Washington State Cougars at BYU Cougars
Thursday, 8/30/12, 10:15 PM EST, TV:  ESPN
Opening Point Spread:  BYU -13.5
Current Betting Line:  BYU -13
Opening Total:  58.5
Current Total:  62
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Washington State will begin life under new head coach Mike Leach, who will actually be facing his alma mater on Thursday night, graduating with honors from BYU in 1983.  The Cougars shelled out a lot of money to retain his services, as he sat out the last two years after being fired from Texas Tech in 2009 due to off-field issues.  “The level of confidence that they bring to this program and the level of excitement that they bring to the university is tremendous,” commented Cougars quarterback Jeff Tuel.  Washington State is 7-4 as a road underdog over the last two-plus years, while the “under” is 9-2 in that situation.

The Cougars own a 69-42-5 record in season openers, but are just 20-27-3 when doing so on the road.  Leach may help out with that lackluster performance away from Pullman in that situation, posting a 9-1 mark during his time in Lubbock when kicking off a new campaign.  Tuel will undoubtedly try to connect with junior wide receiver Marquess Wilson, as they’ve hooked up 61 times for 1,097 yards and seven touchdown over the course of their careers.  Wilson finished first in the Pac-12 Conference in averaging 115.7 receiving yards per game in 2012.

BYU enjoyed its first season as an independent program by finishing with 10 wins, as the offense took off once Riley Nelson was placed under center, averaging 37.5 points over the final eight contests.  The Cougars are looking to win their sixth consecutive season opener, which includes victories in the last three occurrences against BCS foes.    Fans in Provo should anticipate a huge year, as the last 11 senior signal-callers in the program’s history have compiled a 117-23-2 record since 1977.  BYU is 0-2 as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points the last two-plus seasons.

The Cougars have enjoyed tremendous success inside LaVell Edwards Stadium, especially since the 2006 campaign, ranking 13th in the country with 33 home wins in that span.  BYU was first in the country in third-down conversions once Nelson took over the controls under center, while averaging 245.4 passing and 160.3 rushing yards per game.  On the other side of the ball, the defense finished ranked 13th nationally in allowing just 312.9 yards per game.

Sports bettors will likely back the Cougars due to their 16-5 ATS record in their last 21 games.

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