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The Arizona Wildcats (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) and BYU Cougars (5-0, 2-0) clash in a Saturday afternoon Big 12 showdown in Provo. Kickoff at LaVell Edwards Stadium will be at 4 p.m. ET (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around Arizona vs. BYU odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Wildcats dropped a 1-score game at home last Saturday, losing 28-22 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders as 5.5-point favorites. Arizona rallied from an 18-3 deficit to take a 19-18 lead with 3 minutes left to play, but the Widcats were undone in part by a costly late fumble. They lost despite outgaining Texas Tech 422 yards to 333.
The Cougars, ranked No. 15 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, have already equaled their 2023 win total. The Cougars’ pass defense (171.0 yards per game, 24th FBS) has been a big part of the team’s ascendancy this fall. BYU was off last weekend.
– US LBM Coaches Poll: Conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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Arizona at BYU odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook | FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Friday at 11:41 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Arizona +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | BYU -160 (bet $160 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Arizona +3.5 (-115) | BYU -3.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 49.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Arizona at BYU picks and predictions
Prediction
BYU 24, Arizona 20
Moneyline
Brigham Young is 4-1 straight up across its last 5 games against Arizona.
BYU can be shaky against the run. Although that’s where UA gets much of its explosive plays on offense, the ground game is also not a success-rate plus for the Wildcats. Arizona is a pass-heavy team, and BYU is at least above average in success rate and avoiding big plays against the pass. And the Cougars defensive backs rate highly in the havoc department.
On that same side of the ball, give the Cougars another big green check mark in the area of red-zone play.
When BYU has the ball, it often gets pushed into 3rd-and-longer-than-what-you-would-want. But UA does not create much havoc, especially up front, and the Wildcats can be a bit loose in giving up yardage in chunks.
The price here on the ML is solid, and it gets the Brigham Young bettor free of a field-goal-close-result chicanery. And field goals could be impactful in this matchup.
TAKE THE COUGARS (-160).
Against the spread
This matchup has better value on the ML: PASS.
Over/Under
The last 6 UA-BYU games have cashed on the Under. The Under is 4-1 in Arizona’s last 5 games.
Both school’s have pace-of-play numbers well down toward the bottom of the FBS chart. Add in some BYU stinginess in the red zone, and some eat-the-clock run-game expectation on the Cougars side of the equation.
TAKE THE UNDER 49.5 (-115).
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