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Teams: BYU (1-5) vs. Mississippi State (3-2)
Ranks: BYU (104th S&P+) | Mississippi State (28th S&P+)
Time: 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT
TV: SEC Network
Watch Online: WatchESPN
Series History: BYU leads 2-1-0
Last Time We Met...: BYU took down Mississippi State 28-21 in double OT last season in Provo.
Spread: The Bulldogs opened as 20.5-point faves. That line jumped to 23.5/24.
O/U: The total started at 46.5. It has since ballooned to 49/49.5.
Records ATS: BYU (1-5) | Mississippi State (3-2)
Odds info via OddsShark.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Mississippi State to say the least. The Bulldogs enjoyed a barrel of success in their first three games of the season. They picked up three wins by an average margin of victory of 38.33, including a 30-point stomping of the LSU Tigers. It seemed like State was the second-best team in the SEC and a possible challenger to the Alabama Crimson Tide’s stranglehold of the SEC West.
Well, two weeks later, and State has since been dusted off the map. First by the Georgia Bulldogs and then the Auburn Tigers the last time we saw them. Interestingly enough, UGA and Auburn have usurped State’s claim of “Best Possible Challenger to Alabama” in the past few weeks since those losses. And, uh, remember that MOV? Yeah... the margin of losses that State suffered against the ‘Dawgs and Tigers? 33.5.
Luckily, Mississippi State will welcome the BYU Cougars to town. BYU has been positively dreadful this season. They rank 104th in S&P+ out of the 130 FBS teams. Their offense hasn’t been good, and neither has their defense. They’re on a five-game losing streak after opening up with a 20-6 win over Portland State. That includes a 27-0 shutout loss to LSU, a 40-6 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers at home and a 24-7 defeat to the Boise State Broncos.
To put it simply: This is pretty much what the doctor ordered for Dan Mullen’s bunch. BYU hasn’t been very good at all this season. That should play right into State’s hand so they can get off the schneid. And they really need to get off the schneid to avoid falling to .500 on the year.
Prediction: Mississippi State 35, BYU 9