The Brigham Young Cougars have advanced to 10 consecutive bowl games and will aim to keep that streak intact in 2016. The first step would be a win in a solid early-season matchup against the Arizona Wildcats. The teams will face off in Week 1 of the regular season and the oddsmakers expect a very competitive affair. BYU will be without coach Bronco Mendenhall, who is now the coach at Virginia.
Watch this regular season Week 1 matchup live on Saturday, September 3, 2016, at 9:30 p.m. ET a University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
BYU +1
Arizona -1
Over/Under 60.5
Odds Analysis
The Wildcats aren’t technically at home, but they get to play in their home state, less than three hours from their campus. BYU has a decent fan contingent in Arizona but the expectation is for it to be a pro-Wildcats crowd. That helps give Arizona a slight edge, and bettors are backing them at about a 3-2 pace.
Player to Watch
The Arizona quarterback. Coach Rich Rodriguez isn’t expected to name a starter until right before the game. The expected choice is Anu Solomon, who has thrown for 6,448 yards and 48 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in his career.
Solomon isn’t much of a running threat but there is no question he has been effective throwing the ball when he has played. The other option is Brandon Dawkins, a faster player but one who would do much of the same stuff as Solomon.
Rodriguez has had plenty of time to evaluate his signal-callers but is staying tight-lipped on which one is the top choice. If Solomon starts but struggles, there is always the possibility of both quarterbacks playing in this contest.
Coaching Angle
This game will mark the debut of BYU coach Kalani Sitake. He came from Oregon State, where he was the defensive coordinator a season ago. Sitake spent the previous 10 years at Utah and will now get his inaugural college coaching shot.
Sitake is a former player at BYU and is just the fourth coach to take the reins at BYU since 1972. He will run a 4-3 defense which is a change for the Cougars.
Free ATS Pick
The Cougars have been very consistent recently, winning eight games or more in the past five seasons. The team’s quarterback will be Taysom Hill, who started full-time as a sophomore but has been in and out of the lineup the past two years.
Hill has plenty of experience and hopes to play well immediately against Arizona. The Wildcats allowed 35.8 points per game, which was among the worst totals nationally. Arizona hopes to shore that up and will start using a defensive scheme more reliant on defensive backs as college teams continue to spread out on offense.
This one could have its fair share of scoring, as Hill and Solomon are both experienced signal-callers. The Wildcats could be more in tune since coach Rich Rodriguez usually has his offense running on all cylinders early on. Arizona might not be talented enough to push for a title in the Pac-12 South this year, but this non-conference matchup could be a good warm-up as the team hopes to emerge victorious.
College Football Odds: Arizona 28, BYU 24
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