With Cam Rising news, point spread moves again for Arizona State-Utah game
Since Sunday, the point spread for the Arizona State vs. Utah Big 12 football matchup has moved from 3.5 to 6.5 - and everywhere in between.
The No. 16 Utes are coming off a bye week and have been dealing with an injury to quarterback Cam Rising's throwing hand. There was speculation coming into the week that Rising had made progress during the off week and would be healthy enough to play on Friday night. But because the Big 12 does not mandate injury reports, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has been vague with his injury updates.
"We'll see what happens this week, but there's a chance," Whittingham said on Monday when asked if Rising will play vs. Arizona State. "It's still early in the week, but we're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, as is Cam."
After starting the week as 3.5-point favorites, Utah jumped to 6.5-point favorites Monday night. Late Tuesday the line moved again, this time to 4.5.
On Thursday, Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported that Rising is expected to start for the Utes on Friday night. The spread quickly moved to 5.5 and appears to finally be stable.
There is a sizable gap in experience between the 25-year-old Rising and his backup, true freshman Isaac Wilson. Rising is older than six starting quarterbacks in the NFL, including the San Francisco 49ers' third-year starter Brock Purdy (24) and 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud (23).
Rising's experience makes a big difference when you're facing 19 and 20-year-old defensive backs and linebackers. Consider that Arizona State's leading tackler, defensive back Myles Rowser, recently turned 20.
Rising hasn't played a full game this season and he has seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. In his two full seasons as Utah's starting QB (2021 and 2021) he threw for 5,527 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Even with Rising in the lineup, CBS Sports' Jerry Palm still picked Arizona State as his upset of the week. Here are the latest betting odds from FanDuel Sportsbook heading into Friday night's matchup in Tempe, Arizona.
Utah at Arizona State Betting Odds
Moneyline: Arizona State +184, Utah -225
Spread: Utah -5.5 (-115)
Over/Under: 45.5
Our prediction: Arizona State 31, Utah 30
More Arizona State vs. Utah analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.