Utah State vs Georgia State Odds
| Utah State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-2 -110 | 59 -110o / -110u | -125 |
| Georgia State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+2 -110 | 59 -110o / -110u | +105 |
Utah State and Georgia State meet in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday afternoon to battle in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium.
The Aggies needed three wins in their final four regular-season games to secure bowl eligibility, finishing with a 6-6 record. Meanwhile, the Panthers dropped five straight to close the season after becoming bowl-eligible in mid-October.
This is one of many games on a busy bowl Saturday, and it should be a great matchup on the Smurf Turf.
Utah State Aggies
Utah State is making its fifth appearance in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
The Aggies needed a late-season surge with some dramatic finishes to earn the invitation. The run started with a double-overtime victory at San Diego State, and it ended with another overtime win at New Mexico in their season finale.
Head coach Blake Anderson also joined elite company at Utah State with the bowl bid, becoming the second coach in school history to lead the Aggies to bowl games in their first three seasons.
One of the keys to success under Anderson has been using a multiple-quarterback system, and this year is no different. Throughout the season, Cooper Legas, McCae Hillstead and Levi Williams have all played significant time under center.
With Legas and Hillstead still out injured, Anderson will give the ball to Williams to carry his team to a bowl victory.
Georgia State Panthers
In only its 10th season in the FBS and 14th year of football overall, Georgia State is playing in its sixth bowl game. This also marks the fifth bowl in seven seasons under head coach Shawn Elliott.
Elliott’s team started the year with even more promise by jumping out to a 4-0 record for the first time in school history. However, it all crumbled at the end of October.
Georgia State fell to Georgia Southern, James Madison, Appalachian State and Old Dominion to end conference play, punctuating a poor finish to what could have been a historic campaign.
Including a loss to LSU in its penultimate contest, Georgia State dropped its final five games by an average of 23.2 points per game.
But Elliott and his team still have the opportunity to end the year on a high with a win here despite stud running back Marcus Carroll hitting the transfer portal.
Bet Georgia State vs. Utah State with the latest BetMGM bonus code.
Utah State vs Georgia State
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Utah State and Georgia State match up statistically:
Georgia State Offense vs Utah State Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 115 | 126 | |
| Line Yards | 115 | 76 | |
| Pass Success | 56 | 55 |  |
| Havoc | 60 | 57 | |
| Finishing Drives | 77 | 117 | |
| Quality Drives | 94 | 88 | |
Utah State Offense vs Georgia State Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 54 | 45 | |
| Line Yards | 25 | 59 | |
| Pass Success | 74 | 121 | |
| Havoc | 102 | 93 | |
| Finishing Drives | 105 | 95 | |
| Quality Drives | 86 | 97 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 107 | 119 |
| PFF Coverage | 129 | 67 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 110 | 81 |
| Middle 8 | 133 | 35 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.8 (40) | 22.5 (5) |
| Rush Rate | 57.4% (28) | 53.5% (92) |
Utah State vs Georgia State
Betting Prediction, Pick
In what seems to be the standard for this bowl season, we need to start with Stuckey’s transfer portal, opt-out and injury tracker. The big absentees seem to be on the Georgia State side.
The Panthers will be without a 1,300-yard rusher in Carroll and leading wide receiver Robert Lewis, with the pair transferring to SEC programs. Georgia State will also be without its starting right tackle and one of its top cornerbacks, both of whom are headed to Power 5 schools.
When you combine these key missing players with the poor end to the season, I can only look to one side in this game.
My best bet is to back Utah State on the moneyline at -114 odds at FanDuel, which I would bet to -130.
The other thing that stands out for the Panthers is their struggles to stop the run late in the season. Over its last four games, Georgia State ranked in the bottom 15 among Group of Five teams in Line Yards and Rush Success on defense.
Williams is starting for the Aggies here, and I expect his rushing ability to help him put up a strong performance in the final game of his collegiate career.
