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Best Bet: O48.5 (-112) at DraftKings
Score Prediction: Utah 26, BYU 23
The Pick: Utah 26, BYU 23
We’ll take the Over based on Utah’s trends and head-to-head trends when meeting in Salt Lake City.
Game Betting Analysis
We’ll narrowly take the Over for this meeting, as both team’s come in as ATS savages while the data slightly favors the Over instead of the Under. The only piece of betting data that suggest an Under is the head-to-head trends, hitting in three of four meetings. However, the one Over that hit was in Utah and the other three Under’s at BYU. The Over has hit in the last two meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah also hitting the Over in six straight games when facing an AP ranked school in November. Pair that with 53 points scored per home game for Utah this season, we’ll take a chance on the 48.5 total line we get. Why we don’t like the ATS either is because Utah enters at 7-1 while BYU is 6-2. The underdog has covered four of five meetings, however, so if you don’t feel there’s enough to support the Over then we would lean BYU in the ATS market but ultimately warded off by the Utes 7-1 ATS mark this season.
BYU-Utah Odds (Spread, Moneyline, Over/Under)
Deciding Factor: Utah’s Balanced, Nation’s-9th-Ranked Attack vs. BYU’s Ankle-Riddled, One-Dimensional Backfield
No. 3 Utah rolls into Saturday’s game at Rice-Eccles Stadium 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Big 12 play, the only unbeaten team left in the conference, and the numbers back up the ranking: the Utes are averaging 38.9 points per game (11th nationally) and 485.4 total yards per game (9th nationally) while their defense is surrendering just 15.9 points per game, 15th in the country. Running back Wayshawn Parker has been the engine, piling up 726 rushing yards on 109 carries (6.7 yards per attempt), and quarterback Devon Dampier has been nearly flawless running the offense around him, going 22-of-29 for 260 yards and 3 touchdowns in Utah’s 49-25 win over Cincinnati last week. Utah has forced at least one turnover in every game this season, and the balance between Parker’s ground game and Dampier’s efficiency is exactly the kind of two-way threat that has made BYU’s defense, which is allowing 100.0 rushing yards and 198.8 passing yards per game, susceptible all year. With a win, Utah controls its own path to the Big 12 title game and keeps its College Football Playoff case spotless.
The Cougars, meanwhile, are trying to navigate this rivalry game with a backfield in crisis. LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, has missed BYU’s last four games with an ankle sprain suffered Oct. 3 against TCU and is officially questionable, with head coach Kalani Sitake calling the next 48 hours “critical” to a decision on his availability. Behind him, co-starter Preston Rex was banged up enough to sit out last week’s 27-20 win over Arizona State, and Sione Moa is still working back from two separate lower-leg injuries, a trio of absences that left BYU with just 47 rushing yards on 1.6 yards per carry against the Sun Devils and forced true freshman Bear Bachmeier (19-of-30, 236 yards, 1 TD in that game) to all but single-handedly move the offense through the air. BYU is also nursing injuries on the other side of the ball, with cornerback Evan Johnson questionable with his own ankle sprain and linebackers Cade Uluave and Isaiah Glasker playing through injuries, even as the Cougars (7-1, No. 7, with their lone loss a 39-31 double-overtime defeat at UCF) arrive as 5.5-point road underdogs needing a win to keep their Big 12 and playoff hopes alive. If Martin is out or limited again and BYU’s already-stretched defense can’t slow Parker’s 6.7-yards-per-carry pace, Utah’s balance and home-field edge should be enough to push the Utes to 9-0 and firm control of the conference race.
Game Information
- Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Kickoff: 12:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ABC
- Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium – 53 ppg; 2-3 O/U
- Conference: Big 12
Key Players
BYU Cougars
- QB, Bear Bachmeier — Last Game: 19/30, 236 yards, TD, INT
- WR, Legend Glasker — Last Game: 4 catches, 87 yards
Utah Utes
- QB, Devon Dampier — Last Game: 22/29, 260 yards, 3 TD, INT
- WR, Hunter Andrews — Last Game: 5 catches, 112 yards, 2 TD
Photo Credit: REUTERS
