BYU opened its season with a tough 19-16 loss at Virginia and the Cougars now head home to continue their independent schedule, taking on the Texas Longhorns Saturday night in Provo (7 pm ET, ESPN2).

As of early this week BYU was getting six points as home dogs against the 'Horns, who opened their season with a relatively easy victory over New Mexico State, covering as 44-point favorites.

Bettors know to beware BYU as an underdog - they Cougars has covered 10 in a row as an underdog, according to the Odds Shark NCAA football database.



View Texas vs BYU Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Oddsmakers at Sportsbook opened the Cougars as 6-point underdogs in the matchup, while the betting total had not been set at press time (check the college football odds link for the latest on the over under)..

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Cougars - Longhorns odds would favor the Cougars if the lines were set according to power ranks. BYU is rated No. 61 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Longhorns sit at No. 74. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 74-22 win for the Longhorns.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up BYU's No. 94-ranked offense (16 PPG) against a Longhorns defense that ranks No. 16 at 7 PPG. The Cougars passing attack has averaged 175 yards per game, less than the Longhorns give up through the air (242 YPG on average).



Texas was a 56-7 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against New Mexico State. They covered the 43.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (63) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. David Ash throttled the Aggies defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 343 yards as Texas handed New Mexico State a 56-7 defeat.

BYU lost its last outing, a 19-16 result against Virginia on August 31. BYU failed to cover in that game as a 2.5-point favorite, while the 35 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Jamaal Williams ran through the Virginia defense for 144 yards in BYU's last game, but the Cougars still lost a 19-16 decision at Scott Stadium.


Texas Longhorns Trends:
When playing in September are 9-1
When playing on grass are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing outside the conference are 10-0

BYU Cougars Trends:
When playing in September are 5-5
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing outside the conference are 6-4

A few Longhorns at Cougars trends to consider:
Texas is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 7 games on the road
Texas is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Texas's last 12 games
BYU is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
BYU is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games
BYU is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home


Next up:
Texas home to Mississippi, Saturday, September 14
BYU home to Utah, Saturday, September 21