Next week, BYU will play host to one of the biggest rivalry matchups in college football, as the Cougars will face off with Utah in a Holy War showdown that could prove pivotal to the Big 12 title race. But BYU has some business to take care of before then in the form of a road game vs. a dangerous Arizona team on Saturday evening (8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
The 18th-ranked Cougars are off to a 5-0 start for the fourth time in six seasons, and they will hope to enter next week’s renewal of hostilities with the Utes with that perfect record still intact.
Last Friday, the Cougars jumped out to a two-touchdown lead after a quarter and were never particularly threatened in a 38-24 win over West Virginia. Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 351 yards, and LJ Martin ran for 90 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona (4-1), meanwhile, will be looking to continue its own good start to the 2025 season with a home win vs. BYU. To date, the Wildcats’ lone loss is a 39-14 loss at Iowa State two weeks ago. They bounced back well from that loss with a 41-13 rout of Oklahoma State, who put up little resistance from start to finish.
Can the Wildcats come tough and corral the Cougars at home? Read on for our BYU vs. Arizona prediction and best bets and get the best line-shopped odds from top online sportsbooks such as BetOnline.
BYU vs. Arizona Betting Trends
- BYU is 3-2 ATS thus far this season.
- The Cougars are 2-0 SU and 1-1 ATS on the road this season, winning and covering at ECU and winning but not covering at Colorado.
- Both of BYU’s road games this season have gone under.
- Arizona is 4-1 ATS thus far this season.
- The Wildcats are 1-1 SU and ATS as an underdog this season, covering and winning at home as an underdog against Kansas State and losing and failing to cover in a loss to Iowa State.
- The under is 4-1 in Arizona’s five games this season.
BYU vs. Arizona Prediction and Best Bets
Prediction: Arizona to win
This is BYU’s third road game, and it stands to be their toughest one to date.
They started slowly at East Carolina, but the Pirates failed to come away with points twice in BYU territory in the first half, and the door eventually shut for ECU in a 34-13 win for the Cougars.
There was a slower start at Colorado, who took a 14-0 lead ten minutes into the game but saw it evaporate as BYU came back for a 24-21 win in Boulder.
In both games, BYU’s defense came up big to help set up a victory, and quarterback Bear Bachmeier showed his mettle in hostile settings.
Bachmeier is coming off his best performance as a passer, as he was 18 for 25 for 351 yards in the win over West Virginia.
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita is also coming off of a great performance, as he was 28 for 38 for 376 yards and five touchdowns against Oklahoma State.
After struggling last year, Fifita appears to have rediscovered his best self, even with Tetairoa McMillan now in the NFL. He had all of two 300-yard games last season and already has matched that number through five games this season, and after averaging only 6.9 yards per attempt last season, he is at 8.2 yards per attempt thus far this season.
BYU’s defense has been a driving force behind this 5-0 start, and when Fifita took four sacks against Oklahoma State and Arizona’s ground game has had trouble generating much in the last two games, the potential is there for the Cougars to turn the game with defense.
But Arizona can get some scores vs. BYU, and this is a game that the Wildcats can win, even if the Cougars are rightfully favored.
BYU vs. Arizona Best Bets
1) Arizona ML (+105 at BetOnline)
If you think Arizona is going to win, the moneyline is a better option than the spread.
I had my doubts about the Cougars heading into their game at East Carolina, and they won handily after a slow start. And they won at Colorado despite another slow start. But Arizona will be the best opponent that they have faced thus far this season, and they have the aptitude to punish a slow start where ECU and Colorado could not.
2) Arizona Team Total Over 23.5 Points (-118 at Lucky Rebel)
I don’t foresee a shootout in Tucson, but I do at least see Arizona hitting a pretty reasonable target vs. BYU at home.
The Cougars gave up 24 to West Virginia last time out, and if Fifita can keep mistakes at a minimum, Arizona can get BYU’s defense to both bend and break more than it has to date this season.
3) Arizona First Half +0.5 (-120 at Bovada)
After the Cougars started slowly at both East Carolina and Colorado, look for another so-so start in Tucson. The first quarter spread has too much juice to be a worthwhile choice, but the first half spread is a good choice as well.
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