Two of the best teams in the Big 12 will square off on Saturday afternoon, when the BYU Cougars host the Arizona Wildcats.
BYU was 11-1 through 12 games last season but a 34-7 loss to Texas Tech in the conference title game relegated it to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, in which it defeated Georgia Tech 25-21. Arizona went 9-4 and won its final five regular-season games before falling to SMU 24-19 in the Holiday Bowl.
With Saturday’s game set for 12:00 pm ET on FOX, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make.
Arizona vs. BYU betting picks and predictions
Arizona +7.5 (-110)
Arizona is led by dual-threat quarterback Noah Fifita, who was outstanding as a junior in 2025. Fifita completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 3,228 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 216 yards and three scores.
There is no denying that BYU brings some offensive talent to the table. It returns sophomore QB Bear Bachmeier and senior RB LJ Martin.
Bachmeier, though, will have to be more efficient in 2026 than he was last season, when the Cougars missed out on the College Football Playoff. The California native’s touchdown-to-interception ratio was barely better than 2-to-1 (15-to-7), and he threw as many picks as TDs (four apiece) over the final six games.
These two conference rivals faced each other October 11 of last year, and it could not have been any closer. BYU prevailed 33-27 in double-overtime after erasing a late 10-point deficit in the last five minutes of regulation and forcing OT thanks to a Bachmeier touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining.
Can Arizona be expected to win the rematch on the road? Probably not, but staying within a touchdown should not be too difficult of a propsition.
Under 47.5 (-110)
BYU may boast the best defense in the conference. Its pass rush will likely put a lot of pressure on Fifita when he drops back to pass. Fifita cut down on his interceptions last season, but he threw 12 of them in 2024. Against an opponent like BYU, it would not be a huge surprise if those same issues rear their ugly head again this weekend.
On the other side of the ball, Arizona featured a bend-but-don't-break defense last season. The Wildcats forced a ton of turnovers, ranking second in the entire nation with 22 interceptions. They have the personnel and scheme to disrupt Bachmeier and force him into some of the same mistakes that he made in 2025.
If Bachmeier struggles at times in 2026, it may not be his own fault. The Cougars are both inexperienced and thin at the receiver position. As such, they are almost certainly going to rely on Martin and the running game.
Even if BYU engineers its fair share of scoring drives on Saturday, they will likely be run-heavy slogs that use up plenty of clock.
All things considered, the under looks like the way to go.
Kedrick Reescano Under 41.5 rushing yards (-110)
BYU limited opponents to 3.7 yards per rushing attempt last season. Its defense is even better on paper this year, so it’s no surprise that the unit is off to a dominant start. It held Utah State to 49 yards on 25 carries last weekend.
Sure, Arizona is not Utah State. However, asking Reescano to gain at least 42 yards on the Cougars by himself may be too much. After all, Reescano will have to share touches with Ismail Mahdi after the latter was granted another year of eligibility by winning a court ruling earlier this week.
Mahdi had 134 carries for 859 yards last year; Reescano lagged well behind with 84 attempts for 396 yards.
Read more college football picks and predictions on site.
Arizona vs. BYU odds
Arizona | +240 |
BYU | -300 |
Spread | BYU -7.5 |
Total Points | O/U 47.5 |
Arizona vs. BYU player props
Anytime Touchdown
LJ Martin (BYU) | -260 |
Bear Bachmeier (BYU) | -160 |
Kedrick Reescano (Arizona) | +145 |
Legend Glasker (BYU) | +155 |
Jojo Phillips (BYU) | +185 |
Kyle Kasper (BYU) | +185 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
