Betting odds, spread: Arizona State favored to beat BYU in low-scoring game
The oddsmakers are expecing a defensive slugfest in the desert Saturday afternoon.
But take that with a huge grain of salt.
In the biggest game for Arizona State football in recent memory, the No. 21 Sun Devils (8-2) are 3.5-point favorites over No. 14 BYU (9-1). The over/under is 48.5, which means they're predicting a score in the ballpark of 26-22.
The oddsmakers were way off last week — and have been much of the season when it comes to the Sun Devils. Kansas State was favored to beat ASU by 7.5 points, a game Arizona State won 24-14. The Sun Devils could have easily hit their season average of 31 points, but after building a 24-0 second-half lead, they killed the game by repeatedly running the ball — and the clock.
Arizona State comes into Saturday's Big 12 showdown averaging 30.8 points per game, while BYU is averaging 31.6. The Cougars have struggled on offense the last two games, scoring 22 against Utah and just 13 in last week's loss to Kansas.
Dillingham on BYU: 'They Find Ways To Win'
Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham knows how potent the Cougars are, though.
"They find ways to win," Dillingham said. "Their quarterback extends plays. He makes plays in big moments of the games. He's hard and slippery to get down. They run the football really well. In some football games they've been really, really efficient, and then they're really good with the turnover margin."
"So in terms of their offense, they actually run a lot of the things we run. There's actually a ton of similarities between schematically what they do on offense and what we do on offense. So I think the scheme is good, I think the players are good and there's a reason they were undefeated until last week. And it's hard to go undefeated in college football. There's a reason they're ranked above us right now. That's not an accident."
A win by the Sun Devils would likely create a three-way tie for second-place in the Big 12 with one week to play. If Colorado stumbles on the road at Kansas on Saturday, we could end up with a four-way tie for first place, which would be fitting for the Big 12.
Here's a look at the top of the Big 12 standings heading into this weekend's games:
- BYU (6-1) at Arizona State
- Colorado (6-1) at Kansas
- Iowa State (5-2) at Utah
- Arizona State (5-2)
Here are the latest betting odds on Arizona State's huge matchup with BYU Saturday in Tempe:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
BYU at Arizona State Betting Odds
Moneyline: Arizona State -144, BYU +120
Spread: Arizona State -3.5 (+100)
Over/Under: 48.5
Kickoff time: Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m. MST
TV Channel: ESPN
More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.