BYU Football Schedule 2023: Analysis, Breakdown, 3 Things To Know

BYU football schedule 2023 analysis, breakdown, 3 things to know

BYU football schedule 2023: Who do the Cougars miss on the Big 12 schedule and what are 3 things to know?


BYU Football Schedule 2023: 3 Things To Know

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Sept 2 Sam Houston

Sept 9 Southern Utah

Sept 16 at Arkansas

Sept 23 at Kansas

Sept 29 Cincinnati

Oct 7 OPEN DATE

Oct 14 at TCU

Oct 21 Texas Tech

Oct 28 at Texas

Nov 4 at West Virginia

Nov 11 Iowa State

Nov 18 Oklahoma

Nov 25 at Oklahoma State

2023 College Football Rankings 1-133: First Look

BYU Football Schedule What To Know: Who do the Cougars miss from the Big 12 slate?

The Cougars don’t get to play with enough of the new guys.

They get most of the old school Big 12 experience, and they’ll get Oklahoma and Texas before those two are off to the SEC (maybe), but they don’t have to deal with Houston or UCF. They do, however, host Cincinnati in late September.

They also don’t have to play Baylor or Kansas State – that’s not a horrible thing to miss the defending Big 12 Champion. Not helping the cause are the road dates at TCU and Oklahoma State, but …

BYU Football Schedule What Really Matters

There are a whole lot of road games packed into this.

Starting out the season against Sam Houston and Southern Utah helps – those aren’t scrimmages, but they’re easy ways to gear up for the season. And then it’s on with six of the last ten games away from Provo.

Unlike a slew of other Big 12 teams, the Cougars have to deal with three road games in four weeks, and two of them are at TCU and Texas. To make this worse, they have back-to-back road games twice.

Going to Arkansas isn’t going to help, but it’ll season the team up before diving into the new conference life.

BYU Football Schedule What To Know: What does it all really mean?

BYU will never be an easy out, but in this 14-team Big 12 season there are too many road games and too many landmines. it’s going to be a fight to get to the conference title game without having a whole slew of breaks.

There shouldn’t be any issues getting to six wins, and two of the road games are against Kansas and West Virginia, but it’ll take something special to get into a groove with no more than two home games in a row.

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2023 College Football Schedules: All 133 Teams

BYU 24, SMU 23 New Mexico Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

BYU 24, SMU 23: New Mexico Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

BYU beat SMU to win the New Mexico Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?


BYU 24, SMU 23 New Mexico Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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New Mexico Bowl What Happened

– Down 24-17, SMU got a touchdown pass from Tanner Mordecai to Jordan Kerley with eight seconds to play. SMU went for two, Mordecai chose to run, and he was stopped well short. The onside kick attempt went out of bounds, and BYU got out with a somewhat improbable win, because …

BYU star QB Jaren Hall couldn’t play on his injured ankle, and the offense didn’t complete a pass in the second half. However, Ben Bywater took a Mordecai pass for a pick-six, Christopher Brooks gave the Cougars a 24-10 lead late in the third on a 22-yard touchdown run, and the defense hung on for dear life on the final two-point try.

Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters stepped in for Hall and ran for a touchdown and a game-high 96 yards, but he only hit 7-of-12 throws for 47 yards with an interception. SMU got two touchdown passes out of Mordecai and 91 rushing yards and a score from Tyler Lavine.

New Mexico Bowl Player of the Game

Ben Bywater, LB BYU
He came up with a game-high 11 tackles, and his 76-yard pick six early in the third quarter turned the game around.

CFN Experts Picks Dec 20-27 | CFP NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

New Mexico Bowl Fun Stats

– SMU outgained BYU 389 yards to 256.

– The two teams combined to convert 4-of-5 fourth down tries.

– SMU converted 10-of-18 third down tries. BYU converted 5-of-12.

New Mexico Bowl What It All Means

It might have been a bit of a disappointing season overall, but BYU was able to come a whole lot of adversity and injuries to get out of this with a gut-check win. No, Maiava-Peters wasn’t going to wing it around, but that wasn’t his job. He ran well, the offensive line took over for stretches, and the ground attack and defense got it done.

