Categories
NCAA Football

BYU Cougars 2014 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2014-15 Season Previews – (Independant) Cougars

The Brigham Young Cougars are thriving away from the Mountain West Conference, and with the new autonomy structure in college football, BYU is positioned well going forward. But they will be facing a tough decision soon as to whether or not it would be best for the program to join one of the Power Five conferences, or remain independent.

BYU

2014 Preview: BYU Cougars
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
2013 Record: 8-5
BYU gambling odds to win National Championship: +15000
Cougars [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

With the new College Football Playoff format, the Cougars could be on the outside looking in when the big time bowls are decided, but a good enough record will take care of that. Even still, if the team were to find a way into the Big 12, even though that would cost the program some money, it would probably be advantageous to make that move.

As for the product on the field, the loss of Kyle Van Noy hurts the defense in a big way. That unit remains strong, however, as a standout secondary and an always deep defensive line rotation will be holding things down.

CLICK to GRAB OUR BEST Expert Sports & Football Picks for 2014 GAMBLING!

It’s that secondary that will be the strength of the unit. The team loses Daniel Sorensen on the back end, but the other three starters return. Safety Craig Bills and cornerback Robertson Daniel should maintain the secondary’s status as an elite unit.

The linebacking corps will be strong as well, which puts pressure on the front four to play up to that level. The group certainly has size, as is always the case with the Cougars, including 300+ pound defensive tackles Marques Johnson and Travis Tuiloma manning the middle.

The situation at defensive end is a little more up in the air. They have some big bodies to play outside, but getting to the quarterback won’t always be easy, particularly with Van Noy out of town.
[soliloquy id=”82219″]
On offense, quarterback Taysom Hill returns following an injury-riddled season. The problem is, wide receiver Cody Hoffman has moved on, and that means Hill’s receiving corps will be severely lacking. Three of the team’s top four receivers are out, and Hill will be left mainly with a group of unproven prospects to throw the ball to.

That means it will be up to the team’s running game to once again make the unit go. The team has a strong offensive line, and it will be up to them to open up holes for Hill and running back Jamaal Williams, who will likely spend the majority of their time facing stacked boxes.

With that said, Hill’s ability to complete a high percentage of his passes can be the difference between winning and losing on some Saturdays for this team, as he’s occasionally been asked to increase his passing load considerably. Even still, he fared far better in the team’s wins than he did in their losses.

The team’s schedule certainly isn’t a cake walk. There are a fair number of tough games again quality opponents. They will play some tough road games, but they come against transitioning teams, and that could mean an opportunity for the Cougars to come out on top.

The team will make trips out to take on Texas, UCF, and Boise State. The team’s surely already got its eyes on that matchup with Texas, so they’ll be prepared for that one, and the trip out to Orlando will be the team’s only road contest in a seven-week span.

2014 BYU gambling prediction: 10-2

The team gets a big test early with a trip to Austin to take on Charlie Strong’s Texas Longhorns. The team will be playing with house money for the remainder of the season if they can win that game. As far as accomplishing something more, anything short of 12-0 probably keeps BYU out of the College Football Playoff, and even an 11-1 record won’t guarantee anything.

2014 BYU schedule:

  • 8/29 at Connecticut
  • 9/6 at Texas
  • 9/11 Houston
  • 9/20 Virginia
  • 10/3 Utah State
  • 10/9 at Central Florida
  • 10/18 Nevada
  • 10/25 at Boise State
  • 11/1 at Middle Tennessee
  • 11/15 Nevada-Las Vegas
  • 11/22 Savannah State
  • 11/29 at California

CLICK HERE TO GRAB OUR BEST Expert CFB Picks for 2014 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting! —–>

By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!