BYU Football is a Heavy Favorite Against Portland State

BYU wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier at Fall Camp | BYU Photo

In just under two weeks, BYU will kickoff the 2025 season against FCS foe Portland State. The Cougars will be heavily favored when they take on the Vikings. BYU opened as a 34.5-point favorite over Portland State accoring to the ESPNBet Sportsbook. The spread has grown slightly since it opened, as BYU is now favored by 35 points.

The over/under is set at at 56.5. In other words, oddsmakers expect the final score to be somewhere in the ballpark of 45-10 in favor of BYU.

BYU will have a chance to scout Portland State in week zero. The Vikings will host Tarleton State on Saturday.

A home opener against Portland State is an ideal start for a new quarterback. The Cougars will either be starting true freshman Bear Bachmeier or sophomore McCae Hillstead at quarterback. Neither Bachmeier nor Hillstead have ever taken a snap as a BYU quarterback.

The BYU offense should have success against the Vikings. Portland State allowed just over 40 points per game in 2024. The Vikings really struggled on defense the first third of the season in 2024. They turned to a new defensive coordinator, Bryant Thomas, in the middle of last season. Thomas leads the Portland State defense into his first full season as the defensive coordinator.

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BYU September Schedule

Fortunately for BYU, the September schedule is favorable for a new quarterback earning their stripes. First, BYU kicks off the season on August 30th against Portland State. That will be a great opportunity for the new quarterback to get some live reps against inferior competition.

The next week, BYU hosts Stanford in Lavell Edwards Stadium. After losing their head coach in March, Stanford lost multiple starters to the transfer portal including wide receiver Tiger Bachmeier to BYU. Stanford also lost Bear Bachmeier to BYU who will likely start for BYU at quarterback. Stanford is projected to be one of the worst teams in the Power Four. Regardless of who lines up at quarterback, BYU should be favored in that game as well.

After the first two games, BYU has a bye week. Typically, a bye week so early in the season is not advantageous. In this scenario, however, it might be. An early bye week will give the new BYU quarterback the chance to prepare for the first road game of the season at East Carolina.

The road game at East Carolina is a dangerous one. The Pirates are coming off a successful 2024 season and they have given BYU fits in the past. However, BYU will be the more talented team. On paper, BYU should win that game regardless of the quarterback situation.

Last but not least, BYU travels to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes to open up conference play. Like we saw in the Alamo Bowl, BYU's primary advantage will be along the lines of scrimmage. This is a game where BYU will lean heavily on running backs like LJ Martin and Sione Moa. A heavy rushing attack could be the ideal recipe for a new quarterback experiencing his first conference action.