Saturday’s game between BYU and Texas Tech is perhaps the most important game of the college football season to date.
It also features one of the most peculiar betting lines of the campaign.
The No. 8 Cougars are 8-0 (4-0 Big 12) with a win over Utah, but they’re 10-point underdogs on the road against the ninth-ranked Red Raiders, who check into this pivotal clash at 8-1 (5-1).
The betting market is clearly taking a stand that the Red Raiders are legitimate contenders this season, while BYU’s flawless record is dubious.
Is that correct?
BYU vs. Texas Tech odds, prediction
This is the second year in a row that BYU has found itself in this position, and just like last season, the betting market is skeptical that the Cougars are for real.
A 1-2 finish down the stretch in 2024 showed that there was reason to believe that Kalani Sitake’s team was punching above its weight.
This year, the skepticism seems to be focused on a relatively soft schedule and the fact that BYU’s most important player is a true freshman.
Bear Bachmeier has delivered the goods under center for the Cougars thus far, but this will be his biggest challenge to date.
He answered the bell against Utah at home. A trip to Lubbock should look quite different.
Bachmeier will have to keep pace with one of the best offenses in college football, while also dealing with one of its best defenses.
We tend to think of Texas Tech as an air-it-out and ask questions later type of team, but this iteration of the Red Raiders is elite on both sides of the ball.
Betting on College Football?
Unsurprisingly, they grade out as a top-10 offense, per SP+, but the defense is right there, too.
The Red Raiders are conceding just 14 points per game (fifth in the country) and 4.0 yards per play (sixth). When you blend that kind of defense with an offense that can light up a scoreboard, you can start to see why this spread is so wide.
BYU will need the rub of the green to keep this one close.
The Play: Texas Tech -10 (-110, FanDuel)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
