Kansas vs BYU Prediction College Football Picks 11/16/24

The Kansas Jayhawks and the BYU Cougars meet Saturday in college football action from LaVell Edwards Stadium. Here’s a Kansas vs BYU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Kansas vs BYU pick. We will examine:

The Kansas Jayhawks’ recent form and player performance

The BYU Cougars’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Kansas Jayhawks

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the BYU Cougars

Recent betting trends in games played between Kansas and BYU

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Kansas vs BYU game

Kansas Jayhawks Betting Preview

The Jayhawks beat Lindenwood in their opener this year, then hit a losing streak versus Illinois, UNLV, West Virginia, TCU, and Arizona State. Kansas would beat Houston 42-14 but then fell to Kansas State 29-27 the next weekend.

In Saturday’s game versus Iowa State, Kansas jumped out to a 35-13 halftime lead and held on for the win 45-36. Jalon Daniels posted 295 pass yards with two scores (and a rush TD), while Devin Neal carried 18 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns of his own.

BYU Cougars Betting Preview

Over on the BYU side, they kicked off the year on a nice winning streak—with a couple of close calls along the way. The Cougars took out Southern Illinois, SMU, Wyoming, Kansas State, Baylor, Arizona, Oklahoma State, and UCF in their first eight outings.

In their matchup versus Utah, BYU was down 21-0 by halftime. The Cougars fought back from there in a 22-21 victory, though. Jake Retzlaff had 219 passing yards with a rush score. Chase Roberts caught six balls for 91 yards.

Why the BYU Cougars will win

• BYU has won each of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Kansas has lost 32 of its last 38 games in November.
• BYU has covered the spread in four of its last five games at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
• Kansas has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five November road games against AP-ranked teams.

Why the Kansas Jayhawks will win

• The team ranked 7th in the AP Poll has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last nine games.
• Kansas has covered the spread in each of its last four games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.

Total Points Facts

• Each of BYU’s last seven games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams has gone OVER the total points line.
• Five of Kansas’ last six November road games against top-15 AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Kansas vs BYU Prediction

I’ll lean toward Kansas. The line doesn’t leave much room for error, though. The Jayhawks had a nice offensive effort in their win over Iowa State with 532 total yards (295 passing), 7.6 yards per play, and 7-of-13 on third downs. Kansas let the Cyclones score in every quarter (including 23 second-half points), but the offense was usually able to respond.

As for BYU, they posted a wild victory over the Utes last weekend, utilizing a return TD and three field goals to help buoy the offense. Speaking of the offense, it was pretty brutal as far as sustaining drives, with just 1-of-12 third-down conversions made. The Cougars did get three takeaways on defense though, which helped offset their 10 penalties in an overall sloppy game (20 total penalties). I think Kansas can get in there for a cover by following the Utes’ lead.