BYU vs. Washington State: Odds, betting lines and computer predictions for Cougars vs. Cougars

BYU will look to get back on track after two straight losses versus a hot Washington State team that has won three in a row, but obviously facing uncertainty after head coach Nick Rolovich and 4 other assistants were fired for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate for State employees in Washington.

Lines and Odds

After opening as a 2-point favorite Sunday, BYU is up to a 4-point favorite as of this writing. The over/under is 56. BYU has fewer distractions and should have the schematic advantage since they have their full coaching staff, but can they match Washington State’s intensity? Wazzu could come out fired up, so the first quarter or so will be telling to see if BYU can handle an emotionally-charged Wazzu team. If BYU can keep things from getting out of hand early, I like their chances to win when emotion starts to wear off.

To me the main question is this — does BYU’s likely better x’s and o’s preparation or Washington State’s likely emotional edge win out?

Sagarin

BYU dropped from 37 to 43 after the loss to Baylor. Washington State comes in at number 59. Factoring home field advantage, Sagarin favors Wazzu by half a point.

Billingsley

The Billingsley rankings still like BYU, ranking the Cougars at 15 after having them at 11 last week. They had BYU at 8 to start the season. They have Washington State at 56 and favor BYU by 4.5.

ESPN

ESPN’s FPI rankings have BYU at 49 and Washington State 78. They give BYU a 58.7% win probability. As of now BYU is a slight underdog to Virginia next week and an underdog at USC in the season finale.

Composite Rating

Massey’s composite ratings combine 36 different rating sites and combine them into one composite ranking. It doesn’t give score predictions, but it ranks BYU 33 and Washington State 70.