With this, it’s the second bowl wins in the last four seasons and Kalani Stake has won 29 games in the last three seasons.

SMU is going to be kicking itself for not being able to take control of this right away. It didn’t have to worry at all about the BYU passing game, its own offense was able to move just enough early on.

It was an unfortunate two-point conversion try at the very end – it was like SMU ran its best red zone play for the touchdown – but the offense was able to outgain BYU by 133 yards, it was far more effective, and it had a whole lot of chances.

Even with the loss, it was a good first season under Rhett Lashlee and a fourth straight winning season for the program. However, it’s now 0-3 in bowls since its last win in the 2012 Hawaii.

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2022-2023 Bowl Schedule, Predictions

BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl Prediction Game Preview

BYU vs SMU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday, December 17

BYU vs SMU prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, December 17


BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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BYU vs SMU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 17
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
How To Watch: ABC
Record: BYU (7-5), SMU (7-5)
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BYU vs SMU New Mexico Bowl 5 Things To Know

New Mexico Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

It’s the last game for BYU before being off to the Big 12 next season, and SMU would love to show the conference what it’s missing. As is, the matchup has the potential to be fun offensive show depending on the parts still around – more on that in a moment – and worth the watch if and when the Miami-Buffalo game gets dull. This will be rolling as the NFL day finishes up.

BYU was a relative clunker in last year’s Independence Bowl loss to UAB. It lost two of its last three bowl games and five of its last eight, but head coach Kalani Sitake is 3-2 in the post-season in his six seasons.

It’s a nice way to end SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee’s second season. His team won four of the last five games, the offense showed off a ton of passing firepower, and the program will be jacked to get to play in this after the last two bowl games were canceled including last year’s Fenway against Virginia. SMU hasn’t won a bowl since taking down Fresno State in the 2021 Hawaii.

The New Mexico Bowl has normally been a home for a Mountain West team, but BYU ended up being the fit. The Mountain West won the last four and seven of the last nine, and none of games were particularly amazing. Last year’s 31-24 Fresno State win over UTEP was okay, but there hasn’t been a ton of scoring since Colorado State’s 48-45 win over Washington State in 2013. This New Mexico Bowl should change that.

It’s just the fourth time these two programs will meet – BYU is 3-0. The last time was a 19-16 Cougar win back in 1997, but if you’re interested at all in the history of college football, the 1980 Holiday Bowl – a miraculous 46-45 comeback victory led by BYU QB Jim McMahon – continues to be among the greatest bowl games of all-time.

CFN Bowl Expert Picks: Dec 16-19 | Dec 20-27

Why BYU Will Win The New Mexico Bowl

Run, run, run, and keep on running.

SMU might have a big-time offense that scores in bunches and takes teams out of their gameplans, but BYU should be able to get that big offensive line going right away and get physical.

RB Christopher Brooks came back after missing two weeks and ripped off 266 yards averaging close to eight yards per pop in the final two games – this will be his game to dominate.

On the other side, time of possession is relatively meaningless because of how quick SMU the passing game works. There’s a big problem with that – you have to beat BYU on the ground.

The Cougars are 7-0 when allowing fewer than 205 rushing yards and 0-5 when allowing more. SMU only hit the 200-yard mark three times, and all came against mediocre-to-awful run defenses.

There’s one big question mark, though, that could affect all of this …

Why SMU Will Win The New Mexico Bowl

BYU has a massive injury concern at quarterback. Jaren Hall was brilliant all year throwing for close to 3,200 yards with 31 touchdowns and just six picks, and he was second on the team in rushing. He’s very, very questionable – and most likely out – with an ankle injury which means the Cougars might have to turn to …

Uhhhhhh. That’s a great question if Hall can’t go. No one else on the roster has thrown more than one pass this year.

SMU is going to be more concerned about its own offense. Yeah, SMU wins when it runs well, but it wants to throw and throw some more. BYU was able to hold up in wins over Stanford and Utah Tech – allowing over 300 passing yards in each game – but it’s 2-4 when allowing 220 yards or more.

