Utah State vs. North Dakota odds, line: 2021 college football picks, predictions from proven expert

After winning just one game a year ago, the Utah State Aggies can double that with a win over the visiting North Dakota Fighting Hawks in non-conference action on Friday. The Aggies opened their season with a come-from-behind 26-23 win at Washington State on Saturday. The last time Utah State opened a season with consecutive victories was in 2012. The Fighting Hawks have also started their season off on solid footing with a 35-14 victory at Idaho State on Saturday.

The game from Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah, will begin at 9 p.m. ET and will be aired on CBS Sports Network. North Dakota is averaging 185 yards rushing per game, while Utah State averages 222. The Aggies are six-point favorites in the latest Utah State vs. North Dakota odds, while the over-under is set at 58 points. Before making any North Dakota vs. Utah State picks, check out the college football predictions from SportsLine’s Emory Hunt. 

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back at Louisiana-Lafayette. He knows the game from a player’s perspective.

Hunt went 178-149 on his college football picks over the past two seasons, returning $1,477 to $100 players. Anybody who has been following his college football picks is way up. 

Now, he has set his sights on Utah State vs. North Dakota. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds and trends for North Dakota vs. Utah State:

• North Dakota vs. Utah State spread: Utah State -6
• North Dakota vs. Utah State over-under: 58 points
• UND: Scored 17 points off turnovers in the win at Idaho State.
• USU: The Aggies’ 12-point fourth-quarter comeback against Washington State was its largest since overcoming a 10-point deficit at Hawaii in 2011.

Why Utah State can cover

Aggies coach Blake Anderson became just the 10th coach in school history, and the first since Phil Krueger in 1973, to win his Utah State debut when Utah State defeated Washington State 26-23 last week. The Aggies used a solid ground attack as they rallied for the win. Utah State rushed for 222 yards on 46 carries against Washington State and the Aggies have now won 39 of their last 44 games when rushing at least 40 times in a game. Utah State has also won 35 of their last 42 games when it has a 100-yard rusher.

Defensively, junior safety Dominic Tatum has started the season off fast with seven tackles, including two solo, with one pass breakup. For his career, Tatum has 29 tackles, including 18 solo, with five pass breakups. Last season in limited action due to COVID-19, he finished with 19 tackles, including 13 solo, in four games. His best outing was an eight-tackle performance against Fresno State. He also broke up a pass in that contest.

Why North Dakota can cover

The Fighting Hawks are accustomed to winning and have compiled an all-time record of 660-427-30 over its 126 seasons of football. Over that time, North Dakota has won 27 conference titles, received three bowl invitations, made 17 NCAA postseason appearances and won the Division II national championship in 2001. In the opener, it was defense that led to the win. Fifth-year linebacker Jaxson Turner was a beast, recording a sack and forcing a fumble. He also made five tackles. Turner is fifth all-time in sacks at North Dakota with 17, which is third-most in the program’s Division I history.

Offensively, sophomore quarterback Tommy Schuster has continued where he left off in the spring. In the season-opening win at Idaho State, Schuster completed 14 of 18 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown for an efficiency rating of 181.5. In the spring, he started all seven games, winning his first five appearances and going 4-2 against top-25 opponents. He finished by completing 129 of 197 passes for 1,428 yards and 10 touchdowns.

How to make North Dakota vs. Utah State picks

Hunt is leaning under on the total. He’s also found a critical x-factor he believes makes one side of the spread hit hard. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Utah State vs. North Dakota? And what critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who has crushed his college football picks, and find out.