In a rematch of an ugly defensive struggle from last September 5-2 BYU and 5-2 Boise State hook up for a national TV Western regional battle Friday night in Provo (8 pm ET, ESPN).
The Broncos come in riding a three-game winning streak, after beating Nevada Saturday 34-17 in their Homecoming game; the Cougars, meanwhile, own a four-game winning streak, after beating Houston Saturday 47-26.
Boise State beat BYU last year 7-6, scoring its only touchdown on an interception return, then holding the Cougars on a two-point conversion with three minutes to go in the game.
In the early betting BYU was favored by seven points over the Broncos, who are underdogs for the third time this season, after being underdogs just once over the previous three seasons.
The Broncos will look to vanquish their hosts on Friday, as they are 4-3 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Cougars are 4-3 ATS. Boise State is 5-2 against the total, while BYU is 3-4 versus the number.
View Boise State Broncos vs BYU Cougars Odds and Stats.
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Cougars as 7-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest. The total was 60 at most online sportsbooks Friday, including Sportsbook.
This game matches up the No. 13 (Cougars) and the No. 16 (Broncos) teams in the league, according to our current NCAAF Power Rankings at OddsShark. A 43-36 result in favor of the Broncos is predicted by handicapping models.
In their last action, Boise State was a 34-17 Sportsbook at home against Nevada. They failed to cover the 24-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (51) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Taysom Hill led his team to victory last time out, throwing for 417 yards Saturday as the Cougars downed the Cougars 47-46 at Reliant Stadium.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up BYU's No. 51-ranked offense (31.71 PPG) against a Broncos defense that ranks No. 40 at 22.86 PPG. The Cougars passing attack has averaged 240 yards per game, less than the Broncos give up through the air (240.71 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Broncos feature the league's No. 46-rated road run defense, allowing 152.33 yards per game. BYU, meanwhile, ranks No. 10 in rushing offense at home.
A few Broncos at Cougars trends to consider:
Boise State is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Boise State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boise State is 17-6 ATS in its last 23 games on the road
Boise State is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games on the road
BYU is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of BYU's last 7 games
BYU is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home
Next up:
Boise State at Colorado State, Saturday, November 2nd
BYU at Wisconsin, Saturday, November 9th