SMU seems like it gets 220 passing yards on the first drive – the loss to Cincinnati was the only time it didn’t get there.

BYU doesn’t have a problem keeping up the pace if the passing game works and the points are flowing, but this is probably going to be a back-and-forth fight. That means …

New Mexico Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, BYU vs SMU Prediction, New Mexico Bowl History

BYU vs Stanford Prediction Game Preview

BYU vs Stanford game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 13 game on Saturday, November 26

BYU vs Stanford prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 13, Saturday, November 26


BYU vs Stanford Prediction Game Preview

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BYU vs Stanford How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 26
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET
Venue: Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA
How To Watch: FS1
Record: BYU (6-5), Stanford (3-8)
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Why BYU Will Win

The passing game has kicked it back in.

Rolling for 455 yards against Utah Tech was no big deal, but that came off a 377-yard, three touchdown day against Boise State. Jaren Hall has thrown for two or more touchdowns in nine straight games and ten of the last 11, and even better are the downfield throws.

BYU has a ground attack – it’s 5-2 when running for over 115 yards – but it’s better when it’s cranking up the downfield plays. Stanford can’t stop the run – going 0-7 when giving up 160 yards or more – but in this, BYU will grind to set up the big throws from Hall. But …

Bowl Projections | Bowl Bubble: Who’s Bowl Eligible?

Why Stanford Will Win

BYU’s defense has been struggling, too.

It got the job done against the terrific Boise State running attack, but it’s about to get tested after allowing over 200 yards on the ground in five straight games before that.

Stanford’s passing attack has to keep things moving, but it can’t abandon the running game that couldn’t get going against the better Pac-12 defenses but should have a little success here.

It has to establish the run early, hit a few third down plays, and it has to keep BYU from consistently moving the chains – it’s the best in the Pac-12 at coming up with third down stops.

There aren’t going to be a lot of turnovers or penalties, and …

Week 13 College Football Schedule, Game Previews

What’s Going To Happen

Stanford just doesn’t score enough.

It’s possible the defense rises up in the final game of the year, but the three wins came when allowing 14 points or fewer and allowed 27 or more against everyone else.

BYU is 0-4 when scoring fewer than 26 points and 6-1 when scoring that many or more. The BYU offense will struggle to get past 26 points, but it’ll do it.

Expert Picks College Week 12NFL Week 11

BYU vs Stanford Prediction, Line

BYU 27, Stanford 23
Line: BYU -6.5, o/u: 57.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
BYU vs Stanford Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Path to the Playoff: 7 teams still in the race 

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BYU vs Boise State Prediction Game Preview

BYU vs Boise State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 10 game on Saturday, November 5

BYU vs Boise State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 10, Saturday, November 5


BYU vs Boise State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 5
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID
How To Watch: FS2
Record: BYU (0-0), Boise State (0-0)
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BYU vs Boise State Game Preview

Why BYU Will Win

What’s going wrong?

BYU was rolling along with a 4-1 record and only a loss at Oregon, but it all fell apart fast. Even so, the offense is working well enough – except in the ugly loss to Liberty – and it should be able to get things moving a bit against the Boise State defense.

Yes, the Bronco defense has been great lately, but it also hasn’t faced too many great offenses – that includes Fresno State before QB Jake Haener was back. Because he was out, the Boise State pass defense stats look great, but they’re a bit of a misrepresentation.

Oregon State was the one team that threw for over 200 yards, and UTEP was able to hit 90% of its throws. Those were Boise State’s two losses.

However, what is BYU’s big problem?

Breaking down the CFP Top 25 rankings

Why Boise State Will Win

Welcome to the BYU run defense.

It was supposed to be terrific, but it’s been a total disaster allowing over 200 yards per game. It had problems in the first part of the season, and then it fell off the map over the last five games.

Teams aren’t just committing to the run; they’re busting through with big dashes when they try.

Boise State’s running game went from mediocre to unstoppable after the most to offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, pushing for close to 1,000 yards over the last four games with 13 scores.

Schedules, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

BYU is still very good. It’s got plenty of talent, there are enough good parts to turn this around late, and the offense should be good enough to keep up.

