BYU Football Opens as a Favorite Against TCU

The Cougars will be favored when they take on the Horned Frogs

BYU tight end Carsen Ryan against TCU | BYU Photo

No. 9 BYU football has the weekend off before it will hit the road to take on Big 12 foe TCU on October 3rd. The Cougars and the Horned Frogs squared off last season and BYU dominated TCU 44-13. The Horned Frogs will be looking to avenge last season's blowout loss.

BYU will be favored going into this game. BYU opened as a 5.5-point favorite over TCU on DraftKings sportsbook. The over/under is set at 52.5, so oddsmakers expect a final score in the ballpark of 29-23 in favor of BYU. The Cougars have a 68.7% chance to win according to ESPN FPI.

What We Know - And Don't - About TCU

TCU is 2-1 with wins over Arkansas State and Grambling. Their only loss came in their only game against a Power Four opponent, an ugly 15-10 loss in Dublin, Ireland against North Carolina. In the only game against a decent opponent, TCU looked sluglish and sloppy.

However, it's hard to know whether that was driven by a rainy environment in Dublin and the fact that the game was played in a different continent. Seemingly every season, those games in Ireland are sloppy.

In that game, TCU quarterback Jayden Craig struggled. He was 20/32 for 175 passing yards. He missed multiple receivers that were open. Since then, Craig has averaged 364 passing yards per game against bad competition. We don't know whether Craig is much improved since the season opener or if it's a result of playing against terrible competition. We will learn more about Craig and TCU in general this week at UCF.

The TCU defense has been stingy. They have not allowed more than 15 points in a single game this season. Last season, TCU had a stingy defense and BYU managed to score 44 points. It remains to be seen if the Cougars can replicate that offensive performance on the road.

The Last Time BYU Beat TCU in Fort Worth

It's been a long time since BYU beat TCU in Fort Worth. You have to go all the way back to 2006 when BYU beat a ranked TCU team on the road. The last time BYU played at TCU was in 2023, BYU's first season in the Big 12. The Cougars were coming off a bye and got smacked by the Horned Frogs in a 44-11 loss.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news.