NCAA Football Betting — Bronco’s Back for Virginia vs. BYU

By Charles Jay

BetOnline customers may know that Bronco Mendenhall, a Utah native, spent eleven years as the head coach at Brigham Young University. During that time his team went to eleven bowl games, winning ten games or more on five different occasions. But after the 2015 season he surprisingly took the job at Virginia, where he has led the Cavaliers to three bowl games and might have his best team yet this year.

Certainly they are the best team he’s had offensively,by definition. Virginia is third in the nation in yards per game (behind only national powers Ohio State and Alabama) and they have compiled more first downs than anybody. So yea, they know how to move the chains.

BYU, which said goodbye to quarterback Zach Wilson in the off-season, as he became the second choice in the NFL Draft (by the New York Jets), has not experienced a preponderance of explosive plays this season, but they have beaten Utah and Arizona State when both were in the national rankings.

The question becomes how they will go about the business of somehow neutralizing this Virginia offense and perhaps monopolize things a little when they have the ball.

Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo is the site, as these teams kick it off at 10:15 PM ET. In the NCAA football betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, BYU is a very slight favorite:

BYU Cougars -2.5 (-115)

Virginia Cavaliers +2.5 (-105)

Over 66.5 Points (-112)

Under 66.5 Points (-108)

Although there are some holdovers from when Mendenhall was the head coach (remember that BYU students go on a two-year mission), we’re not sure there’s a strong sentiment on their part about Bronco’s return. But Mendenhall himself has a special feeling for the place; no grudges, just special feelings.

He comes back with arguably the most productive quarterback in the country. Brennan Armstrong has thrown for 3220 yards, which is tops in the nation, and while his average of 8.7 yards per attempt is not among the NCAA leaders, he opts for accuracy and moving the chains, and that may be a concern for BYU, which has permitted opponents to complete almost 66% of their passes.

Admittedly, Jaren Hall, who replaced Wilson behind center for BYU, does not compare with Wilson, and he couldn’t possibly be expected to trade points back and forth. So expect BYU to seek out an alternative solution.

And that involves the ground game. Travis Allgeier has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and has eleven rushing touchdowns. The Cougars, we’re thinking, are going to play a ball-control game, as long as they can keep things from getting out of hand early. And Virginia is accommodating, as the Cavs have surrendered 5.7 yards per rushing attempt.

You’ve got to believe one team is motivated to “shorten the game” and reduce the number of possessions. That scenario spells out a nice script for an UNDER in this game.

BetOnline has some great stuff for you to take advantage of in college football……. Remember that you have a lot of props you can play, and Odds Boosters offers explosive payouts on pre-selected parlays on a daily basis….. Don’t forget that you’ve got “Live Betting” to stay very much in the action. And deposits can be made using all kinds of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin! Jazz Sports Book Bonus 100% match Get your Free Pick and Predictions today! Side and Total access Please enter a valid email and phone number if you would like to receive free picks. Name Phone Email By clicking the “submit” button you agree to the OSB opt-in and privacy policy.