However, Boise State will rip off 250 rushing yards and control the game throughout. The BYU defense can’t come up with third down stops and can’t make plays behind the line. Boise State will take advantage all of that.

Expert Picks College Week 10NFL Week 9

BYU vs Boise State Prediction, Line

Boise State 38, BYU 30
Line: Boise State -7.5, o/u: 55.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
BYU vs Boise State Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Predictions of Every Game

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Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

BYU vs Liberty Prediction, Game Preview

BYU vs Liberty game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 8 game on Saturday, October 22

BYU vs Liberty prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 8, Saturday, October 22


BYU vs Liberty How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 22
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
How To Watch: ESPNU
Record: BYU (4-3), Liberty (6-1)
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BYU vs Liberty Game Preview

Why BYU Will Win

BYU might not be having the season it wanted to have, but it was able to get by Baylor but couldn’t keep up in losses to Notre Dame and Arkansas.

That doesn’t mean it’s not good.

The passing game was strong against the Hogs, the running game was good against the Irish, and it should all work just fine against the Liberty defense.

The Flames might have stuffed the Wake Forest running game, but it hasn’t been tested by lines like BYU is about to bring.

On the other side, Liberty struggles to convert third down tries, there are way too many interceptions and too many turnovers, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 7

Why Liberty Will Win

Liberty is a goldfish team – it gets as big or stays as small as the bowl.

It played great in a 37-36 loss to Wake Forest when the run defense showed up large and the offense clicked. It struggled to put away Gardner-Webb with a 21-20 win thanks to turnovers, and it took a fight to get by Akron and UMass.

However, the Flames find ways to win.

The defense is brilliant at coming up with picks helped by one of the nation’s best pass rushes. The defensive front is extremely active, the offensive side doesn’t have to worry about any sort of a pass rush from BYU, and …

– Game Previews, Predictions CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

BYU needs to bring its offensive balance all while keeping the turnovers to a minimum. That’s where it’ll pull this off.

The three giveaways against Arkansas was off brand for an offense that turned it over just three times in the previous six games.

Liberty will be jacked up at home and take its game up a few notches to keep this close, but it won’t get the takeaways needed to go along with a big day from the running game.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 8

BYU vs Liberty Prediction, Line

BYU 30, Liberty 24
Line: BYU -7, o/u: 58
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
BYU vs Liberty Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
Predictions of Every Game

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Schedules, Scores For All 131 Teams

Arkansas vs BYU Prediction, Game Preview

Arkansas vs BYU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

Arkansas vs BYU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15


Arkansas vs BYU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Arkansas (3-3), BYU (4-2)
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Arkansas vs BYU Game Preview

Why Arkansas Will Win

Is KJ Jefferson back?

The star Hog quarterback was out for the Mississippi State game after suffering a head injury against Alabama, but he’s expected to give it a go.

Let’s just say the Hog offense wasn’t the same without him in the 40-17 loss to Mississippi State.

It was fine – it cranked up 483 yards – but the two turnovers and struggles to score turned what should’ve been a good fight into a blowout the other way.

Jefferson is dangerous on the move, Raheim Sanders is one of the SEC’s best backs, and it should all work against a BYU run defense that got ripped up by  Notre Dame last week after allowing over 200 yards to Utah State the week before.

The Cougar line isn’t getting into the backfield enough, it’s having problems against the run, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 6

Why BYU Will Win

Welcome to Provo, Hogs. There’s no way to describe it other than it’s a very, very unique place for big name teams to visit.

Between the setting, the energy, the altitude of 4,500 feet, and the team that comes out of the tunnel, BYU has one of the toughest home field advantages in college football.

Baylor this year, Arizona, Utah, Arizona State last year, USC in 2019 – BYU has a way of saving its biggest performances for the houseguests.

This is a tough Cougar team that likes to get the ground game going and control the tempo if it can, but this will be all about QB Jaren Hall and the passing game that fizzled hard in Vegas against the Irish.

Before that Hall was on fire hitting close to 70% of his passes with 260 yards or more in every game. Now he gets to hit up an Arkansas secondary that’s allowing over 300 yards per outing.

