Utah Utes at BYU Cougars Betting Odds
- Spread: Utah -6.5
- Over/Under: 48.5
- Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
All odds as of 6 p.m. ET on Thursday.
The Holy War is here and another victory by Utah would set records.
This rivalry has been played since 1896, the good old days of Grover Cleveland’s second stint in office.
In that same year, Utah became the 45th state of the union, and since then, no team in this rivalry has surpassed a nine-game win streak.
Utah has the chance to tie the streak at No. 9 on Thursday night.
These teams know each other quite well obviously, and Utah’s 35-27 victory last November added more fuel to an already tense and hate-filled rivalry. If you've never watched the Holy War, you'll quickly learn it's one of the most brutal rivalries in college football.
BYU led 20-0 at halftime last season and outgained Utah by more than 50 total yards in the game. The fourth quarter of that game may still give Cougars' players and alumni heartburn, as Utah racked up 21 points to win.
Since then, Utah has hired a new offensive coordinator in Andy Ludwig. While Ludwig has logged time previously at Utah, this will be his first time coaching offensive weapons like quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss, who were injured down the stretch for the Utes and in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The make-or-break question for BYU is which version they get of Zach Wilson, who emerged as one of the hottest quarterbacks at the end of 2018.
Wilson was perfect in the Potato Bowl last season, as every pass attempt was caught for four total touchdowns and 300-plus yards. The Cougars will need everything they can get against a Utah defense that could lead the Utes contend to a Pac-12 Championship.
Defensively, BYU needs to keep doing what worked last year. The Cougars ranked No. 1 overall in opponent IsoPPP, with one of the highest grades in the history of the metric. They simply did not give up big plays.
This game will be a slugfest between two heavyweights that have played some rough games over the last 120 years.
Our ratings make this game Utah -7, and this may be the rare case where waiting for a +7 or paying for the half-point may be the smart wager.
The line touched +7 on Wednesday afternoon, but saw resistance there and bounced back to +6. Wait it out if you can.
Pick: BYU +7 or better
