Skip to main content
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 05: Quarterback Jordan Love #10 of the Utah State Aggies looks to throw a pass against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Chris Graythen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

No. 13 BYU looks to stay unbeaten and claim state bragging rights when it visits rival Utah State on Friday night. Which way to lean at SBR’s top-rated sportsbooks

BYU Cougars vs. Utah State Aggies 

Friday, October 1, 2021 – 09:00 PM EDT at Maverik Stadium 

The first day of October on Friday brings a pretty good night of college football action with three games: Houston at Tulsa (7:30 on ESPN), No. 5 Iowa at Maryland (8 on Fox Sports 1), and this matchup between No. 13 BYU and Utah State with the CBS Sports Network on the telecast from Logan. 

There used to be a trophy given out called the Beehive Boot (from the Beehive State) for the winner of the in-state round-robin series between BYU, Utah State, and Utah but they stopped doing that a few years ago for whatever reason.

https://youtu.be/80V_v4AKn9U

BYU would get to claim state bragging rights, though, with a win because it already beat Utah this season. Utah State doesn’t play Utah. 

BYU is 49-37-3 all-time vs. Utah State on the NCAAF odds and 13-1 when it is ranked and USU isn’t. Then again, the Aggies aren’t ranked very often. The schools last met in 2019 at Utah State and the Cougars rolled 42-14. Jaren Hall, who is still around, 12-for-16 for 214 yards and rushed for two scores, while Baylor Romney was 10-for-16 for 191 yards and two scores.

Fans in the student section of the BYU Cougars. Chris Gardner/Getty Images/AFP

Jordan Love, now Aaron Rodgers’ backup in Green Bay, threw for 394 yards and a TD but was picked three times for Utah State.  The road team is 7-2 ATS on the NCAAF picks in the past nine meetings in the Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel.  

BYU May Have QB Controversy Now 

BYU (4-0) got caught in perhaps a bit of a trap game on Saturday against a bad South Florida team and the Cougars coming off big wins over ranked Pac-12 foes Utah and Arizona State. BYU survived the Bulls 35-27, not coming close to covering the 22-point spread at SBR’s top-rated books. 

Coach Kalani Sitake, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the open USC job, didn’t have usual starting QB Jaren Hall for the first time this season due to injury, so Baylor Romney got his first start of the year. He was excellent, going 20-for-25 for 305 yards and three scores. His brother Gunner caught five passes for 119 yards and a TD. Tyler Allgeier, one of the best running backs you may not know about, rushed for 86 yards and two scores. Romney was Zach Wilson’s primary backup in 2020. It’s not clear yet whether Hall will return for this one. Romney may have earned more playing time regardless. 

“I mean that's a coach's decision, and I don't think anyone should ever lose a job due to injury. But again that's in a coach's hands,” Romney said about starting going forward.  BYU played without four injured defenders on Saturday in end Tyler Batty, tackle Atunaisa Mahe, linebacker Keenan Pili and cornerback Isaiah Herron. Pili is done for the year after tearing his ACL the game before vs. Arizona State. 

https://twitter.com/BYUfootball/status/1442173076125339652

It’s the second consecutive season that the Cougars have opened 4-0. Rather amazingly, that’s a first in program history. BYU is one of nine teams yet to trail at any time in a game to start the season. The Cougars have scored first in every game and have been tied only once after their first score (7-7 vs. Arizona State). The Cougars are 13-6 ATS on the NCAAF odds in their past 19 road games. 

Utah State Comes Off First Loss 

Utah State (3-1) opened Mountain West Conference play on Saturday with a 27-3 home loss to Boise State. Not sure how a team that had 443 yards only mustered three points, although clearly, three turnovers didn’t help. The Aggies also had a blocked field goal, a missed field goal, and a turnover on downs on a fake punt early in the second half. 

"Obviously, I am disappointed in the way we played," said first-year Utah State head coach Blake Anderson. "The energy level was good, but the execution was poor. The offense was as bad as we've executed since the beginning of the season. We had yards, but couldn't finish in the red zone. It just seemed like we had every little off-schedule issue – false starts, busts up front, a couple of drops. We couldn't maintain a rhythm whenever we got any at all. I am proud of the defense and how they held in there. They kept us in it and gave us a chance way longer than we probably deserved." 

Anderson usually plays two quarterbacks; Logan Bonner started vs. Boise and was 11-for-25 for 173 yards and two picks, while Andrew Peasley was 2-for-6 for 35 yards. Calvin Tyler Jr. rushed for 126 yards on a career-high 20 carries. It was the first time that Utah State was held without a TD since losing 42-6 at LSU two years ago.  

https://twitter.com/USUFootball/status/1439423991056199681

Utah State leads the Mountain West in total offense, averaging 533.2 yards per game, which is 10th nationally. It ranks 13th in the country in passing (319.8 ypg). Wide receiver Deven Thompkins leads the MW and ranks third in the nation in receiving (128.5 ypg) but was held to 60 yards vs. Boise. The Aggies had won seven straight September home games. They had rallied from double-digit deficits to win each of their first three games this season, marking the first time in school history that happened. 

BYU should win this game but that spread is a bit too high for my liking. Utah State is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 non-conference games and 5-1 ATS in its past six following a double-digit home loss.

NCAAF Pick:  (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.