Arizona State vs BYU Prediction, Odds and NCAAF Picks for Saturday, 10/31/26

Welcome to the bounce-back game. Or at least that's how this one will be sold. Will BYU win? Probably. But by this much? That's a tougher sell. The Cougars remain 6-1 against the spread, and there's plenty of appeal surrounding the inevitable bounce-back narrative following last week's shocker at UCF. You'll hear about the poor officiating and the controversial roughing-the-kicker penalty that played a pivotal role in Brigham Young's demise. Whether those complaints are justified is irrelevant. BYU should never have been in a position where one call could prove so consequential, or where overtime was required against the Knights in the first place. Will the Cougars dust themselves off? Probably, but that doesn't make them worth laying 16.5 points with. And I've saved the best for last. There's a certain war looming next Saturday. A Holy War, to be precise.

BYU travels to Salt Lake City at noon to face archrival Utah in a potential Top 10 showdown with conference and playoff implications hanging in the balance. If you don't think that could be a distraction, consider what happened against UCF immediately after BYU's victory over Notre Dame the previous week. The Cougars have already demonstrated how difficult it can be to maintain focus between major assignments. BYU may win comfortably, but this number demands considerably more than that. Too many points to lay in this spot.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs BYU Cougars prediction: Arizona State +16.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to the number.