BYU Cougars(0-0SU,0-0ATS) vs.UConn Huskies(0-0SU,0-0ATS)
College Football Week1
Date and Time:Friday, August 29, 7:00pm EST
Where:Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
TV:ESPN
byBob,Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread:BYU-16.5/UCONN +16.5
Over/Under Total:51
Tune into ESPN on Friday to get a good dose of some college football action to tie you over til the full day we have ahead of us on Saturday. The BYU Cougars will travel to East Hartford to take on the UConn Huskies. No, this isn’t your marquee match-up but I enjoy watching well coached teams, and that is exactly what BYU is. Under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, they have been a tough task for all their opponents. UConn on the other hand is trying to erase an awful couple of seasons and begin their improvement process to get themselves back to respectability. BYU comes in as a heavy road favorite with a 16.5 spread in their favor in Vegas. This seems like a large spread but lets not forget, UConn was one of the worst teams in all of college football last season, and they do not appear to have improved much more. BYU on the other hand has had some pretty good success over the last few seasons. Just last season the Cougars got big wins over Texas, Boise State, and Georgia Tech. The Cougars have put themselves on the map as one of the “Mid Majors” that you have to respect on the football field. A 16.5 point spread seems a little high, but lets take a closer look at this match-up and see just maybe if it is the right pick to make.
Again, BYU is becoming more and more respected. They are starting to knockoff some of the teams that many people consider yearly contenders for a title. Beating Texas by nearly 20 and Boise State by 17 last season, opened up a lot of eyes. The Cougars play solid defense and can run the ball with the best of them. They went on a mini slide last season losing to Notre Dame late in the year, then slipping up in their bowl game against Washington. With that said, BYU is just as strong as last season and ready for another run at a great season. In 2013, BYU had the 10th best rushing offense in the FBS, and the 22nd best scoring defense. That is a deadly combination. Ball control and great defense equals A LOT of wins! Ask Alabama. The key in this game for BYU to cover the spread and get the easy win is just what I said.. control the ball and play solid defense. I like BYU’s style, and the match-up versus UConn plays right into their favor.
UConn was a mess last season. When I say UConn was bad, that is an understatement, they straight up sucked. In 2013, they had the 122nd ranked rushing offense, gaining just under 85 yards a game, and they also boasted the 108th scoring offense, getting the ball in the endzone on average of just twice a game. This team has to have improved…has to. But even with improvements, it would take a miracle to get UConn on the same level as a team like BYU. I don’t mean to bash the Huskies here, I really don’t. UConn is a basketball school, there is nothing wrong with that, but this is football and we need to be real…UConn is not good. There really isn’t much more detail I can go into here. The key to this game for them is to hope that BYU has a few mental errors that allows the Huskies to stay in the game. If that happens, then maybe, just maybe UConn can pull off the upset at home
Bob’sPrediction to Cover the Point Spread:A 16.5 point spread seems a bit crazy, especially for a road team on the opening weekend, but I firmly believe that BYU is that much better than UConn. UConn’s only claim to fame last season was when they “almost” beat Michigan. Other than that, UConn was awful…plain awful. BYU has an attitude and an edge that they get from their head coach, and I see them coming into Connecticut and blowing the Huskies out. Prepare for a 41-10 or 38-7 type contest as BYU rolls easily and makes this thing a laugher by the end of the first half. And due to the lack of offense on the UConn side, I like this game to also go under the posted total of 51 total points! PICK: BYU -16.5and UNDER 51 Points. Bet this game for FREE by signing up and depositing $100 at GTBets Sportsbook, placing a $100 bet and then you will receive a $100 bet FREE!
