Poinsettia Bowl

The BYU Cougars left the Mountain West Conference after 2010 so they could play in bigger games, especially in the postseason. Instead, the Cougars find themselves in the Poinsettia Bowl this year against a former Mountain West opponent in the Wyoming Cowboys, who are listed as 8.5-point underdogs coming off a loss to the San Diego State Aztecs in the conference championship game.

Kickoff: Wednesday, December 21, 2016 @ 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Additional Read: Wyoming vs BYU Betting

Odds at Sportsbook

2016 Poinsettia Bowl Matchup

BYU’s recent bowl history has shown it was not a great move to leave the Mountain West considering the school has not played later than Dec. 30 since leaving the conference. The Cougars have lost their past three postseason games, falling 35-28 last year to the Utah Utes as 2.5-point underdogs in the Las Vegas Bowl.

For Wyoming, playing in a bowl game one year after going 2-10 is a remarkable feat. Head coach Craig Bohl has already won more games this season than in his first two combined at the school and nearly won the Mountain West title on its home field. Unfortunately, San Diego State was too tough in a 27-24 loss, but the Cowboys still managed to cover the spread as 7.5-point dogs.

Defense figures to be the difference in this matchup, as Wyoming’s high-scoring offense will need to find a way to put up some points against BYU in order to have a shot to cover the spread. The Cowboys averaged 37.1 points to rank 24th nationally while the Cougars gave up 19.4 per game (15th in the country). The only time the Cowboys scored less than 24 points this season, they were blown out 52-17 by the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

These teams play two very different styles of football, and that is reflected in their betting trends. The OVER has cashed in seven of the last nine games for the Cowboys. Meanwhile, the UNDER is 6-1 in the past seven for the Cougars, who have held each of their opponents to 10 points or less during a four-game winning streak.

Both of these schools have fared well against the spread this season, exceeding the expectations of oddsmakers. But playing in this game is a much bigger deal to Wyoming, which has not been in a bowl since 2011. The remaining questions are, will that inexperience be a factor, and how motivated will BYU be? The Cougars are certainly used to playing in the postseason, and they have won the previous seven meetings (6-1 ATS) dating back to when they squared off in Mountain West play.

• BYU is 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS in its last seven games against Wyoming.
• BYU is 6-1 SU in its last seven games against the Mountain West.
• BYU is 0-3 SU and ATS in its last three games in the postseason.
• Wyoming is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games.
• Wyoming is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games against teams with winning records.
• The total has gone UNDER in five of Wyoming's last six games after consecutive losses.
• The total has gone UNDER in six of BYU's last seven games.

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