Game Prediction: No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. No. 23 BYU Cougars

A Top-25 matchup between two programs on the rise out west. Who keeps the momentum going this week?

Author:
Brendan Gulick
Sep 17, 2021 8:00 PM EDT

This is a really interesting matchup if you love college football. Arizona State has handily beaten Southern Utah and UNLV so far this year, while BYU has a pair of wins over Pac-12 programs Arizona and Utah. This will be the first meeting between these two programs since BYU head coach Kalani Sitake was in the Cougars backfield in 1998.

Here's what the BuckeyesNow staff expects in a Saturday night contest in the gorgeous mountains in Provo, Utah.

ARIZONA STATE at BRIGHAM YOUNG – Saturday, 10:15 p.m.
Spread: Pick 'em
O/U Total: 50.0

Brendan Gulick: Arizona State 31, BYU 28

Herm Edwards' team hasn't been particularly challenged this year, but they've handled their business nicely. Both teams have done a nice job on third downs (on both sides of the ball) and I think whichever team handles those better on Saturday has a great shot to win. I think Jayden Daniels is one of the best players in the country that most fans east of the Mississippi have never heard of.

The Pac-12 seems to be a league on the rise this season, thanks largely to the play of UCLA and Oregon. I think BYU may be a bit more battle-tested, but Daniels can make some game-changing plays. This game should come down to which side executes in one or two critical moments.

Andrew Lind: Arizona State 28, BYU 35

Coming off massive victories over Arizona in Las Vegas and Utah in the Holy War, the Cougars are looking for their third straight win over a Pac-12 opponent when it hosts the Sun Devils on Saturday night. Given the high of those games, which includes ending the Utes’ nine-game winning streak in the rivalry, it feels like BYU could be in for an emotional letdown this week.

Arizona State, meanwhile, wasn’t tested by Southern Utah or UNLV in the first two weeks of the season. This game will give us a sense of whether or not the Sun Devils will be competitive in the Pac-12 South or not.

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Brett Hiltbrand: Arizona State 27, BYU 31

The acerbic part of my sense of humor loves the fact that Sun Devils go to Provo to play BYU. The cosmic irony and unintentional comedy of that is off the charts funny.

This might be a sneaky good game too. Arizona State's QB is statistically their best ever and BYU has already beaten two PAC-12 teams this season. It's about as much of a coin flip as you'll find early on in the college football season.

Caleb Spinner: Arizona State 27, BYU 12

This game looks good on paper, but if you ask me, won’t amount to much other than a decisive Sun Devil victory. Arizona State has looked pretty solid in their last two games, and BYU’s games to this point have been too close for comfort. The Sun Devils should cruise past the Cougars, 27-12.

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