BYU takes on Stanford Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium (LES) as the Cougars look to improve to 2-0 on the season, against a Cardinal team that is still looking for its first win of the season.
BYU is coming off a season-opening victory last Saturday as the Cougars defeated Portland State, 69-0, in front of a sold out crowd (64,494). In fact, it was the largest crowd to watch a BYU game since 2009.
Everyone came to see true Freshman Bear Bachmeier become just the eighth true freshman to start a game at BYU and the first to start the season opener. The freshman only played the first half after the Cougars jumped out to a 49-0 lead at halftime.
Meanwhile, Stanford is coming off a heartbreaking 23-20 loss to Hawaii on the road. Both teams struggled to move the ball, with Stanford generating just 300 yards of total offense. Of the Cardinals two touchdowns, one of those came on defense thanks to a fumble recovery in the end zone.
With a program struggling to win more than four games over the past six years, it’s no wonder why BYU is favored by more than 20 points. At the same time, Cougar fans had to do a double take because being favored by that much against a P4 programs just the fifth time that has happened in the last 30 years.
The only good news for Stanford is that it hasn’t lost following an off week since Week 4 of the 2022 season. The Cardinal are 3-0 following off weeks in the two years since. Can they keep it going?
Viewing Information
Date: Saturday, September 5
Time: 8:15 a.m. MT
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium (62,073) — Provo, Utah
All-Time Results
BYU and Stanford are meeting for just the fourth time, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series 2-1. Here’s a look at the results over the years.
2003: Stanford 18, BYU 14
2004: Stanford 37, BYU 10
2022: BYU 35, Stanford 26
Betting Lines
The Spread: BYU -20.5
Money Line: BYU -1,200, Stanford +750
Over/Under: 44.5
The over/under opened at 47.5, and has dropped a bit throughout the week, as it currently stands at 44.5. In regards to the money line, oddsmakers are favoring BYU at -1,200 with Stanford at +750. The money line simply involves picking the winning team. With BYU at -1,200, those picking the Cougars would have to risk $1,200 to win $100. However, for those picking the Cardinals, one would win $750 for his/her $100 wager.
SP+, a predictive analytics tool created by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, has BYU beating Stanford 39-14. So far this year, SP+ is 1-0 in its BYU picks. Bill gives BYU a 94% chance of beating the Cardinals, which is a bit higher than ESPN’s Football Power Index. As of right now, FPI gives BYU a 89.2% chance of beating Stanford.
Big 12 Power Rankings: TCU, Utah Soar — Kansas State, Colorado Tumble (Week 2)
BYU vs. Stanford Preview
BYU and Stanford couldn’t have had different starts to their 2025 campaigns.
BYU looked exactly like last year’s Top 15 team, dominating in all facets of the game. Yes, it was Portland State, however, remember a few years ago when the Cougars hosted the Vikings and that team walked away with a 20-6 victory. Everyone said not to worry about it… however, how did BYU do that year? The Cougars ended up going 4-9, having one of their worst seasons in the past two decades.
Good teams dominate FCS teams and that’s exactly what the Cougars did last week.
The Cardinal opened the season on the road against Hawaii and nearly pulled off a win before falling 23-20 on a last-second field goal. Quarterback Ben Gulbranson struggled in his debut, completing just 15 of 30 passes for 109 yards and an interception. Stanford out-possessed Hawaii and even led 10-0 early, but couldn’t hold the lead, managing just seven points after halftime.
As I mentioned before, the offense only generated 300 yards of total offense, and only scored one touchdown as well. The only other touchdown came on a fumble recovery in the end zone. Perhaps it was the jet lag that tripped up Stanford, but again, that’s no excuse that a P4 team should be losing to a bottom dweller Mountain West Conference team.
If BYU doesn’t cover the spread or come close to it, I would be a little worried. Stanford has been in the dumps for the past five years and this year will likely continue that. the Cardinals finished 3-9 last season and haven’t won more than four games in the past six seasons. I expect Stanford to play better than they did, but I also expect BYU to rise to the occasion as well. That’s what great teams do.
Big 12 Football Predictions: Iowa State-Iowa, TCU-SMU, Kansas-Missouri Headline Week 2
Prediction: BYU 37, Stanford 16
As everyone knows by now, the most intriguing storyline in this matchup is the return of the Bachmeier brothers — quarterback Bear and wide receiver Tiger — who both transferred from Stanford to BYU earlier this year.
Bear committed to Stanford and participated in spring practices before transferring. Meanwhile, Tiger spent two seasons with the Cardinal, racking up 46 catches, 476 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and a punt return TD before making the move to Provo. There is no doubt that Stanford players will be playing with a chip on their shoulder and Bear and Tiger will also be looking to show their former teammates why they made the right choice to go to BYU.
Stanford also had a bye week so with two weeks to prepare, I expect that Cardinals to throw some different looks as well as some trick plays so try and get some chunk plays or easy scores against BYU’s Top 25 defense.
Even with a freshman quarterback making just his second career start and playing in his first P4 game, BYU is poised to overpower Stanford as the Cougars have every advantage on offense, defense and special teams.
The betting trends back it up with BYU favored by more than 20 points. Also, Stanford is just 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games and 1-5 ATS in its last six on the road. BYU is 11-5 ATS over its last 16 and 5-3 ATS at home in that span.
This is a statement game for BYU — and one that could finally push the Cougars into the AP Top 25 poll after being No. 26 the past two weeks.
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Big 12 Football Predictions: Iowa State-Iowa, TCU-SMU, Kansas-Missouri Headline Week 2
