Week 9: Cougars vs Broncos Odds
College football betting sees the BYU Cougars taking on the Boise State Broncos Saturday October 18th at Albertsons Stadium in Boise. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions.
BYU (4-3) @ Boise State (5-2, 3-1 Mountain West)
Week 9
Date: Friday, October 24th
Time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Georgia Dome- Albertsons Stadium – Boise
NCAA Football Spread: Boise State -6.5
NCAA Betting Total: 37.0
NCAA Moneyline Odds: (If there’s any post them here)
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]Click here to view… CFB ATS Stats & Expert NCAAF Betting Insight!
The Cougars of BYU have had a rough go of things the last few weeks. After starting 4-0, the team is now looking to stay above .500 after the loss of a star player.
It’s the opposite for Boise State who is coming off two straight conference wins coming into this big game.
It’s hard to put a tangible amount of how much a player helps his team. The loss of starting quarterback and darkhorse Heisman candidate Taysom Hill has been glaringly obvious as the team is winless in his absence.
[dfads params=’groups=63738&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Boise State had some bad news of their own, learning that wide receiver Matt Miller is out for the season. Miller is one of the top receivers in Broncos history, falling just short of records held by Titus Young and Austin Pettis.
BYU
Christian Stewart can’t replicate what Hill did for the Cougars. What he has done in relief of Hill hasn’t been bad, though, either. On the season, Stewart is 71 of 129 passing for 733 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Three of those picks came in relief of Hill after his injury against Utah State.
The Cougars are still reeling from last week’s loss when they allowed Nevada to score 29 unanswered points to pull ahead and close out the come-from-behind victory.
Both Stewart as well as receiver Mitch Mathews had career games against the Wolf Pack: Stewart was 39 of 63 for 408 yards and 4 touchdowns while Mathews had 16 catches for 182 yards and 2 scores.
On the season, Mathews has totaled 43 grabs for 457 yards and 5 touchdowns. Jordan Leslie has been equally productive, grabbing 33 passes for 430 and a score.
[dfads params=’groups=66501&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The running game was dominated by Hill, who is still the team’s leading rusher. The team’s starting running back, Jamaal Williams has 77 carries for 406 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The record doesn’t show it, but the BYU defense has had some serious successes this season, particularly in stopping the run. The team ranks 5th in the nation in rush defense, holding opponents to an average of 97 yards per game.
Boise State
Boise State loves their Friday games. This tilt is the second Friday game in a row played by the Broncos, who are 11-0 so far in such games. And while Boise State is in the midst of many different streaks, they have notched 10 straight home wins and are looking to keep that going in this one.
The Boise State stars have shown this season. Starting quarterback Grant Hedrick has been mostly solid, completing 166 of 231 passes for 1,821 yards, 8 touchdowns and a shockingly high 10 interceptions.
His biggest target, Jay Ajayi has been stellar. Starring at running back, Ajayi has 172 carries for 911 yards and 10 scores. He is also the team’s second leading receiver behind Shane Williams-Rhodes with 35 catches for 317 yards and 2 scores.
Williams-Rhodes has 45 catches for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. He also has 8 rushes for 142 yards for the Broncos as well.
As good as the offense has been, it’s been the Boise State defense that has solidified many of the team’s victories. Leading tackler Tanner Vallejo has been a menace. He has 47 tackles so far, with 8.5 for loss as well as 1.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 2 fumble recoveries.
[dfads params=’groups=63739&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Safety Darian Thompson and CB Donte Deayon each have 4 interceptions on the season while Tyler Gray and Jeremy Ioane each have 2 picks. Kamalei Correa (3.5), Beau Martin (3.5) and Mat Boesen (3) have all register 3+ sacks on the season as well.
As a unit, the Bronco rush defense is ranked 20th nationally, allowing just over 120 yards per game.
NCAA football handicapping trends
- Cougars are 1-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record
- Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in October
- Cougars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall
- Broncos are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
- Broncos are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing less than 170 yds passing in previous game
Week 9 NCAA Football Prediction
Both teams possess offensive weapons that have been key in victories this season. Both teams have top 20 ranked rush defenses. The pure athleticism of Jay Ajayi, though, will show that rankings aren’t always everything.
The loss of Hill has been tough on BYU and it has showed. Last week, the defense let the team down. If they can play like they did in their big win against Texas earlier in the year, they COULD make this a game.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Boise State -6.5
This could very easily turn into a blowout if BYU is not careful, though.
Week 9 Score Prediction: BYU 20 – Boise State 34
We’ll be providing 4* free College football predictions on the blog all season long, and check out our EXPERTS for guaranteed premium CFB Football picks!
CappersPicks.com has College football odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NCAA football lines up for early games as well.
[dfads params=’groups=63706&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
