Utah vs BYU Predictions & Odds – Best Bets for Holy War Rivalry Game

By Darren Cooper in College Football
Published:

- Looking for a Utah vs BYU prediction? The 97th edition of the “Holy War” kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. on FOX with No. 15 BYU hosting No. 23 Utah.
- Our Utah vs BYU prediction features best bets on the 3.5-point spread and total for this heated rivalry matchup.
- BYU has won the last two meetings, but Utah enters as the favorite despite the Cougars being undefeated at home.
The college football world focuses on Utah tonight as BYU (6-0; 4-2 ATS) hosts rival Utah (5-1; 5-1 ATS) at Lavell Edwards Stadium in the highly anticipated Holy War rivalry game on FOX.
Last year’s game ended in controversy with Utah AD Mark Harlan telling the media the 22-21 BYU win was “stolen” from his squad after a late holding penalty on the Utes.
Tensions have been high all week across the state of Utah, making this Utah vs BYU prediction one of the most anticipated of the college football season. I have the best Utah vs BYU bets, picks, and analysis for tonight’s Holy War showdown.
Utah vs BYU Prediction
My Utah vs BYU prediction: Take BYU +3.5 and the Over 48.5. The Cougars protect home court in a high-scoring Holy War showdown.
You might be wondering why the higher-ranked team, the undefeated team, the team that has won the last two meetings, and the team playing at home is the underdog in the Utah vs BYU odds.
BYU is 6-0 but hasn’t been as dominant against a lesser schedule than Utah has played. BYU has close wins over Arizona and Colorado, while Utah smacked West Virginia and is coming off a dominating performance against Arizona State where they ran for six touchdowns.
However, Utah has a lopsided loss to Texas Tech that raises some concerns.
Utah QB Devon Dampier leads the team in both passing (1,131 yards) and rushing (378 yards). The Utes have a defensive stud in sophomore John Henry Daley who is second in the nation in sacks with eight.
BYU is led by freshman QB Bear Bachmeier (who wears No. 47 after last year’s starting QB transferred out). He’s run for 295 yards and seven touchdowns, providing a dual-threat element for the Cougars’ offense.
The atmosphere in Provo is going to be electric. These two teams are 1-2 in the Big 12 in rushing offense and 2-3 in scoring offense. BYU running back LJ Martin has rushed for 652 yards, while Dampier does everything for Utah and the Utes lead the nation in third-down conversions.
Utah vs BYU Best Bets
- BYU +3.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
- Over 48.5 (-115 at BetMGM)

My Utah vs BYU prediction focuses on taking the home underdog in this rivalry game. I can’t pass up BYU getting 3.5 points at home against their heated rival, especially with the stat about teams ranked No. 23 going 10-0.
I also expect plenty of points in this one. Both teams rank 1-2 in the Big 12 in rushing offense and 2-3 in scoring offense. There are playmakers on both sides beyond the quarterbacks, and the rivalry atmosphere should create an up-tempo, emotional game.
This Utah vs BYU prediction sees the game coming down to a final drive, another reason to stay with the home team and the points. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this one go over the total with both offenses clicking.
Utah vs BYU Odds
Odds as of Saturday afternoon from BetMGM. Join the crowd at BetMGM with our BetMGM bonus code.

The line has been steady all week with Utah a 3.5-point favorite and the total right around 48.5-49.5. BetMGM is the only book with the total a point lower at 48.5.
I found the best moneyline number for Utah at FanDuel with -168. Caesars has BYU at +158.
BYU has covered the spread in its last six home games against ranked teams. Here’s an interesting stat for this Utah vs BYU prediction: the team ranked No. 23 in the AP poll has won its last 10 games in a row.
Utah leads the overall series 59-33-4. BYU has won the last two meetings, and four of the last six matchups have hit the under.
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Darren has been covering the world of sports since 1998. His grandfather had a special 'system' to bet on the ponies, but the secrets of that system have been lost to time. He loves betting the under, thinks homefield advantage is worth more than 3 points nowadays and always stays within his means.