Poinsettia Bowl betting preview

In a renewal of a recently discontinued conference rivalry 9-3 San Diego State takes on 7-5 BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday, Dec. 20 at Qualcomm Stadium (8 pm ET, ESPN).

The early Poinsettia Bowl betting odds showed the Cougars, who used to play the Aztecs regularly as members of the Mountain West up until two seasons ago, as three-point faves over SD State, which just finished as tri-champs of the MWC.

The Mountain West Conference won the past 6 Poinsettia Bowl games. [ More Poinsettia Bowl betting trends, preview and stats ]



View BYU vs San Diego State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had set the Aztecs as 3-point underdogs on the Sportsbook line for this contest. The total was 49 earlier over at Sportsbook, check for line moves during the week.





BYU Bowl History

San Diego State Bowl History

How They Match Up:
The game also pits San Diego State's No. 28-ranked offense, averaging 35.1 PPG, against a Cougars defense that ranks No. 5 this week at 14.7 PPG. The Aztecs aerial game is averaging 178.6 yards per game, less than the Cougars secondary allows through the air, 182.1 YPG per game.

In comparing defenses, the Cougars own the league's No. 12-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 106.7 yards per game when on the road. San Diego State, on the other hand, rates No. 18 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

In their last action, BYU was a 50-14 Sportsbook on the road against New Mexico State. They covered the 27.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (64) was profitable news for OVER bettors. James Lark led his team to victory last time out, throwing for 384 yards Saturday as the Cougars downed the Aggies 50-14 at Aggie Memorial Stadium.

In their last action, San Diego State was a 42-28 Sportsbook on the road against Wyoming. They covered the 7-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (70) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Last time we saw the Cowboys, they had no answer for Adam Muema as the Aztecs rolled to a 42-28 victory at War Memorial Stadium.


BYU Cougars Trends:
When playing in December are 7-3
When playing on grass are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 6-4

San Diego State Aztecs Trends:
When playing in December are 3-5
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 6-4

A few Cougars at Aztecs trends to consider:
BYU is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego State
BYU is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego State
The total has gone OVER in 4 of BYU's last 5 games when playing on the road against San Diego State
BYU is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games
San Diego State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
San Diego State is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego State's last 5 games when playing at home against BYU
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego State's last 6 games