Vegas Odds Preview: BYU vs Hawaii Line & Free Betting Pick

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will try to continue their magical season this week as they pay a visit to the BYU Cougars. Game time is scheduled for 10:15 EST on Saturday, October 13, at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

According to this week’s college football betting odds, the Cougars are favored by 11.5 points at home. The over/under for the game is set at 53.5 points.

BYU vs Hawaii Vegas Game Preview & Betting Odds

Hawaii became one of the first teams in the country to become bowl eligible, doing so with a win over Wyoming last week to get to 6-1 on the season. To be fair, the Rainbow Warriors started their season a week before most teams, but they did hit the ground running, knocking off the likes of Colorado State and Navy along the way. To date, Hawaii’s only loss of the season came in a road game against Army.

Leading Hawaii’s turnaround after last year’s 3-9 campaign has been quarterback Cole McDonald. Despite missing last week’s game due to an injury, McDonald has accumulated 2,100 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes over six games. Fortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, he’s back at practice and expected to play this weekend when the team travels to Provo.

As for BYU, the Cougars sit at 3-3 after an uneven start to the season. BYU was briefly ranked in the top-25 after their upset win over Wisconsin. However, they have dropped from the rankings following back-to-back losses to Washington and in-state rival Utah State. 

The Cougars are now under a little bit of pressure to win at least three of their final six games in order to avoid missing a bowl game for the second straight year. With no conference and no bowl deal, they may need seven wins to guarantee themselves a bowl. Without a win against Hawaii, that could be difficult for the Cougars with road games against Boise State and Utah still on their schedule.

These two teams were regular foes of one another throughout the 80’s and 90’s when both were members of the WAC. While they’ve played sparingly over the last 20 years, they did meet last year in Hawaii, with the Cougars winning 30-20.

Free NCAAF Betting Prediction: Hawaii +11.5

With McDonald coming back for the Rainbow Warriors, I’d be surprised if the Cougars are able to win this game by double digits and cover the spread. BYU is certainly the more battle-tested team, but I’m not going to discount what Hawaii has accomplished this season. I think Hawaii has a real chance to win this game, so I’ll definitely lean toward the Rainbow Warriors to at least beat the spread.

Obviously, it’s fair to question the schedule Hawaii has played thus far. The six FBS teams they’ve played this season are a combined 10-23. On the contrary, the Cougars have played a pair of top-25 teams in Wisconsin and Washington, as well as Pac-12 teams Cal and Arizona. However, I’m not going to overlook that the Rainbow Warriors have handled their business against that schedule and won the games they were supposed to win.

I also think that Hawaii’s offense is for real, at least if McDonald is at quarterback. He’s a true gunslinger who’s capable of throwing the ball up and down the field against just about any team. Wide receiver John Ursua also gives McDonald a great partner in crime, already accumulating 801 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. He’ll be a handful for the BYU defense, especially since guys like Cedric Byrd and JoJo Ward are also skilled receivers with the speed to make plays after the catch.

Defensively, BYU has been solid this season. But they haven’t faced a passing attack like Hawaii’s outside of their game against Washington. In that game, the Cougars didn’t have much success slowing down Washington quarterback Jake Browning. I don’t think McDonald is at the same level as Browning, but he’s good enough to exploit any holes in the BYU secondary.

I also have some questions about the BYU offense, which is averaging just 21 points per game. Senior quarterback Tanner Mangum has just five touchdown passes this season while averaging less than six yards per pass attempt. Even against a tough schedule, those a disappointing numbers for a quarterback with his experience.

The Cougars haven’t been much better running the ball. Other than his great performance against Wisconsin, senior Squally Canada has been bottled up for most of the year. Freshman Lopini Katoa hasn’t done much better. Against non-triple-option teams this season, the Rainbow Warriors have done a nice job of containing the run. If that trend continues, all the pressure will be on Mangum to lead the BYU offense against Hawaii.

Even if BYU is the best defensive team Hawaii has faced this season, I still expect the Rainbow Warriors to do some damage through the air. There will surely be pressure on Mangum and the Cougars to put some points on the board. I’m just not sure the BYU offense is explosive enough to cover an 11.5-point spread. Seeing as how BYU’s largest win over an FBS program this season is five points, I like my chances taking Hawaii and the points.

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