BYU (4-0) will hit the road for its first game away from home this season, hitting the road to take on the Utah State Aggies (3-1).
The Cougars have undeniably had a successful start to the 2021 campaign, knocking off three Pac-12 schools and USF en route to a perfect record thus far. Will they be able to keep perfection intact (and more importantly, cover the spread) as they head to Logan in the battle for the Old Wagon Wheel?
Check out our picks and predictions for the BYU Cougars vs. Utah State Aggies on Friday, October 1 to find out.
BYU vs Utah State odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
BYU opened -8.5, but the line has moved to -9 at most books as of the time of this writing. Be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets, and also view the full line movement for this game.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
BYU vs Utah State picks
Picks made on 10/28/2021 at 11:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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BYU vs Utah State game info
• Location: Stadium, City, State
• Date: Friday, October 1, 2021
• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: CBSSN
BYU vs Utah State betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
BYU: Jaren Hall QB (Probable), Tyler Batty DL (Probable), Atunaisa Mahe DL (Probable), Isaiah Herron (Probable), Harris LaChance OL (Questionable), Jake Oldroyd K (Questionable), Keenan Ellis CB (Questionable), Kody Epps WR (Questionable)
Utah State: None
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The underdog is 9-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings between these two schools. Find more NCAA betting trends for BYU vs. Utah State.
BYU vs Utah State predictions
Utah State +9 (-110)
Sure, BYU has gotten off to a hot start this year — an undefeated record speaks for itself, after all. None of its wins have aged particularly well, however — most of the country could easily beat Arizona, Utah has fallen off a cliff, Arizona State isn’t looking as strong as originally thought going into the year, and USF had a freshman quarterback throw successfully on this secondary.
More importantly, all of its wins have come in a favorable environment in which the team has been playing in front of their fans. They’ve yet to be tested on the road, playing three home games and one contest in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in front of a primarily BYU crowd.
The stats paint the picture that this BYU team has been somewhat fortunate to remain undefeated, as it’s playing virtually dead even with its competition from a yardage standpoint. The offense is averaging 387.5 yards while the defense is allowing 388 yards — not the numbers you’d expect from an undefeated squad.
The Cougars also enter this contest a little banged up, as quarterback Jaren Hall is expected back after missing last week with bruised ribs.
This is simply too many points to lay against a Utah State team that has been surprisingly adequate, led by first-year head coach Blake Anderson. The Aggies began the year with an upset win over Washington State at 17-point underdogs before scoring 48 and 49 points in back-to-back wins.
The 27-3 loss to Boise State last week wasn’t great, but there are some positive takeaways. The offense was able to move the ball well, accumulating 443 total yards. Too many mistakes and three turnovers led to the final score playing out as it did, but this is clearly a team that can move the ball and remain in games.
Expect the Aggies to accumulate yards through the air against a BYU secondary that allowed USF’s true freshman quarterback Timmy McClain to average 7.8 yards per attempt a week ago. Even if BYU gets out to an early lead, the back door cover should remain open.
This is too many points to lay in a rivalry game and BYU’s first road test of the year. We’ll take the points with Utah State.
Over 61.5 (-105)
Blake Anderson always featured high-flying passing offenses while coaching Arkansas State, and he’s brought that same style to Utah State in 2021. The Aggies are averaging 320 passing yards and 214 rushing yards per game en route to 534 total yards. They’re playing at a high pace (sixth-most plays per game nationally, with 79.8) and are successful when they do snap the ball, averaging 6.7 yards per play.
The dual-quarterback system is an interesting one, but both Logan Bonner and Andrew Peasley are averaging over 8.3 yards per attempt this season and have found success. They have a star wide receiver to target in Deven Thompkins, who’s already accumulated 514 receiving yards and three scores in only four games.
BYU’s offense hasn’t put up particularly impressive numbers, but it’s faced decent competition and has proven competent moving the ball with dual-threat quarterback Jaren Hall and go-to running back Tyler Allgeier. They should find success here against a Utah State defense allowing 463 yards of total offense per game on 6.5 yards per play.
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