BYU enters its first Big 12 conference game as they face Kansas. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with an FAU-Illinois prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

BYU enters the game at 3-0 on the season. They start with a struggle of a game though. It was a 14-0 win over Sam Houston, in which the defense played well, but the offense could not move the ball. The next week they took care of Southern Utah 41-16 and then went on the road to face Arkansas. BYU was down at the half 24-21 as Arkansas scored two points in the last 1:43 of the first half. Arkansas expanded the lead to ten in the third quarter before BYU scored 17 unanswered to win 38-31.

Kansas is also 3-0 on the year and also boasts a win over another power five opponent. They started easy with a win over Missouri State 48-17. The next week was a game against Illinois. Kansas controlled much of the game, but Illinois tried to make a comeback. After being up 34-7 in the third quarter, the final score would be 34-23. It was a tight third game of the year for Kansas. After being tied at the half, and against in the fourth quarter, Devin Neal would score his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter to give Kansas a 31-24 win over Nevada.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: BYU-Kansas Odds

BYU: +9.5 (-105)

Kansas: -9.5 (-115)

Over: 54.5 (-115)

Under: 54.5 (-105)

How to Watch BYU vs. Kansas

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN App

Time: 3:30 PM ET/ 12:30 PM PT

*Watch college football LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why BYU Will Cover The Spread

BYU has been supported by a solid defense all year. That starts with the pass rush. This year BYU has 50 quarterback pressures in three games leading to six sacks. Tyler Batty is leading the way. He has 15 of the quarterback pressures this year with three sacks and another six hits on the quarterback. While they are getting pressure, BYU has not been as good in coverage this year. They have allowed a completion percentage of over 63 percent while breaking up just four passes. They have forced turnovers though. BYU has five interceptions on the year and dropped another three potential ones.

On the ground, BYU has been great. Four of their top six tacklers in the run game have an average point of tackle 2.2 yards beyond the line of scrimmage or closer. They have made 51 stops for offensive failures on just 70 runs this year, dominating other teams' run games.

At quarterback, it is all about transferring Kedon Slovis. Slovis has been good this year, completing 56 of 92 passes for six touchdowns. He has taken care of the ball as well, with just one interception and four turnover-worthy throws. Further, he is pushing the ball downfield with an average depth of target nearly ten yards down the field. Slovis has been protected well too. He has just 37 pressures on his this year and has been sacked just three times all year.

BYU would like a little more productivity on the ground though. This year they do have six rushing touchdowns, but three of them are Slovis in short yardage. LJ Martin is the lead back for the team, running for 194 yards this year and two scores on 44 attempts. He is not getting the best blocking, with an average point of contact under two yards beyond the line of scrimmage, but he is doing the most with it. This year he has 115 yards after contact and 12 missed tackles forced.

Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread

For Kansas to cover, Jalon Daniels has to get through this stout BYU defense. He has been solid passing this year. On the season he is 42-56 passing for 570 yards and two scores. He is averaging over 10 yards per attempt this year while making smart passes. He has just one turnover-worthy throw this year, and that one pass was intercepted. Daniels has also been protected well. He has been pressured just 15 times all year, and while he has been sacked four times, he has also run for positive yards four times.

Daniels has not done as much on the ground as in years prior. He has just 46 yards on the ground this year with 21 of them coming from scrambles. He has not scored on the ground either and does have a fumble. That is okay though, as Kansas has a strong running game. That is led by the combination of Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. Neal is the primary back. This year he has run for 303 yards on 40 carries with five scores. He has fumbled once, but he is getting good blocking overall and doing a lot with it. His average point of first contact is nearly three yards downfield, and he has forced 17 missed tackles. Further, he has nine rushes for more than ten yards this year.

Hishaw has three scores this year on 26 attempts with 169 yards. He is also doing work after first contact. He has 96 yards after first contact this year, and seven runs for over ten yards. Hishaw has also forced nine missed tackles.

On defense, the pass rush has been solid. This year they have 41 quarterback pressures and nine sacks. This is led by Austin Booker and Jereme Robinson. Booker has four pressures and two sacks this year. Meanwhile, Robinsons has nine pressures and three sacks on the year. Kansas has also been good against the run. They have created 38 stops for offensive failures on just 59 attempts this year.

Final BYU-Kansas Prediction & Pick

This is going to be a great game. These are two teams that have both shown they can move the ball well. These are also two teams that are balanced in their offensive attack. BYU has the better defense though. That should result in shorter fields in this game, and allow them to put up some points. Slovis has been everything BYU has needed at quarterback. If BYU can slow down Devin Neal, they will hang in this game, and could even pull the upset. The prediction in this BYU-Kansas game is Kansas cannot put BYU away and they cover, if not win outright.

Final BYU-Kansas Prediction & Pick:  BYU +9.5 (-110)