Things have fallen apart in a hurry for the BYU Cougars. The narrative has changed on this team after consecutive losses from a team of destiny after two miracle wins to start the season to a team which is all of a sudden very lucky not to be 0-4.
As it is, even beating a suspect Connecticut Huskies team isn't a total given.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Oh sure, BYU has to be favored in this game. After all, the Huskies were underdogs by a touchdown at home to Navy and by three touchdowns to Missouri, and they have scored exactly six offensive touchdowns in four games this year.
That said, the line of BYU -17.5 probably isn't as high as it would have been had this game been played a couple weeks ago.
KEY MISMATCH
Suddenly, Tanner Mangum doesn't look like the same miracle worker he was a few weeks ago. Last week when we wrote on the Cougs, we pointed out the fact that Mangum had miserable numbers if you take out the two Hail Maries he threw, the first of which came against Nebraska and the second of which came against Boise State.
That doesn't even include the 80+ yard touchdown he threw off of his back foot while scrambling out of trouble to a wide open receiver to kick off the game against the Broncos as well.
Now look at where Mangum is. He went 12-of-28 last week for 55 yards against Michigan on the road, and that followed a performance in which he averaged just 5.2 yards per pass attempt against UCLA.
The Huskies' pass defense isn't as good as 153.0 yards per game allowed suggests considering the fact that they have already played games against Army and Navy, but this is the strength of this team, led by safety Andrew Adams, who already has a pair of picks in 2015.
KEY STAT
35.8 – Connecticut's percentage on third downs thus far. The Huskies have had problems on third downs for years, particularly in the third and long variety. You can bet that BYU's better than advertised defense will once again cause UConn to struggle in third down situations.
BETTING ANGLE
The Huskies have played four straight under games to start off this season and five straight if you go back to last year. Even their pathetically low total of 41 against Missouri was an easy under with just 15 total points scored in the game. It's always risky to play unders against such low totals, but Connecticut just keeps paying off seemingly no matter how low the oddsmakers line its totals at.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This game is going to be closer than the oddsmakers are implying. This BYU offense is a wreck right now with Mangum at quarterback, and playing at home against UConn isn't going to make the bleeding stop. Just getting into the 20s is going to be a chore for the Cougs, which will make it tough to cover this spread.
Yes, Bryant Shirreffs is nothing to write home about for Connecticut, but he has been efficient with the football, completing 67.6 percent of his passes with just one pick in 71 throws. That should be good enough to at least give the Huskies enough offense to cover this spread.
BYU 24, Connecticut 17
The college football lines for this Friday game surfaced at BookMaker before anywhere else on the internet. The BYU Cougars opened as favorites at -17.5. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the Connecticut Huskies and the BYU Cougars is set for Friday, October 2, 2015 at 10:15 p.m. ET at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.
