BYU vs Washington State Picks and Predictions: Cougar on Cougar Crime

One Cougar squad will look to rally around the sudden firing of its coach, while another is trying to regain form after back-to-back losses. Find out who will blink first as we break down our BYU vs Washington State picks.

JD Yonke - Contributor at Covers.com
JD Yonke • Contributor
Oct 22, 2021 • 09:27 ET • 4 min read
Tyler Allgeier BYU Cougars college football
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

What a strange week it’s been for the Washington State football program after head coach Nick Rolovich and four of his assistants were fired on Monday for failing to meet the state’s vaccine mandate.

Washington State was on a roll, having won its last three conference games. Will this be an opening for BYU to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses, or will Washington State rally behind interim coach and defensive coordinator Jack Dickert?

We’ve got you covered with picks and predictions for the BYU Cougars vs. the Washington State Cougars on Saturday, October 23.

BYU vs Washington State odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

BYU opened as -2 favorites. The line has moved following the news of Rolovich’s firing and sits at -4.5 across most books at the time of this writing. Be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets, and also view the full line movement for this game.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

BYU vs Washington State picks

Picks made on 10/21/2021 at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

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BYU vs Washington State game info

Location: Stadium, City, State
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2021
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1

BYU vs Washington State betting preview

Weather

Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key injuries

BYU: Baylor Romney QB (Questionable), Harris LaChance OL (Questionable), Joe Tukuafu OL (Questionable), Earl Tuioti-Mariner DL (Questionable), Gabe Summers DL (Questionable), Jacob Palu DL (Questionable), Keenan Ellis DB (Doubtful), Kody Epps WR (Doubtful)
Washington State: Deon McIntosh RB (Questionable), Armauni Archie DB, Renard Bell WR (Out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Washington State is 0-5 ATS in its last five non-conference games. Find more NCAA betting trends for BYU vs. Washington State.

BYU vs Washington State predictions

This is truly a peculiar handicap. Sure, teams lose their coaches in the middle of the season every now and then — firings happen. That being said, there’s no clear parallel to draw with the situation in Pullman. Allegedly, Rolovich was not even allowed to address his team before being escorted off the premises. Given that and the fact that four other assistants were also dismissed, we’re working under the assumption that the team will be negatively impacted.

After being ranked Top 10 in the AP Poll, BYU is reeling after two straight losses to Baylor and Boise State. While those losses are forgivable, the line play has noticeably regressed after dominant performances earlier in the year (most notably in the Holy War against Utah). Head coach Kalani Sitake emphasized fundamentals, technique, and physical play in practice this week, so I expect a return to form for a program that has been solid in the trenches in recent memory.

Washington State has struggled in non-conference play, going 0-5 ATS in its last five such games. With an 0-2 record against the state of Utah this season (losses to Utah State and BYU), yet another loss may be in store on Saturday. BYU faced both of those teams too and handled business, winning 26-17 against Utah and beating Utah State 34-20.

BYU has outplayed its competition throughout the year despite facing some tough matchups. With 6.4 yards per play offensively and 5.5 yards per play allowed defensively, BYU holds an edge over Washington State in that regard (5.6 and 5.6). 

BYU has owned the PAC-12, sitting at 3-0 on the season against the conference. There’s little reason to expect that to change against a Washington State team facing a coaching nightmare situation.

BYU tends to sit on the ball when it has the lead, going 6-1 to the Under in its last seven games as the favorite. A ground-heavy approach should help churn the clock against a Washington State defense that has already allowed over 1,000 rushing yards on the season.

Playing under an interim coach (who’s a defensive coordinator, no less), Washington State may opt for a conservative game plan. The Cougars have also trended toward lower scores when catching points, going 4-0 to the Under in their last four games as an underdog.

BYU has been talking up a return to fundamental, physical football in the lead-up to this game. Washington State will be playing with new faces all along the coaching staff in one of its toughest matchups on the schedule to date. Neither situation points toward a shootout.

BYU games have only eclipsed 56 points twice this season — once against a defensively inept South Florida team, and last week in a matchup against a Baylor offense ranked 16th in the country in scoring (38.3 points per game). Washington State doesn’t bring either of those two concerns to the table, so we’ll take the Under.

College football parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed our BYU vs. Washington State picks, you could win $27.10 on a $10 bet?

Use our college football parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on college football odds?

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JD Yonke
Contributor

JD is a diehard college football fan with five years of experience writing betting and fantasy content for publications such as SportsGrid, Fantasy Points, Fantrax, and Devy Watch. An avid reader, he uses his inclination to look at things with an exhausting and in-depth, analytic viewpoint combined with a love for statistics and metrics to form a well-rounded handicapping approach.

e's an integral member of the niche (but growing!) college fantasy football community, twice traveling to Canton, OH for the Fantasy Football Expo as a member of the CFF King's Classic drafting squad. His specialization in college football DFS and prop betting taught him that there are exploitable markets to be found and that narrowing your focus is integral to being a profitable bettor.

A lifelong Californian who grew up playing baseball, basketball, football, and lacrosse, he's glad to share a passionate love for sports with this wonderful community.

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