Utah Utes at BYU Cougars
Saturday, 9/17/11, 9:15 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: BYU -6.5
Current Betting Line: BYU -4
Opening Total: 47.5
Current Total: 45
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Utah comes off a disappointing 23-14 loss to the USC Trojans as 7.5-point road underdogs in its first-ever Pac-12 Conference game. The Utes will now need to refocus and get ready for their biggest rival. Saturday’s game marks the first time in 113 years that Utah and BYU won’t play as conference foes. This will also be just the second September game played between the two institutions. Utah has managed to win six of the last nine series meetings. Playing as an underdog has been a money-making situation for this team, posting a 43-24 ATS mark when getting points.
The Utes rallied with 17 fourth-quarter points to pick up a 17-16 win in last year’s rendition of the rivarly. Utah leads the all-time series, 54-34-4, but is 17-17-1 in games played in Provo. One of the keys to success in college football is turnover margin, as the Utes rank 10th nationally. Offensively, the team must learn how to finish out games, outscoring its opponents in the first three quarters, only to be held without scoring a single point in the fourth.
BYU has been involved in two one-point contests, winning a 14-13 road game against Ole Miss, followed by a 17-16 defeat against the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The Cougars passing game has been pedestrian at best, averaging just 9.07 yards a completion and converting 11-of-27 chances on third down. Head coach Bronco Mendenhall is 3-3 against Utah and has registered a 7-4 mark against all other Pac-12 schools during his time on campus. BYU is 8-9 ATS as a favorite and the ‘over’ is 11-6 in those contests.
The Cougars are currently riding a four-game home win streak and have not lost to an in-state school in LaVell Edwards Stadium since overtime against Utah in 2005. Starting the season 1-1 is nothing new for Mendenhall, who went on to post 11-2 seasons in 2006 and 2007 after splitting the first two games. BYU is also 4-2 in home openers under his direction, while going 25-14 since 1972 in the first game inside the venue. Quarterback Jake Heaps must step up, leading the offense to just two touchdowns. His head coach thinks that he’s feeling the pressure of carrying the load due to a mediocre rushing attack in the early going.
Bettors will likely back the Cougars due to their 6-1 ATS mark in their last seven games, while the Utes are 1-4 ATS on the road.
Don’t miss out on a winning season and let the college football handicappers at Maddux Sports line your pockets with cash. Long term packages are available now!