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

It’s been a rough run for Arkansas.

It went to Arlington, Texas and lost a heartbreaker to Texas A&M in the final moments, came back home and dealt with Alabama, went to Starkville and got dropped by 23 to Mississippi State, and now it has has to make the trip to Utah.

College teams are resilient and the Hogs have the lines to do more than just hold up, but BYU isn’t the place to go when you could use a little bit of a breather.

Arkansas is the better team with the better talent, but BYU’s lines, run defense, and Hall will be far sharper and more effective than they all were last week.

It’ll be close throughout, but BYU will take over the fourth quarter with third down conversion after third down conversion to grind out the final drive for the win.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

Arkansas vs BYU Prediction, Line

BYU 26, Arkansas 24
Line: Arkansas -1.5, o/u: 66
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Arkansas vs BYU Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
Predictions of Every Game

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Notre Dame vs BYU Prediction, Game Preview

Notre Dame vs BYU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 6 game on Saturday, October 8

Notre Dame vs BYU prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 6, Saturday, October 8


Notre Dame vs BYU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 8
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: NBC/Peacock
Record: Notre Dame (2-2), BYU (4-1)
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College Football Week 5 Roundup
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Bowl Projections | Week 5 Scoreboard
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What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Cavalcade of Whimsy: The Silly Coaching World
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Notre Dame vs BYU Game Preview

Why BYU Will Win

This is where the lines have to kick in.

The BYU ground game has been fine. It hasn’t been anything amazing since rolling on USF like everyone does, but it’s been … fine. The passing game has been strong, the offense is working, but this is when this program tends to step up and shine with steady play up front.

Don’t get into a twist over the 41-20 loss at Oregon – that might be the best team in the Pac-12 – and don’t be too concerned about the lackluster performances against Wyoming and Utah State.

The defense line won’t get gouged, and the offensive line should hold up and get just enough out of the running game to matter.

The Cougars don’t turn the ball over, the secondary has been terrific, and Notre Dame’s offense – while improved – is still nothing to worry about.

The Irish aren’t running on BYU like they did against North Carolina.

Back to the turnover thing, Notre Dame has generated one more turnover this season than you have.

However …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 5

Why Notre Dame Will Win

Are the BYU lines really playing that well?

The run defense hasn’t been anything consistently amazing, and the pass rush hasn’t been there. There’s talent and depth, and size isn’t an issue, but the line has been a bit hit-or-miss.

The offensive front personnel-wise is among the best BYU has had in years, but the pass protection has been just okay and the running game hasn’t blasted away against anyone but USF and Wyoming.

On the other side, the Notre Dame defensive front has picked it up.

It was good enough against Ohio State – that 21-10 loss now looks far, far better than it did at the time – and the pass rush should be enough to bother BYU QB Jaren Hall and make him rush just a wee bit.

Offensively, yeah, Notre Dame is better than it was over the first two weeks. Drew Pyne is getting things moving, the ground game went off on North Carolina, and BYU’s secondary might have a few problems.

Pyne is hitting over 70% of his throws over the last two games. BYU’s defense is solid overall, but the pass defense struggled against Oregon’s Bo Nix and allowed too many short-range passes to Baylor’s Blake Shapen.

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

It’s going to be a fun game.

Notre Dame stepped up the smack with a fun offseason “The Hangover” themed video, and now it needs to back it up with a win to get the season rolling.

The 0-2 start was a killer, but win this, and with Stanford and UNLV up next the team will be on a run before dealing with Syracuse on the road and Clemson at home.

BYU needs this with Arkansas up next, but if it can win impressively and take down the Hogs in Provo, look out – it might be smooth sailing the rest of the way for an 11-1 season.

Can the BYU defense that showed up in the win over Baylor get it done against an Irish attack with two weeks off to rest up? Yeah, and this is where Hall becomes more of a national name.

