We’ve never seen a “Holy War” like this one.
For the first time in the history of the intense rivalry between Utah and BYU, both teams will be ranked inside the top 10 when they meet in their annual game.
This year’s installment of the “Holy War” will also likely determine who goes to the Big 12 Championship, as the No. 3 Utes (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) currently top the standings, while No. 6 BYU (7-1, 4-1) is in second place.
Utah is a 5.5-point favorite at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
BYU vs. Utah odds, prediction
Don’t let its 7-1 record mislead you; this season has been a wild ride for BYU.
Kalani Sitake’s Cougars took care of business through their first five games, leaving Arizona, Colorado State, TCU, and Iowa State in their wake, but they never looked convincing.
That narrative shifted dramatically in Week 7, when the Cougars scored one of the biggest wins in program history over Notre Dame, despite missing star running back LJ Martin, who is questionable for this tilt.
The victory over the Fighting Irish vaulted the Cougars up to No. 2 in the country, but those days were short-lived. Less than a week later, BYU fell to mediocre UCF and then followed that up with a less-than-convincing win over Arizona State in Provo.
You can’t just ignore the win over Notre Dame, but it seems like an outlier among a lot of uninspiring wins for a team that is ranked No. 9.
The problem is that BYU is asking too much of quarterback Bear Bachmeier. The sophomore can do it all, and he’s good enough to beat decent outfits on his own, but Utah is a different kind of beast.
The Utes may not be elite in any one department, but they are good at everything and they are adaptable. If you want to engage in a physical, defensive battle, Utah’s bend-don’t-break defense can do just that. If the game turns into a shootout, then Devon Dampier and the Utah offense will be happy to oblige.
The combination of BYU’s stingy defense and Bachmeier’s heroics has gotten the Cougars this far, but they’re going to need a lot more than that to overcome a distinct disadvantage in the X’s and O’s, as well as a hostile environment Saturday.
The old sporting adage says you can throw out the form book in a rivalry game, but that may not be wise in this situation.
The Play: Utah -6.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
