College Football Thursday features a late night showdown between independent power BYU and No. 24 Boise State. Tonight’s stand alone contest has a scheduled start time of 9:00pm ET; it will be broadcast live on ESPN. BYU vs Boise State Odds have the hosting Broncos listed as a -6.5 against the spread favorite while the Cougars are drawing +205 as a moneyline play. The game total in this evening’s game is set at 49 points.
BYU moved into the top 25 after opening the season with home wins over Washington State and Weber State, but its stay was short lived. The Cougars met in-state rival Utah last Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City and fell 24-21 as a four point road favorite.
While BYU looked like the superior team, a number of mistakes, including a botched snap, which the Utes returned for a third quarter touchdown, and two missed field goals, led to its unexpected loss.
Now Bronco Mendenhall must rally his troops, and quickly, as they face a ‘down’ but still dangerous Boise State squad.
The Broncos team that took the field opposite Michigan State on August 31st was, obviously, a step below recent Boise State teams, but they proved themselves capable nonetheless, covering the number in a 13-17 setback. Chris Petersen’s troops also bounced back from their loss to the Spartans with a 39-12 thrashing of Miami, Ohio on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium.
Boise State again covered the spread (20.5 points) after posting 33 first downs and 599 total yards to the Redhawks nine and 227 respectively. New quarterback Joe Southwick also rebounded from a difficult outing against Michigan State, completing 24-of-31 passes for 304 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Tonight marks the third meeting between these two schools and the second at Bronco Stadium. Boise State won the first two games, beating the Cougars 50-12 in October of 2003 in Provo and 28-27 at Bronco Stadium the following September.
Free Pick: BYU has performed well as a road dog of late, winning four of its last 10 catching points from the home team, but it has been even better against the spread, posting an 8-2 mark opposite the number in those same 10 games. The Cougars have been even stronger as a road dog with a total between 47.5 and 51 points, earning a 9-1 against the spread mark in their last 10 in said situation. The Broncos should get the win, they are 19-1 in their last 20 home games, but the Cougars have more than enough talent to make this a competitive affair. Take BYU +6.5, but look hard for a seven.
BYU vs Boise State Odds:
BYU Cougars +6.5 (-110), Over 49 (-110), +205 (Moneyline)
Boise State Broncos -6.5 (-110), Under 49 (-110), -245 (Moneyline)
College Football Free Picks: BYU at Boise State (VR Best Bet)
What college football bettors need to know about BYU at Boise State on Thursday (9/20/12) - a best bet from Pregame.com's Vegas Runner with host RJ Bell.