Marc Lawrence Preferred Picks:
UTAH ST over Byu by 3
How great a job has BYU head coach Kalani Sitake done with the
Cougars lately? Let’s just say if the NFL decided to expand to the
state of Utah next year, Coach K would be a leading contender for
the top job. How does a 15-1 SU run in the last sixteen games sound
to you? Despite losing superstar QB Zach Wilson and OC Jeff Grimes,
who combined for 44 points and 525 yards per game in 2020, Sitake
has his crew off to a 4-0 start – including wins over THREE Pac-
12 opponents. BYU also stomped Utah State in their most recent
meeting in 2019 as 3-point dogs, 42-14. Yikes. So now that we’ve
delivered part one of this bait-and-switch special, it’s time to get
to the meaningful stuff. The ‘Y’ is a money-burning 2-10 ATS in
their last twelve tries as chalk, and coach Sitake is just 4-10 ATS as a
favorite when coming off an ATS loss, including 1-8 ATS versus a foe
not coming off a spread win of 7 or more points (0-7 ATS the last
seven). We know if you watched Utah State implode against Boise
State last week, you won’t relish the idea of backing them here,
but the bottom line is, the Aggies are a “mission team” coming off
a loss, seeking revenge. With non-conference teams 27-11-1 ATS in
this role since 1990, we’re on these guys like fl ies on a rib roast.
Especially with added support from THE CLINCHER: USU head
coach Blake Anderson is 5-0 SU and 4-0 ATS at home in his
career when coming off a home loss.