BYU Cougars College Football Betting
Forty years ago, the SMU Mustangs were chasing a national championship. But SMU had a payroll to meet. In those days, it was illegal to pay players. Although many of the top programs were doing it anyway. By 1987 SMU was given the Death Penalty. And things have never been the same. SMU has had recent success and has become a regular bowl program. But they are no longer close to being in the national championship conversation. SMU will face the BYU Cougars in the New Mexico Bowl.
NCAA Football Betting Odds
BYU Cougars -2.5
SMU Mustangs +2.5
Total 71.5
BYU Cougars Weekly Matchup
On Saturday, December 17, 2022, the SMU Mustangs of the American Athletic Conference will face the independent BYU Cougars in the New Mexico Bowl at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kickoff time is 2:15 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN.
Last game, the SMU Mustangs won 34-31 against the Memphis Tigers as 4-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 68.5. SMU has a record of 7-5 straight up, 5-7 against the spread, and 5-7 over/under the total. SMU ranks 12th for total offense, 6th for passing, 66th for rushing and 13th for scoring. Defensively they rank 119th overall, 92nd against the pass, 121st against the rush, and 123rd for points allowed. Also, SMU ranks 94th for fewest turnovers lost and 81st for takeaways.
Brandon Crossley picked off a Seth Henigan pass in the back of the end zone with two seconds left to preserve SMU’s win. Henigan drove the Tigers 76 yards to set up second-and-goal at the SMU 9 with 14 seconds left, needing only a field goal to send the game into overtime. He rolled to his left and floated a pass intended for a receiver streaking along the end line only to have Crossley make a leaping interception.
Tanner Mordecai fired 24 yards to Rashee Rice early in the fourth quarter, then drove the Mustangs 66 yards in 12 plays to set up Collin Rogers' 23-yard field goal to take a 34-23 lead. But Henigan answered by hitting Roc Taylor from 7-yards out, then finding Gabriel Rogers for a two-point conversion to pull Memphis within 34-31 with 2:36 left in the game.
Mordecai was 22 of 30 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. While Tyler Lavine carried it 25 times for 64 yards and two scores to lead SMU. Rice caught 13 passes for 147 yards.
SMU won for just the fifth time in 15 meetings with Memphis. Since both teams joined the AAC, the Tigers lead the series 7-3.
BYU Cougars Weekly Recap
Last game, the BYU Cougars won 35-26 against the Stanford Cardinal as 6.5-point road favorites. The game went over the total of 57.5. BYU has a record of 7-5 straight up, 4-8 against the spread, and 8-4 over/under the total. BYU ranks 31st for total offense, 33rd for passing, 50th for rushing, and 41st for scoring. Defensively they rank 93rd overall, 83rd against the pass, 96th against the rush, and 101st for points allowed. Also, BYU ranks 6th for fewest turnovers lost and 94th for takeaways.
Next year the BYU Cougars will be joining the Big 12 Conference. And after consecutive double-digit win seasons and four straight bowl campaigns, the 2022 Cougars were expected to contend for big things. Instead, they limped home after hovering around the .500 mark for most of the year. BYU’s era of being a college football independent ended in mediocrity. Now the Cougars must prepare for their bowl game. More importantly, BYU must contend in the Big 12 Conference next year. Head coach Kalani Sitake has done a solid job building up the Cougars and making them a more physical team. But the bloom is off the rose until BYU returns to 10-win status. It is true that BYU had some roster transitions in the 2022 campaign. But it is also a fact that all college football programs go through that as well. BYU frustrated a lot of gamblers by losing games that it should have won. And it will take bettors time to heal from their resentment of BYU not fulfilling expectations.
2022 BYU Cougars Schedule
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
SCORE |
RECORD |
| Sep 3 |
at USF |
W 50-21 |
1-0 |
| Sep 10 |
vs. Baylor |
W 26-20 |
2-0 |
| Sep 17 |
at Oregon |
L 20-41 |
2-1 |
| Sep 24 |
vs. Wyoming |
W 38-24 |
3-1 |
| Sep 29 |
vs. Utah State |
W 38-26 |
4-1 |
| Oct 8 |
vs. Notre Dame (at Las Vegas) |
L 20-28 |
4-2 |
| Oct 15 |
vs. Arkansas |
L 35-52 |
4-3 |
| Oct 22 |
at Liberty |
L 14-41 |
4-4 |
| Oct 28 |
vs. East Carolina |
L 24-27 |
4-5 |
| Nov 5 |
at Boise State |
W 31-28 |
5-5 |
| Nov 12 |
OFF |
| Nov 19 |
vs. Utah Tech |
W 52-26 |
6-5 |
| Nov 26 |
at Stanford |
W 35-26 |
7-5 |
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NCAA Football Betting Odds, NCAA Football Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!
