Oddsmakers set a narrow margin for the undefeated Cougars in Fort Worth, weighing historic road struggles against a dominant start and the Horned Frogs' recent offensive inconsistencies.
The BYU Cougars head to Fort Worth for the first Big 12 road game of the season. There has been an odd history with the TCU Horned Frogs, who have tried to match BYU's energy.
One of the biggest takeaways when odds were announced earlier this week was BYU opening as 6.5-point favorite at TCU. Some have said it's disrespectful to the cougars, given that TCU loss to UCF over the weekend. BYU is 3-0 coming off its bye week. But is it a stretch to call this disrespectful?
It's actually not that far off. The line is a big low, but keeping it within the traditional one score area makes sense. Maybe there's history there oddsmakers are taking into account.
For anyone who remembers the game in 2023, Josh Hoover's first start was a doozy for BYU. Lasy year was a different story with the Cougars crushed the Frogs by 31 at home. However, this is a TCU team who is out of the Big 12 race right now. BYU remains one of the front runners in the conference going into Week 5.
TCU has not looked great. They're currently 2-2 with both losses to Power Four teams, including Bill Belichick and the UNC Tar Heels in Ireland. The Frogs QB Jaden Craig threw for 300 yards over the weekend, but still lost to UCF. The biggest anomaly was only putting up 33 yards for 1.2 yards per carry. UNC and UCF aren't world beaters.
Going back to the disrespect, this is a overreaction. But BYU isn't paying attention to any of the outside noise. Nevertheless, BYU is a favorite on the road. That hasn't always been the case and the Cougars need to take advantage of that. Arizona is a better team compared to TCU, and BYU took care of business in Week 2.
This is the second road trip for the Cougars this year. BYU is coming off its bye week after beating Colorado State in Fort Collins as a renewal with the former WAC/ Mountain West foe.
BYU enters at No. 10 in the AP Poll with a 3-0 record (1-0 in Big 12 play) following a bye week. TCU sits at 2-2 after dropping their Big 12 opener 21-13 to the UCF Knights.
While BYU won big last year, the Cougars have historically struggled when playing TCU on the road in Fort Worth, where they are seeking their first win since 2006.
The Cougars and Frogs kickoff at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday with the broadcast on ESPN.
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