BYU Opens as 6-Point Underdog to Utah

Both teams opened the season with a win, but Utah will unsurprisingly be the favorite as they open as a 6-point favorite over BYU Saturday night in Provo. This line was released before the Arizona game, so it will be interesting to see how much it shifts this week. The game will be at 8:15pm MST on ESPN.

Utah took care of business 40-17 versus Weber State, while BYU took down Arizona 24-16 in Vegas. Utah is breaking in Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer at QB, and he looked good for the most part, finishing 19-27 for 233 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 pick.

The Ute defense looks stout, as usual, and allowed 270 yards to Weber State and only 57 rushing yards. Linebacker Devin Lloyd is an All-American and looks like the real deal.

Utah did struggle on third down, finishing 2-8 and 0-2 on fourth down. Getting Utah off the field will be huge for BYU.

Cincinnati transfer Tavion Thomas looks like the top back for Utah, as the sophomore finished with 107 yards on just 12 carries. Tavion played a reserve roll for Utah last season and rushed for 499 yards as a freshman for Cincinnati.

Turnovers have plagued BYU the last 9 losses, so BYU will need to be clean there and hope the return of the Nacua brothers add a little more pop to the offense. Jaren Hall has yet to throw an interception in his career, and keeping that streak alive would be crucial for BYU’s odds.

Utah is very good and BYU will need to be great to pull the upset, but maybe being at home can will the Cougars to finally break the streak.