Houston @ Utah

College GameDay is heading back to Salt Lake City and we got a top-15 showdown on ESPN Saturday night. Number ten Utah, undefeated, hosting a number fourteen Houston squad that just knocked off a ranked Oklahoma State team. This is the game of the week, full stop.

Utah is 6-0 and they have not been tested lightly. They went on the road to Colorado last week and got a 27-24 win, Devon Dampier throwing three touchdowns to keep that perfect record alive. That is a program that knows how to handle big moments.

Hold on, nobody wants to talk about the fact that Houston just beat a ranked Oklahoma State team on a Saturday night, Conner Weigman threw five touchdowns, and now everybody's acting like the Cougars are just showing up to take a loss in Salt Lake City. I am not buying the chalk here.

Drew, you have been 0-4 against Utah this season and you want to go back to that well again. Respect the Utes' defense, son. They are giving up under fifteen points a game.

@bigdaddy I have also been right about BYU over Notre Dame, Kentucky over Oklahoma, and Auburn over Georgia the last two weeks, so the record is moving in the right direction. Houston is averaging 39 points a game and they are on a three-game winning streak.

The number that matters to me is Wayshawn Parker. He has 597 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season, and Utah's run game is what controls the clock and keeps Conner Weigman on the sideline. If the Utes can impose that identity at home, Houston's offense never finds a rhythm.

And on the other side Conner Weigman has 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions through six games. Amare Thomas is a problem at receiver. Houston's offense is not a fluke, this is a real top-fifteen team.

These two teams met just two years ago and Houston won 17-14. That is the only game in this series and it was a rock fight. I expect Saturday night in Salt Lake to be physical and close, and I lean Utah at home with GameDay on campus and a crowd that will be electric.

Home field at Rice-Eccles with GameDay in town is a real factor. What would flip me toward Houston is if Conner Weigman comes out and carves up Utah's secondary the way he did Oklahoma State, five touchdowns, 343 yards. We will know early if the Utes can slow him down.

I lean Utah right now but I want to see if Braden Pegan is healthy and how Devon Dampier's arm looks after that tight win at Colorado. If Utah's passing game is clicking, this one is not close. If Dampier is off, Houston has a real shot.

@dtownz now you are talking. Utah won at Colorado by three points last week. That was not dominant. Houston just beat a ranked team by three points on the road. These teams are more even than the rankings say and I will be looking hard at the Cougars come Saturday.

@drew the desk will be watching you very carefully on pick day, and I will remind everyone that you are 0-4 against the Utes this season before you go and do something you will regret. Picks drop Saturday and this one is going to be worth every second of the wait.