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
BYU -4.5 (-106)
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.
Under 56.5 (-110)
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.
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