Score Prediction for No. 13 BYU Football vs Oklahoma State

Casey Lundquist | Oct 18, 2024

BYU captains take the field against Arizona / BYU Photo

No. 13 BYU kicks off the back half of its schedule on Friday night against Oklahoma State. As of this writing, the Cougars are favored by nine points over the Cowboys. Today, we're pulling out our crystal ball and predicting the outcome of BYU-Oklahoma State.

If this game were played last week, I think BYU wins by three scores. The Oklahoma State bye week adds an extra wrinkle to this matchup. Before the by week, the Cowboys were downright dreadful, losing three consecutive games and getting outscored 80-34 in their last two.

With an extra week to prepare during the bye week and an opportunity to clean up some things in the run game, this game could be competitive.

Last year, the Cowboys were 2-2 before the bye week. After a bye week, the Cowboys went 7-1 and earned a spot in the Big 12 championship game. Mike Gundy is very good after a bye week. The last time Oklahoma State lost after a bye week was back in 2020.

Bye week aside, BYU is the better and more consistent football team. If the Cougars avoid turnovers, they should roll in this game. Oklahoma State is reportedly set to start Garret Rangel. If BYU can keep Ollie Gordon at bay, it will be a long night for Rangel and the Oklahoma State offense.

To say Oklahoma State has been bad on defense would be an understatement. The Cowboys rank 130th in rushing defense, 129th in total defense, 109th in pass defense, and 91st in scoring defense. If ever there's an opportunity for the BYU offense to have a breakout game, it's this one. The Cowboys will be without their top two linebackers in Nick Martin and Collin Oliver.

If BYU plays like they have all season, the Cougars should win this game going away. You can't discount Mike Gundy's to get his team motivated during a bye week - and it's safe to expect some new wrinkles from Oklahoma State in this game - but BYU is the better football team. And we think that will be clear by the end of the game.

Prediction: BYU 34 | Oklahoma State 20