Arkansas vs. BYU picks, predictions: Week 3 college football computer picks, odds, lines

Expert picks and predictions for Arkansas vs. BYU in this Week 3 college football game and a rematch of last season's game out west

KJ Jefferson threw a career-high five touchdowns in a statement road win against BYU a year ago, and now the quarterback leads Arkansas in a rematch against the Cougars in college football's Week 3 action on Saturday.

Jefferson is a 74 percent passer in two games this season, posting five touchdown throws in victories against Western Carolina and Kent State as the Razorbacks have outscored the opposition 84 to 20, although the Hogs rushing attack could manage a little more production as the team averages under 139 yards on the ground per game.

BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis is hitting 65 percent of his throws with four touchdowns and an interception in wins over Sam Houston and Southern Utah, but leads an unbalanced offense that runs for just 79 yards per game and is looking to make a good impression on behalf of the Big 12, which the Cougars joined this offseason in one of college football's many conference realignments.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Arkansas vs. BYU picks, predictions

Arkansas vs. BYU picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Arkansas odds: The index favors the Razorbacks, who come into the matchup with a projected 79.2 percent chance to win the game outright, according to the model that picks winners by simulating games 20,000 times.

BYU odds: Conversely, the Cougars have the outside 20.8 percent shot to pull off the upset on the road against the Hogs and improve to 3-0 on the year.

Point spread: Oddsmakers predict a closer game as Arkansas comes in as 7.5 point favorites against BYU, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook. (Track it live)

Total: 47.5 points

Arkansas predictions: The computers rank the Razorbacks as the No. 36 team in the nation, projecting they will be 7.6 points on average better than opponents and estimated to win 6.6 games this season.

BYU predictions: FPI forecasts the Cougars will win 4.5 games this season, worst among Big 12 teams, with a 25.4 percent chance to play in a bowl game, and expected to be 1.5 points worse than an average opponent.

Arkansas vs. BYU schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 16
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT, 5:30 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN2 network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College football rankings

More: A closer look at the AP top 25

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Georgia (55)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Florida State (3)
4. Texas (2)
5. USC
6. Ohio State
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Tennessee
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. Ole Miss
18. Colorado
19. Oklahoma
20. North Carolina
21. Duke
22. Miami
23. Washington State
24. UCLA
25. Iowa

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