against Houston, I still expect a ton of points to be scored between two teams that are a combined 9-4 to the Over this season.
Houston has hit the Over three times in four games against offenses that ranked in the top 25 by SP+, and at 57.5 or better, the Cougars should hit the Over again.
Last week, Houston gave up 499 total yards to Oklahoma State, and this week it's tasked with stopping a Utah attack ranked No. 11 by SP+. The Utes are top 20 nationally in offensive success rate (49.3%) and points per opportunity (4.80).
Houston is No. 10 in the country in yards per game (485.1) and No. 13 in points per game (39.3), and Utah is No. 9 in yards per game (486.5) and No. 8 in points per game (40.2). This matchup will be worth staying up for, so make a little extra popcorn. For more totals, see our college football Week 8 Over/Under picks.
COVERS INTEL: Houston is No. 5 in the country in net EPA per play on offense, but ranks outside the top 100 on defense in net EPA per play, EPA per pass, and early-down EPA per play.Houston vs Utah prop: Utah TT Over 31.5
Utah has one of the best backfields in the country with QB Devon Dampier and running back Wayshawn Parker. Those two have helped the Utes average 45.7 points per game at home this season and score 33+ in all four games in Salt Lake City.
Against a Houston defense that gave up 29 second-half points to Oklahoma State last week, I'd play Utah's team total Over at 32.5 or better. The Cougars' defense ranks just 81st in success rate (44.9%), and it's without starting linebacker Jaden Yates, the team's third-leading tackler.
Dampier's dual-threat ability (2,500+ career rushing yards) should put Houston's linebackers in conflict and help open things up even more for Parker, who is top 10 nationally in forced missed tackles (35) and 15+-yard runs (10).
Houston vs Utah combo
This game won't be short on points for either team, with these being two of the best offenses in the country.
Though the Utes' defense is significantly better and should play a massive role in Utah covering the spread, it's not going to hold Houston below 25 points. Despite being just 3-4 ATS this season, Houston has scored 26+ points in every game.
The Cougars rank No. 1 nationally in offensive success rate (54.6%), have two of the top five wide receivers in explosive plays (Trent Walker and Amare Thomas), and QB Conner Weigman ranks fourth in the country in QBR (87.7). For player-level angles, see our Week 8 college football player props and anytime touchdown picks.
Houston vs Utah combo
- Utah -6.5
- Over 56.5
- Houston team total Over 24.5
More multi-leg plays are in our Week 8 college football parlays and combos.
- Top picks: 15-11, +2.41 units
- Combos: 7-19, +1.47 units
More Week 8 college football picks
These Covers pages cover multiple games on today's Week 8 slate.
- Week 8 college football top picks for today
- Brad Powers' Week 8 college football predictions and best bets
- Week 8 college football AI predictions
- Week 8 Top 25 college football predictions with watchability ratings
- Week 8 Group of 6 college football predictions
- Week 8 college football picks against the spread
- Week 8 college football moneyline picks
- Week 8 college football Over/Under picks
- Week 8 college football parlays and combos
- Week 8 college football anytime touchdown picks
- Week 8 college football player props
Houston vs Utah odds today
For help understanding probabilities, see our odds calculator.
- Spread: Houston +6.5 | Utah -6.5
- Over/Under: Over 56.5 (52%) | Under 56.5 (48%)
- Moneyline: Houston 32% | Utah 68%
For straight-up plays across the slate, see our college football Week 8 moneyline picks. If you prefer to trade the game, college football markets are available on Kalshi.
For the full slate of today's college football matchups, see our college football odds board.
More Covers college football betting tools
Houston vs Utah weather
Weather isn't expected to be a factor tonight in Salt Lake City.
Our college football weather page has up-to-date info on every matchup.
Houston vs Utah trend to know
The Over is 5-0 in Utah's last five home games vs. a team with a winning road record. Find more college football betting trends for Houston vs. Utah, or see our Week 8 college football AI predictions for a model-based read on the slate.
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How to watch Houston vs Utah
| Location | Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City |
| Date | Today, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 10:15 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Houston vs Utah latest injuries
Our college football injuries page has updates on every team.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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