BYU vs. UAB Odds, Date: Opening Spread, Total for 2021 Independence Bowl

BYU vs. UAB Odds

BYU is set to take on UAB in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 18 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Find our expert's projected odds, a recap of each team's seasons, plus more information on the Independence Bowl below.

BYU vs. UAB Projected Odds

These BYU vs. UAB projections are based on Collin Wilson's college football power ratings, which help power our PRO Projections — they compare all of his projections to real-time college football odds in order to easily identify betting edges.

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How BYU Reached the Independence Bowl

Death, taxes and BYU having winning seasons.

Sure, the Cougars’ schedules haven’t been the most difficult over the years, but what Kalani Sitake has built at BYU is impressive.

That’s now back-to-back seasons of 10 or more wins for Sitake, and he did it this time after losing a quarterback who went in the top five of last year’s NFL draft, and seeing his offensive coordinator depart to Baylor.

Most impressive of all, BYU was a perfect 5-0 against the Pac-12 this season, beating Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Washington State and USC.

The Cougars get it done offensively with a balanced attack. Their top offensive playmaker is running back Tyler Allgeier, who finished sixth in the country in rushing with 1,414 yards. He is tied for first in the nation in rushing touchdowns (20) with Iowa State’s Breece Hall.

The passing attack has also been solid for the Cougars this season. Led by quarterback Jaren Hall, BYU ranked 21st in the nation in passing yards per game.

Despite another successful season, the Cougars had trouble covering spreads. They were 5-7 against the number this season and failed to cover in four of their last six games.

How UAB Reached the Independence Bowl

UTSA and Western Kentucky exploded on the C-USA scene in 2021, leaving UAB and its three-year run in the conference title game in the dust.

The Blazers were tripped up by Rice as 23.5-point favorites in the middle of the year, then suffered their second conference loss to the Roadrunners in the penultimate game of the season.

Head coach Bill Clark still found a way to fill bettors’ pockets, going 8-3-1 against the spread — only Fresno State has been a better bet among mid-majors since 2017 than Clark, who is 37-24 (60.7%) ATS over that span.

UAB has been eligible for a bowl in five straight years since the program’s reinstatement. The Blazers have lost just once against the spread since Week 5.

BYU vs. UAB Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how BYU and UAB match up statistically:

BYU Offense vs. UAB Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	11	21
Line Yards	23	16
Pass Success	27	34
Pass Blocking**	2	64
Big Play	4	32
Havoc	26	34
Finishing Drives	33	93
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

UAB Offense vs. BYU Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	33	92
Line Yards	49	66
Pass Success	50	104
Pass Blocking**	48	118
Big Play	23	106
Havoc	110	82
Finishing Drives	29	92
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	87	15
Coverage	39	9
Middle 8	58	80
SP+ Special Teams	95	101
Plays per Minute	68	—
Rush Rate	54.8% (66)	64.1% (11)

Independence Bowl Date, Time, TV, More Info

• Date: Dec. 18
• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana
• TV Info: ABC