Well, let's dive into this Arizona Wildcats at Utah Utes match-up, shall we? Now, I must say it looks a tad uneven on paper, but let's crunch some numbers.
Arizona Wildcats have been blessed with the passing abilities of quarterback Noah Fifita. With a passing efficiency of 143.9, he's thrown for 5 touchdowns and accumulated 833 passing yards over the last month. But hey, can't neglect his 3 interceptions. Felix is wild, and Utes' secondary will be rubbing their hands together.
As for the Utes, they have a quarterback duo of Isaac Wilson and Cameron Rising. Wilson, although a bit shaky with a 1:1 TD to interception ratio, Rising makes up for it with 7 touchdown passes and no interceptions. With a staggering passing efficiency of 226.3, he's certainly been flicking the ball well.
Offensively, the Wildcats boast Tetairoa McMillan as their wide receiver, with 453 total yards under his belt, while running back Quali Conley has dazzled with his 319 total yards, both over the last month. Utah has their ace running back Micah Bernard, who's racked up 466 total yards, and tight end Brant Kuithe, who’s nabbed 5 TDs, has been a sheer monster for them in recent weeks.
Defensive stats for the two teams over the last month add another twist with Marquis Groves-Killebrew and Gunner Maldonado putting up decent tackle numbers for Arizona. On the other side, Utah Utes' defensive end, Van Fillinger is a big threat with 4.5 sacks and 19 tackles. So, Arizona might have to double-team him, wouldn’t want him going all Tasmanian Devil on the Wildcats, would we?
Looking at both teams' recent track records, the story of the teams' past match-up in 2023 is interesting. Arizona pulled out a big win against Utah, a 42 to 18 victory that will be in Utah’s guts like bad sushi. But catch this, Utah is undefeated this season, sitting comfortable at a current 4-0, while Arizona looks a bit shaky at 2-1.
Analyzing these factors, you have to give the edge to the Utah Utes here. So, drumroll please… here's the prediction.
Albert's Prediction: Utah Utes by 9