Notre Dame will have its chances, but Hall will be solid on third downs with an efficient day to pull this off.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 6

Notre Dame vs BYU Prediction, Line

BYU 27, Notre Dame 23
Line: Notre Dame -3.5, o/u: 51
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Notre Dame vs BYU Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
Predictions of Every Game

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BYU vs Utah State Prediction, Game Preview

BYU vs Utah State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 5 game on Thursday, September 29

BYU vs Utah State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Thursday, September 29


BYU vs Utah State How To Watch

Date: Thursday, September 29
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: BYU (3-1), Utah State (1-3)
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Roundup: Overrated, Underrated, What it all Means
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Hot Seat Coach Rankings after Week 4
Think, Know, Believe: Football Smack Talk
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BYU vs Utah State Game Preview

Why Utah State Will Win

This is one of those games.

It’s not necessarily a “throw out the records” type of game, but Utah State always tries to bring a little something extra when it gets to deal with the guys from Provo.

It’s been a wee bit of a rough run over the last few weeks – to be nice about it – but there’s enough of a passing game to at least press the Cougar secondary a bit.

The defensive front doesn’t generate a pass rush, but it gets behind the line, the takeaways were there with seven before not getting any in last week’s loss to UNLV, and …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why BYU Will Win

Yeah, Utah State is having problems.

It starts with the turnovers. The offense has to press with all the problems it’s having getting anything going, and the mistakes follow from there.

The positive: there weren’t any turnovers against Alabama. The negative: there were 12 in the other three games including ten over the last two games.

BYU isn’t taking the ball away, but this is the game to start generating more big things.

The Cougar lines should take over right away, the defense should stuff everything the Aggies want to do on the ground, and …

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What’s Going To Happen

Utah State’s secondary is about to get hit hard.

It wasn’t totally awful against Alabama, and it hasn’t been a disaster, but QB Jaren Hall and the BYU passing game have been rolling no matter who’s out there are receiver.

The offense is averaging close to 300 yards per game through the air with ten scores. Utah State has yet to allow anyone to hit 70%. That’s about to change.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

BYU vs Utah State Prediction, Line

BYU 44, Utah State 10
Line: BYU -24, o/u: 60
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
BYU vs Utah State Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

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BYU vs Wyoming Prediction, Game Preview

BYU vs Wyoming game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 4 game on Saturday, September 24

BYU vs Wyoming prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 4, Saturday, September 24


BYU vs Wyoming How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 24
Game Time: 10:15 ET
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: BYU (2-1), Wyoming (3-1)
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BYU vs Wyoming Game Preview

Why Wyoming Will Win

It’s one of the underappreciated good things in college football so far this year …

Wyoming is good.

It lost a few top players through the transfer portal, the expectations were low to quickly rebound, and all of a sudden it’s 3-1 with a great win over Air Force, a better-than-it-looked-then shootout win over Tulsa, and now the defense that’s been great so far has to prove it can hold up against the Cougars.

Wyoming’s offensive line is playing well, the turnovers have slowed after giving up three in Week 0 to Illinois, and now the team is getting a BYU team that might be slightly down after the loss to Oregon.

However …

CFN Expert Picks, Week 4

Why BYU Will Win

Wyoming isn’t doing anything that special.

It was able to hold up against the Air Force running game, and the offense did what it needed to do over the last few weeks, but it’s going to have a hard time against the Cougar offensive front.

BYU will go Illinois on the Cowboys. The Illini pounded away for 258 yards and three scores and hit the midrange throws to keep things moving. BYU might not have been able to stop Oregon, but Jaren Hall and the passing game were solid.

And …

10 Best Predictions Against the Spread

What’s Going To Happen

After dealing with Baylor and Oregon, running on Wyoming is going to seem easier.

The Cowboys really are better, and they’re not just going to get steamrolled over, but BYU will come up with a good early scoring drive and control the game from there.

As good as Wyoming QB Andrew Peasley has been, he’s not going to get the downfield throws to catch up.

NFL Expert Picks, Week 3

BYU vs Wyoming Prediction, Line

BYU 38, Wyoming 13
Line: BYU -22, o/u: 50
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
BYU vs Wyoming Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

College coaches all over America this week are raising awareness and research dollars for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive genetic disorder that takes the lives of young men. Fans can donate to Coach To Cure MD online or by texting the word CURE to 501501 to give $25.

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