Coming off their second straight upset over a power-conference team, the BYU Cougars get another challenge as they host the no. 22 Washington Huskies. Game time is set for 3:30 EST on Saturday, September 21 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. Fans can watch the game on either ABC or ESPN2 depending on their location.
The Week 4 college football odds list Washington as 5.5-point favorites on the road. The over/under between the Huskies and Cougars is set at 48.5 points.
At the start of the season, BYU looked like a team that could start 0-4. They faced a brutal September schedule that included games against Utah, Tennessee, USC, and Washington. However, the Cougars have scored back-to-back wins over Tennessee and USC to start the season 2-1. BYU can now put the cherry on top by knocking off a ranked team for a second consecutive week and starting the year 3-1.
Of course, win or lose on Saturday, the Cougars should be pleased with how they’ve started the 2019 campaign. They’ve put themselves in a favorable position to reach a bowl game for the second straight year. However, with a win over Washington, the Cougars would make a strong case for being in the top-25, which would be a huge step in the right direction for the program.
Meanwhile, the Huskies have plenty of work ahead of them after losing at home to Cal a couple of weeks ago. Washington bounced back last week with a lopsided win over Hawaii. But the Huskies took a tumble in the polls after the loss to Cal and are already behind the 8-ball both nationally and inside the Pac-12.
Of course, Saturday’s game against BYU won’t impact the Pac-12 North race. But a loss would surely knock the Huskies out of the top-25 and give them another setback heading into next week’s game against USC. As a team that expects to be nationally relevant, the Huskies don’t want to start off 2-2.
There have been 10 all-time meetings between Washington and BYU, including last year’s meeting in Seattle that the Huskies won 35-7. Dating back to the first meeting between these schools in 1985, BYU is 3-1 against Washington when hosting the Huskies in Provo, so having home-field advantage could matter in this game.
After last week’s overtime win over USC, it’s hard to go against BYU, especially at home with 5.5 points worth of leeway. I was a little skeptical of the Cougars after their loss to Utah in the opener. But they have somehow managed to pull out wins in two close games. BYU is a team that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and I think they’ll pull off another surprise win this week.
With regard to Washington, it’s hard to trust them against a team like BYU after their loss to Cal earlier this year. Remember, the Huskies are replacing a four-year starter at quarterback and a four-year starter at running back. It’s not a shock to see them having some growing pains on offense this year, even with Georgia transfer Jacob Eason taking over at quarterback. Eason struggled a little and the Huskies managed just one touchdown while settling for four field goals in their loss to Cal. That tells me more about their offense than two blowouts against weaker teams.
To be fair, the Cal defense Washington faced in that game is better than the BYU defense they’ll face on Saturday. However, the Cougars have plenty of talent on that side of the ball and they’ve hung in there against some good teams this year. They kept Utah’s tandem of Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss contained for a half. They only allowed 16 points against Tennessee in regulation. The Cougars also forced three turnovers last week against USC to keep themselves in the game.
On the offensive side of the ball, BYU has shown just enough to make me think they’ll put a few good drives together against Washington. Quarterback Zach Wilson is a competent passer, a savvy runner, and hasn’t thrown an interception in two straight games after a pair of picks against Utah. He’s the kind of quarterback you want to have late in a close game. The Cougars are also getting a steady rushing attack from Ty’Son Williams, who’s averaging over five yards per carry on the season despite the Cougars facing three talented defenses.
For what it’s worth, the Washington defense has played well this season. They only allowed the Hawaii offense to score two touchdowns last week, and both came when the game had been all but decided. The Huskies also conceded just 20 points against Cal, even in a losing effort. However, BYU will be the first team Washington has faced this year that has a good balance between the run and pass, so it’ll be a new challenge for them.
Ultimately, I think the BYU defense, especially with the home crowd behind them, will create enough problems for the Washington offense to keep the Cougars in the game. We’ve seen what Wilson and company can do in the fourth quarter when they get a chance in a close game. The Huskies could still win the game, but I think there’s a strong chance that BYU beats the spread.