The No. 14 BYU Cougars (5-0) and the Arizona Wildcats (3-2) meet on the gridiron on Saturday afternoon for a pivotal matchup in the Big 12. Kickoff is set 4 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Cougars have gotten off to an excellent start to the campaign, winning their first five games to enter as one of 12 FBS teams still undefeated.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats play their third ranked opponent on the road in the last four weeks and are coming off a 28-22 defeat against Texas Tech.
The Cougars are favored by three points on the spread, and they're also -160 on the moneyline. Meanwhile, the total is currently at 49 at the time of writing.
In a wide open conference, both teams will be pushing for a win to stay in the title race. So, here are my Arizona vs BYU predictions and my college football picks for Saturday.
Arizona vs BYU Picks, Prediction
- Arizona vs BYU picks: BYU -3 (-105)
My Arizona vs BYU best bet is on the Cougars spread, with the best line currently available at bet365, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Arizona vs BYU Odds, Spread, Lines
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 49 -110 / -110 | +135 |
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 49 -110 / -110 | -160 |
- Arizona vs BYU Point Spread: Arizona +3 (-115) · BYU -3 (-105)
- Arizona vs BYU Total: Over/Under 48.5
- Arizona vs BYU Moneyline: Arizona +125 · BYU -150
Arizona Football vs BYU Football Preview
Arizona Wildcats Betting Preview: Make it Through Difficult Stretch
Coach Brent Brennan is in the final game of what will likely be the most difficult stretch of his debut season with the Wildcats. It started with a trip to a ranked Kansas State team, where KSU won 31-7.
Then, Arizona bounced back with the thrilling upset at Utah after a bye week. It was the Utes’ first loss to an unranked team at home since 2018.
Now Brennan’s team will look for another victory in the Beehive State, and he’ll need his star receiver Tetairoa McMillan to have another strong performance.
Coming into this contest, McMillan leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the FBS with 664 receiving yards. He's moved his career tally up to over 2,700 yards to go along with his 10 100-yard games.
With Noah Fifita throwing the rock, this is one of the top passing duos in the country.
BYU Cougars Betting Preview: Defensive Play Has Been Difference Maker
To sum up the turnaround in the program, a win in this game gives BYU its third conference victory, which would surpass the league win total from last season. This would also be the second 6-0 start under Kalani Sitake and sixth in school history.
The winning is nothing new for the Cougars. In fact, their 431 wins over the past 50 seasons are tied for ninth in the country. Only Ohio State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Florida State have won more.
The key to the strong start this season for Sitake has been the play of the defense. It's a unit that ranks inside the top 20 in both total and scoring defense, allowing just 15.7 points per game.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Jake Retzlaff has had great command of the offense. He ranks tied for 18th in the FBS with 12 passing touchdowns.
With special teams also chipping in with plays, Sitake’s squad has been playing complimentary football that typically leads to wins.
Arizona vs BYU Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Arizona and BYU match up statistically:
Arizona Offense vs. BYU Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 108 | 53 | |
| Line Yards | 116 | 68 | |
| Pass Success | 81 | 14 | |
| Havoc | 72 | 41 | |
| Finishing Drives | 117 | 41 | |
| Quality Drives | 57 | 29 | |
BYU Offense vs. Arizona Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 96 | 74 | |
| Line Yards | 75 | 99 | |
| Pass Success | 56 | 38 | |
| Havoc | 44 | 38 | |
| Finishing Drives | 77 | 115 | |
| Quality Drives | 65 | 52 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 111 | 20 |
| PFF Coverage | 46 | 58 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 11 | 48 |
| Middle 8 | 21 | 11 |
| Seconds per Play | 29.3 (106) | 29.8 (119) |
| Rush Rate | 43% (118) | 53% (58) |
How To Make College Football Picks For My Arizona vs BYU Prediction
If you've been tracking the spread for this game this week, BYU opened as low as a -1.5 favorite before moving up to as high as a touchdown. I agreed with the move before it settled at the number it is now.
So, my best bet is to take BYU at -3.5, which I would play up to -5.5. You can also elect to lay a bigger price to get a flat -3 to stay on the key number.
When you look at both offenses, they both rely on explosive plays to get the ball downfield. They both rank in the top 20 among Power Four schools in offensive explosiveness.
The defense that I feel is best equipped to stop this is the Cougars, who are inside the top 20 in the same statistic on defense.
More importantly, the secondary is fifth among P4 teams in pass explosiveness, which will be vital against Arizona’s passing attack.
Another key component to this handicap is finishing drives. This has been a huge issue for the Wildcats on both sides of the ball.
On offense, Arizona is 117th in the FBS in converting points once the team gets beyond the opponents’ 40-yard line. Meanwhile, the defense only ranks two places higher in the same metric.
This sets up to be a situation where Arizona is going to be forced to move the ball methodically down the field against a stout BYU defense. I give the edge to the home team in that matchup.
Give me the Cougars to continue their hot start with another win and cover here.
Pick: BYU -3 (-105, bet365) | Play to -5.5 (-110)
Arizona vs BYU Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct 12 |
| Kickoff Time: | 4 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
BYU hosts Arizona in Provo, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m. ET on FOX.
BYU vs Arizona Betting Trends
- Arizona is 1-4 in its last five games against the spread.
- The total has gone over in one of Arizona's last five games.
- BYU is 5-0 in its last five games against the spread.
- The total has gone over in three of BYU's last five games.
