Predicting betting odds this far out is pretty useless. Hell, predicting a line two or three weeks out of the game is pretty useless. The lines evolve and change based on a team's injury situation and their overall record heading into a certain game. If Utah starts the season out 2-0 (which is likely), and BYU starts the season 1-1 (possible, unlikely), the spread in the Utah-BYU game will certainly be bigger than the -3 it currently is predicted to be for the Utes.
That's essentially a toss-up when you factor in home-field advantage. Likewise, if Utah enters that game having lost to either Northern Colorado or Utah State, the line might inch in BYU's favor. So, expecting anything from these lines is a bit much. Instead, they just offer us a glance at what could be if predictions hold up and in that regard, if the predictions prove true, Utah could be in for a good season if they win every game they're favored to at the moment.
A couple days ago, I asked what you felt the margin would be for the Northern Colorado game and the general consensus (38%) said anywhere from 20 to 29 points. That actually is less than the margin predicted by Beyond The Bets - they have Utah as a 34.5 favorite. That sounds about right.
The Utes are also favored in the USU game, but only by 10, which, considering the history of this series, is probably a bit less than what I would normally expect. So, Utah is predicted by these odds to win every out of conference game and seven of their conference contests. Those two losses are expected to come against USC (+9.5) and Washington (+3.5). The Utes' largest point spread in conference is -15.5 against Arizona.
Do you agree with those spreads? You can view the entire conference numbers here.