UVA Football Week 9 Betting Preview vs. BYU

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Virginia (6-2) At #25 BYU (6-2)

  • When: Saturday, October 30, 10:15 p.m.
  • Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Line: BYU -2.5
  • M/L: Virginia +120, BYU -150
  • O/U: 63

Riding a four-game winning streak and renewed attention from the national media, the Virginia football team will go to Bronco Mendenhall’s old stomping grounds for a showdown with #25 BYU. For years, Bronco had made it clear he didn’t want to lead another team against BYU, but it’s here and he seems OK with it. “I’m much better now because very few of any players [I recruited] are left,” Mendenhall told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Last Time Out

  • Virginia won 48-40 at home over Georgia Tech
  • BYU won 21-19 on the road over Washington State

National Scope

  • Virginia received votes in both the AP (30th overall) and Coaches Poll (31st overall)
  • BYU cracked the Top 25 in the AP Poll (#25) and received votes in the Coaches Poll (27th overall)

ATS Records

  • Virginia (6-2 ATS, 2-6 O/U)
  • BYU (3-5 ATS, 2-6 O/U)

ATS Trends

  • Virginia (Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall)
  • Virginia (Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games in October)
  • Virginia (Cavaliers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win)
  • Virginia (Over is 5-0 in Cavaliers last 5 games vs. Independent teams)
  • Virginia (Under is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 road games)
  • BYU (Cougars are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 vs. ACC)
  • BYU (Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall)
  • BYU (Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an SU loss)
  • BYU (Under is 5-1 in Cougars last 6 home games)
  • BYU (Under is 9-2 in Cougars last 11 games overall)

Conference Team Rankings

  • Virginia Offense (Total Offense 1, Scoring Offense 3, Yards Per Play 1)
  • Virginia Defense (Total Defense 12, Scoring Defense 8, Yards Per Play 13)
  • BYU (no conference)

National Team Rankings

  • Virginia Offense (Total Offense 4, Scoring Offense 16, Yards Per Play 17)
  • Virginia Defense (Total Defense 105, Scoring Defense 75, Yards Per Play 112)
  • BYU Offense (Total Offense 65, Scoring Offense 85, Yards Per Play 31) 
  • BYU Defense (Total Defense 71, Scoring Defense 47, Yards Per Play 57)

Key Injuries

  • Virginia kicker Justin Duenkel has missed four games and is listed as questionable. Replacement Brendan Farrell has gone 8-of-9 on field goals and 19-19 on PAT’s in his absence.
  • BYU leading receiver Gunner Romney was injured last game and is “likely doubtful” for Saturday’s game.

What They’re Saying

“Setting aside his quirky mannerisms and some awkward interactions with the fan base, Bronco Mendenhall was an excellent football coach at BYU.

The current Virginia coach provided the stability and direction at the exact time the program desperately needed it. And so, without hesitation, the BYU faithful owe Mendenhall a warm welcome when he leads the Cavaliers onto the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium for this week’s game with the Cougars.” -Patrick Kinahan, KSL.com

Other Notes

  • BYU is certainly gonna look cool ⬇️

https://twitter.com/BYUfootball/status/1452636360557228032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1452636360557228032%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vanquishthefoe.com%2F2021%2F10%2F25%2F22744701%2Fbyu-announces-uniform-combination-for-virginia-game-royal-blue-helmet

  • The last time these two teams played, BYU was ranked #21 and coached by Bronco. The Cougs went on to win 41-33.
  • Brennan Armstrong enters Week 9 as the nation’s leading passer (3,220 yards).
  • Virginia became bowl eligible with their Week 8 win over Georgia Tech.
  • Virginia has four receivers in the ACC’s Top 10 receiving yards category.
  • Dontayvion Wicks is coming off back-to-back ACC Receiver of the Week honors and a spot on “You Got Moss’d“

Cut The Check

BYU has played a legitimate schedule thus far, so their 6-2 record is for real. All their William & Mary-esque games are still to come. That said, momentum is everything and the Wahoos have it. If it was a different non-conference game, like say Illinois was coming up this week, I could see us looking past them. Not BYU, though. One because they’re ranked, two because they have national cachet, and most importantly, they’re going to show out for their head coach and assistant coaches against their old program. Take Virginia with the points in a lower-scoring game than people are anticipating.