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The first Big 12 matchup between these two schools will be all of the talk within the conference as the BYU Cougars get ready for a road test against last year's National Championship runner-ups in the TCU Horned Frogs. Let's check out our College Football odds series where our BYU-TCU prediction and pick will be made.
In their first half-season since becoming a Big 12 Conference member, the Cougars have faired rather well with a 4-1 overall record and are also fresh off of an impressive 35-27 victory against Cincinnati last weekend. After years of being an Independent program with no conference to call their own, it appears that BYU has made the right decision joining the Big 12!
For the time being, it has been the Horned Frogs that have disappointed greatly after such a historic run to the National Championship in 2o22. With absolutely no film to prepare for against Coach Prime's debut with the Colorado Buffaloes, TCU eventually lost in crushing fashion and have since seen themselves head into Week 7 with already three losses in the loss column. Despite the disheartening first half of the 2023 season, the Horned Frogs still have time to turn their season around and are at least on pace to becoming bowl-eligible by the end of the year.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: BYU-TCU Odds
BYU: +5.5 (-106)
TCU: -5.5 (-114)
Over: 52.5 (-110)
Under: 52.5 (-110)
How to Watch BYU vs. TCU Week 7
Time: 3:30 ET/12:30 PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread
Article Continues Below
For years, BYU has benefitted from a strong home-field advantage along with vast experience within their roster from players that are 25-27 years old due to many individuals going and serving missions across the world. Once again, BYU is using that same type of wisdom to dominate their opponents on the football field.
On paper, the Cougars excel at making plays through the passing game. Shockingly enough, experience is the name of the game at the quarterback position in field general Kedon Slovis who is at his third school in the last three years. After a couple of seasons at USC, it was Slovis who packed his bags to the East Coast by playing at Pittsburgh before finally returning to his roots out west at BYU. Sincerely, talent has never been the issue for Slovis, as the senior quarterback has amassed 78 touchdown passes over his career and rarely makes boneheaded mistakes by turning the ball over.
The biggest issue that this BYU team faces is certainly not on the defensive side of the ball it only surrenders 367 yards per game but instead struggles mightily to run the football. Believe it or not, but BYU actually possesses one of the worst rushing attacks in the entire nation as they rank an unthinkable 132nd in all of college football with barely 62 rushing yards on the ground per contest. Simply put, TCU is far from an imposing unit up front on the defensive line that can stop the run consistently, and finding a way to finally get some chunk plays on the ground could prove to be beneficial for BYU to cover the spread.
Why TCU Will Cover The Spread
Winning the last four meetings overall against BYU, extending their victorious prowess over the Cougars will prove to be in serious jeopardy if the Horned Frogs cannot step up in a big way. In the midst of a two-game losing streak, TCU must shore up their defense and also find a way to put together a steady performance in both halves of the contest.
In the loss to Iowa State, TCU was given grave news when it starting QB Chandler Morris went down with a brutal knee injury and is expected to be out multiple games. Exit Morris, enter backup signal caller Josh Hoover who is a redshirt freshman and is coming off a pair of touchdowns but did happen to throw two interceptions as well in his first-ever college start. Like the majority of young quarterbacks under center, the main mission that Hoover must accomplish is to play turnover-free football and maximize every single drive the Horned Frogs offense is gifted with throughout the course of the game. Against a vastly experienced team like BYU, TCU won't have as much wiggle room to commit mistake after mistake if they want to make this a ball game. Will a guy like Hoover be up to the task? Only time will tell.
Furthermore, you can make the argument that the TCU defense struggles to defend the pass. Thus far, the Horned Frogs give up 247 passing yards per game on average and will likely have their hands full against Slovis and company. Nonetheless, if the TCU front seven can generate some pressure, then that will obviously make life a whole lot easier for these defensive backs.
Final BYU-TCU Prediction & Pick
Clearly, TCU is not the same team that reached the National Championship game in dramatic fashion a year ago, and their shortcomings will be on full display Saturday afternoon. Altogether, BYU is a much more trustworthy team in regards to taking care of the football while TCU is most likely going to commit back-breaking turnovers that will hurt their chances to keep this one close. Even at home, a Horned Frogs cover seems unlikely.
Final BYU-TCU Prediction & Pick: BYU +5.5 (-106)
