BYU Cougars vs Utah State Aggies Point Spread Picks

Utah State is looking for its first win and the Aggies are getting huge points against BYU, which has a big game against Notre Dame in Las Vegas the following week and that makes this a lookahead game for the Cougars. Utah State QB Logan Bonner completed 27 of 41 for 313 yards and three touchdowns against UNLV, but he also threw five interceptions. Still, the Aggies were within 10 points in the fourth quarter when Bonner lost a fumble. BYU bounced back from a 41-20 loss at Oregon to beat Wyoming 38-24, but the Cougars didn't cover the 21-point spread and they now are just 2-5 ATS dating to last season. Jaren Hall went 26-for-32 for 337 yards and four TDs for BYU. Utah State has covered five of its last six road games and it is 5-1 ATS its last six meetings at BYU. The Cougars are 1-5-1 ATS their past seven games against teams with losing records and 2-5 ATS their past seven versus Mountain West Conference teams. Grab the big points with Utah State.

BYU may have a losing record but has been tough all season, beating USC (30-27) and winning at Tennessee (29-26) as a dog each time. They come off a 28-25 win over No. 14 Boise State as a touchdown underdog as the defense picked off two passes. BYU is on a 9-3 ATS run on the road, plus 8-2 ATS on FieldTurf. The Cougars are also on a 27-13-1 run UNDER the total, 18-7-1 UNDER on the road, and 23-8 UNDER away against a team with a winning home record. Utah State had a good September start but has wilted, losing two of the last three games, including last week's 31-7 loss to Air Force, allowing 448 yards rushing (5.7 yards per carry). QB Jordan Love has more picks (nine) than TDs (eight). The underdog is 8-2 ATS when these teams clash, so back the dog in a defensive duel. Take BYU and the UNDER.

BYU has managed a 3-2 record despite playing the likes of Arizona, California, Washington, and own a big win vs. Wisconsin. The Cougars have played all five games UNDER on the season, but have averaged just 21.4 points per game, and only managed 30 against McNeese State - their top mark for the season. The Aggies opened some eyes in their first game of the season losing by seven as a 24-point underdog at Michigan State. They are averaging over 50 ppg and have been impressive both on the ground and in the air. The Aggies averaged 10 wins per season over a three year period, but have since had losing records in each of the last three years. This program appears to be back on track, and with a struggling BYU offense I like the Aggies here. Back Utah State.

The BYU offense took some major hits after last season, and it is no surprise they have struggled to find the end-zone over their first four games. The Cougars usually reload, but with Bronco Mendenhall having moved on to Virginia, the reloading process doesn't appear to be taking shape as quickly. The Cougars have scored a pathetic 39 points the entire season, and are averaging under 10 points per game. Utah State ran up some big scores against San Jose State and Idaho State, but struggled vs. more competitive defenses, netting 10 points each vs. Wisconsin, and Wake Forest. I would put BYU up close to those defenses, and the points are simply going to be hard to come by for both squads. This game looks like 20 points may be enough to claim victory, so I will go with the UNDER.