The No. 23 BYU Cougars are out to impress even more people when they play the No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils at home this Saturday evening. Both teams will enter this game on a 2-0 start to the season. The Cougars got both of their first two wins at the expense of Pac-12 teams. Will Arizona State be their latest victim? Meanwhile, the Sun Devils look to score a win against a ranked opponent for the first time this season. Continue reading for more about this highly anticipated meeting and get our Arizona State-BYU prediction, betting odds, and trends.

Here’s how the bookmakers have set the lines for Arizona State vs. BYU.

CFB Odds: Arizona State-BYU Odds

Arizona State Sun Devils -3.5 (-110)

BYU Cougars +3.5 (-110)

Over 51.0 (-115)

Under 51.0 (-105)

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Why Arizona State Could Win

Now it gets serious for the Sun Devils, who started the season sparring with punching bags. They are coming off back-to-back wins over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (41-14) and against the UNLV Rebels (37-10), in which Arizona State was both a favorite by at least  30 points. What has been frustrating for Sun Devils bettors so far this season is the fact that the team has failed to cover in both games. It's not time to quit on Arizona State's spread, though. The Sun Devils are heading to their first road game of the season, which means they have a chance this week to extend their streak of covering away from home to five contests.  

The Sun Devils are having so much success on the ground this year, and their rushing attack will look to bring it to BYU's defense. Two of the Pac-12's top 10 rushers per game are Sun Devils players in quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Rachaad White. Freshman Daniel Ngata is 18th in the conference. Moreover, the Sun Devils are seventh nationally with an average of 290.0 rushing yards per game. However, the Cougars' defense is expected to present a bigger challenge for Arizona State than the Sun Devils' past two opponents, so expect Daniels to use his arm more in this game to open things up offensively. On the other side of the ball, Arizona State is eyeing to create a hellish condition for BYU, which has yet to turn the ball over this season. Sun Devils opponents, meanwhile, have committed a total of 38 turnovers since 2019.

Why BYU Could Win

The Cougars continue to have success in the post-Zach Wilson era. BYU kicked off the season with a 24-16 win over the Arizona Wildcats before taking down Utah Utes at home, 26-17.  The Utes were no pushovers. They entered that game ranked 21st and as 7-point road favorites, but BYU had no problem moving the chains. The Cougars generated 380 total yards and went 11-of-19 on third downs. Quarterback Jaren Hall went 18-of-30 for three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Speaking of which, as mentioned earlier, the Cougars are having success largely because they take very good care of the ball. They have not turned the ball over so far this year and are also 31st in the nation with a 48.39% clip on third-down conversions.

 In two games thus far, Hall has passed for 347 yards and five touchdowns on a 62.1 completion percentage. In addition, he rushed for 102 yards on eight carries. Hall has an excellent rapport with Neil Pau'u and that was on full display in the Utah game where the wideout had 11 catches for 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. That chemistry will go a long way against the Sun Devils' pass defense that hasn't really been tested this year. The presence of Tyler Allgeier and Lopini Katoa in the backfield, meanwhile, is an entirely different problem for Arizona State's defensive coordinator. The two combined for 135 rushing yards in Week 2. BYU will come into this game with a 5-1 record against the spread in its last six games as an underdog.

Final Arizona State-BYU Prediction & Pick

There's a little bit more motivation for BYU to show up and play well against Arizona State, as the program looks to further prove they deserve their eventual arrival in the Pac-12. As for the tangibles, expect BYU's defense to force the Sun Devils to increase their passing plays, which is a more ideal scenario for the Cougars. Take BYU to cover.

FINAL PICK: BYU Cougars +3.5 (-110)