The No. 18 Utah Utes (1-0) travel to LaVell Edwards Stadium to play the BYU Cougars (1-0) Saturday in what’s known as the “Holy War”. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Utah vs. BYU State odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings according to the AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Utah opened its 2021 season by bulldozing Weber State of the Big Sky conference 40-17 but wasn’t able to cover a massive 29.5-point spread at home. The Utes found a lot of offensive success and outgained the Wildcats 450-270 in total yards; however, they turned the ball over twice.
BYU handled business in Week 1 by taking down Arizona 24-16 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas but couldn’t cover as a 13.5-point favorite. The Cougars made Arizona a one-dimensional team by holding the Wildcats to just 81 rushing yards on 35 carries and intercepted 1 pass.
The “Holy War” had a truce last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Utah won the last nine meetings and covered against BYU in six of those games.
Utah at BYU odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:38 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Utah -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | BYU +230 (bet $100 to win $230)
- Against the spread (ATS): Utah -7.5 (+100) | BYU +7.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 49.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Utah at BYU odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Utah 34, BYU 17
Money line
PASS even though Utah (-300) is clearly the right side because risking three times your money when betting team sports has a really bad long-term return on investment. Utah has a nine-game win streak over BYU, but the Utes’ money line value is pretty minimal.
Against the spread
TAKE UTAH -7.5 (+100) for 1 unit because there’s “sharp line movement” heading in that direction, Utah has extra prep time and these squads are on the opposite sides of the returning talent spectrum.
Both the “pros” and “Joes” are backing Utah right now, which is the reason oddsmakers have moved this line up from the Utes laying 6 points to the listed number. Utah also benefits from starting its season Sept. 2, while BYU’s opening game was two days later.
Furthermore, BYU has the worst-ranked return of production out of the 127 charted teams, according to ESPN, while Utah ranks eighth.
Not only did BYU’s 2020 starting quarterback, Zach Wilson, go second in the 2021 NFL Draft but the Cougars were actually hit harder on defense. BYU ranks dead-last in returning defensive production and has just four starters returning this season.
Since both programs reside in the same state, BYU doesn’t have much of a home-field advantage, which is evident in Utah’s five-game road ATS win streak against the in-state rival.
Over/Under
Slight “LEAN” to the OVER 49.5 (-108) for a quarter unit only because we are getting to the party a little late since all the pro-Over money has pushed this total up from the 47-point opener to the listed number. This is despite the Under cashing in three of the last four Utah-BYU meetings.
However, Utah’s offense started to look good at the end of last season, while scoring 30 or more points in the last three contests and dropped a 40-piece in the season opener.
With BYU’s defense being as raw as it is I could see the Utes hammering the Cougars and leaving a lot of garbage time for the OVER 49.5 (-108) to cash.
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