Utah Utes vs. Baylor Bears Score Prediction, Game Day Storylines
Sep 8, 2023, 10:00 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – We are exactly 24 hours away from the Utah Utes kicking off their first road game of 2023 against the Baylor Bears which means it’s time for storylines and a game prediction.
Expectations are high for the No. 12 Utes after they proved they have some depth behind them in last week’s matchup with the Florida Gators to open the season. Utah is hoping to have a few starters back this week but may need to continue relying on some of their backups against their future Big 12 Conference-mates.
As we inch closer to game day, make sure you are in the know about important storylines, and questions surrounding the game as well as a score prediction for Utah versus Baylor.
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Three Storylines For Utah Vs. Baylor
- Cam Rising – this one will obviously continue on until Utah’s “leader of the leaders” is back out on the field. Rising has been diligently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the Rose Bowl earlier this year and has made great strides. The good news is, backups Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson showed they are more than capable of holding things down for Rising last week against Florida. This of course allows Rising the ability to work back into the game rather than feeling rushed back into it which should be advantageous for everyone involved.
- Week one to week two improvements – it’s been said a lot this week, but there is a general consensus in the college football world that the biggest improvements a team makes is between week one and week two. Anyone paying attention last week saw what happened to Baylor versus Texas Tech. It was pretty ugly, but how much do the Bears improve? On the other hand, while Utah looked pretty good for a first outing against Florida using backups, how much do they improve? Whose week one to week two improvements end up being more impressive? Stay tuned.
- Heat, Humidity, Time – here is the thing about this one. Good to great teams don’t let weather and time zones effect game outcomes, but it also doesn’t mean this doesn’t play a small factor. Kickoff is set for 11:00 a.m. CT/10:00 a.m. MT and Waco’s forecast at that time is showing a balmy 93 degrees and 26% humidity. By the time the game wraps up things jump to around 101 degrees and the same humidity. That’s very different from Salt Lake City’s dry heat. How will this Utah team manage the conditions?
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Two Questions Heading Into Utah Vs. Baylor
- Can Utah get the run game going? This may have been the lone “disappointment” last week for the Utes against Florida. Utah prides themselves on establishing the run on offense and taking away the run on defense. The defense did its usual thing, but the offense struggled to get a consistent run game going. As it turned out, Ja’Quinden Jackson was a little dinged up against the Gators and not his usual self. Is he better for this week? Does someone else step up?
- Who is Sawyer Robertson? Baylor received some less-than-ideal news about starting quarterback Blake Shapen after their tough loss to start the 2023 season. That puts a lot of pressure on Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson. The good news for the Bears is that the Utes have sometimes struggled with backup quarterbacks they don’t know a whole lot about. The bad news is that you always want to have your best players available and that won’t happen this week. Who is Sawyer Robertson and how will he handle being “the guy” on Saturday?
Utah Vs. Baylor Score Prediction
I expect this game to be hard-fought. I don’t think Baylor is going to let Utah walk all over them, but I do think the Utes eventually pull ahead.
- Utah, 30-24
Tell us what you think? Give your best score predictions in the comments for Utah vs. Baylor.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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