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The BYU Cougars take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on ABC.
Utah is favored by -5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. BYU, meanwhile, enters as a +5.5 underdog and is +168 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 48.5 total points.
Here’s my BYU vs. Utah prediction and college football pick for Saturday, November 7.
BYU vs Utah Prediction
- BYU vs. Utah Pick: 1H Over 24.5
My Utah vs. BYU best bet is on both teams to go over the first-half total with the best odds available at FanDuel. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
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BYU vs Utah Odds
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | +168 |
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | -205 |
- BYU vs Utah point spread: Utah -5.5 (-110), BYU +5.5 (-110)
- BYU vs Utah over/under: 48.5 (-115o / -105u)
- BYU vs Utah moneyline: BYU +168, Utah -205
BYU vs Utah College Football Preview
BYU Cougars Betting Preview: Good Rush Offense, Bad Run Defense
There's good news out of the BYU camp, as starting running back LJ Martin is set to return for the Cougars. The back was projected highly in last year's NFL Draft before opting to return for one more season.
With Martin in the backfield, the Cougars should return as a lethal outside zone team, as BYU has a high Success Rate through 11 and 12 personnel thanks to quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
The sophomore signal-caller has an excellent 2026 resume, from 19 all-purpose touchdowns to forcing 19 missed tackles on rushing attempts.
Defensively, coordinator Kelly Poppinga has seen the BYU stop unit struggle against the run over the past month. Both Arizona State and UCF posted a minimum 63% Success Rate in rushing attempts, well ahead of the national average at 48%.
The Cougars rank 57th in Rushing Success Rate allowed, with Defensive Line Yards and Stuff Rate marks that have both fallen out of the top 50.
Tackling continues to be the biggest concern for BYU, with the Cougars earning a grade of only 133rd, per PFF. The Cougars have missed 48 tackles in the last three games against Notre Dame, UCF and Arizona State.
Utah Utes Betting Preview: Flying High
An initial College Football Playoff ranking of third has the Utes flying high.
Quarterback Devon Dampier has generated the best numbers of his career at 18 big-time throws to just four turnover-worthy plays.
Running back Wayshawn Parker has been a perfect complement in the power, counter and zone-read offense. Parker and Dampier have combined for over 1,100 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while forcing 63 missed tackles.
Head coach Morgan Scalley has seen a minimal drop in his defense with the handoff to coordinator Colton Swan. The nickel defense ranks top-25 in Success Rate allowed and top-15 in Defensive Quality Drives and Defensive Finishing Drives.
The argument against Utah is its strength of schedule, currently residing at 83rd in FBS.
The Utes have a poor pass rush grade of 111th while falling to 91st in tackling.
Utah has been stingy in allowing methodical drives, but offenses that fall off schedule have frequently found explosive plays. Utah ranks 111th in passing down EPA allowed when opponents are off schedule.
BYU vs Utah Pick, Betting Analysis
There's good reason to think scoring could begin early in the Holy War.
BYU executes its rushing attack through 11 and 12 personnel, but a two-tight-end set should be an advantage over Utah. The Cougars have run half of their outside zone attempts in 12 personnel, a concept that lowers the Utes' defensive efficiency by 14%.
The potential return of Martin would only benefit BYU on the offensive side of the ball, making the Big 12 availability report a must-watch in Week 10.
The same advantages exist for the Utah offense through power and outside zone run concepts, both run with 12 personnel. BYU has yet to face an offense that runs power with a heavy box, posting a mid-FBS Success Rate of 51% against a light box.
The biggest issue for both of these offenses is tackling at the second level. Bachmeier, Martin, Dampier and Parker are four of the most elusive rushers at their position, while both opposing defenses have shown serious inefficiencies when it comes to tackling.
Action Network's Betting Power Ratings call for Utah to be favored by 5 points, and alignment with the market leaves no value on the side.
However, these teams have been offensive powder kegs in the first half. Utah and BYU rank in the top 18 of first-half scoring offenses, posting 23.3 and 20 points in the opening half, respectively.
Considering neither defense has experience against run concepts using two tight ends, missed tackles will lead to plenty of explosives in the Holy War.
Pick: 1H Over 24.5
BYU vs Utah Betting Trends
