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No. 16 BYU Cougars +7, 53.5 O/U (10-1) 3-7 ATS, 5-5 O/U at No. 8 Utah Utes -7, 53.5 O/U (11-0) 6-4 ATS, 7-2 O/U
Saturday, November 22 Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,017) Salt Lake City, Utah 9:00 p.m. EST
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The state of Utah will have to look no further than inside their own state lines this weekend for a great college football matchup. The Utes, who are boasting an undefeated record and ranked No. 8 in the country, welcome the 16th ranked BYU Cougars who have just one loss.

BYU comes in to Saturday's game after a come-back win over Air Force last week 38-24. The Cougars were down 14-10 at halftime but came back in the second half by scoring 21 straight points and out scored the Falcons 28-10 to finish off the contest.

The Cougars were directed by QB Max Hall, who tossed 2 touchdowns for 354 yards. WR Austin Collie had 7 receptions for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. Collie built onto his conference record with now 9 consecutive 100-yard games. Running back Harvey Unga carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns to balance out the offensive attack for the Cougars. BYU has a well disciplined team who will be more than ready for the Utes this weekend.

BYU won this game last season 17-10 in a close battle. This year the Cougar's offense is averaging 36.4 points per game while giving up 18.7 to their opponents. As the dog, BYU is 0-1, 0-1 ATS, and also 0-1 on the total. In away games this season the Cougars have a 4-1 record, with a 1-4 ATS mark, and are 3-2 on the O/U.

Utah is coming off of an easy win over the San Diego State Aztecs 63-14. This game was really more of a scrimmage for the Utes as they cruised to a huge lead and put up a total of nine touchdowns. The Utes also converted 13 of 14 third down conversions.

Utes QB Brian Johnson had another solid outing as he threw for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns. Wide receiver, Freddie Brown pulled in 11 catches for 110 yards and 2 scores as well. Utah is averaging nearly 37 points per game, which they almost doubled versus the Aztecs.

The Ute's defense contributed with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Utah's defense is allowing 16.6 points per game but their scoring has made up more than enough to cover that margin.

Utah's record at home is perfect; their ATS at home is 2-2, and they are 3-1 on the O/U. I like the Utes air attack, but they may need to solidify the run a bit more to keep BYU honest and perhaps relieve some certain pressure on QB Brian Johnson.

The bookies have this game in favor of Utah at home by 7 points but it may be even tighter than that as BYU is very comparable on paper. Both of these teams average similar numbers on both sides of the ball and both QB's are playmakers. I think this game will be won on defense as whoever applies the most pressure on the QB should be able to create potential turnovers.

Utah is 11-0 for the first time since 2004 when they went 12-0. BYU has won 22 of their last 23 MWC games. This game has all the build up of an instant classic.

Who will win the battle of Utah? Can Max Hall's Cougars claw their way through Brian Johnson's Utes?

Predictem Pick:
BYU plays big-time spoiler by knocking off No. 8 Utah, 35-31. Luck to ya