Stanford Cardinal vs BYU Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 09/06/25

One of Saturday’s late games is the Stanford Cardinal vs the BYU Cougars. These are two teams with a very different set of expectations this season. Stanford cannot seem to finish a season better than 3-9, and no one seems very happy in the ACC with the cross-country travel and lack of natural rivals. They have a new coach and lots of new faces, and it is far from clear who they are this season. BYU, on the other hand, has a veteran team that expects to contend in the Big 12, even if they did lose their starting QB over the summer for, shall we say, violating team rules. There is little question that BYU is the better team here, but it is not a given that they will maul Stanford. It seems like every time I run across one of these early-season 20-pt spreads, it is a trap. I am backing Stanford to sneak in with the cover.

BYU opened with a soft Portland State team last week, and they demolished them, 69-0. The problem for me is that BYU barely threw the ball, which I would think you would want to do with a new QB. Instead, they ran the ball for nearly 500 yards like it was the 1970s, and they gave carries to 14 different people. I think Cosmo Cougar might have even gotten one. Maybe they can survive with a bullying ground game, but I’m skeptical. Stanford opened with a loss at Hawaii, a game they led late. I don’t think Stanford is very good, but they are one of those teams that has a knack for making games ugly. Besides, BYU played seemingly every game last year as a one-score game. This game could finish around 31-13, feel like a blowout, and still not be a cover for the Cougs.

Stanford vs BYU Prediction: Stanford +20.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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