BYU vs. Navy betting odds and pick

If you needed a further sign that 2020 has been a wild and crazy year, the marquee matchup for the first real week of college football is…a military academy against an independent that is not Notre Dame.

BYU will face the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in prime time on Monday, Sept. 7, in a matchup that should be quite entertaining for the fans. Let’s preview the action and give you a few picks to play on your Labor Day weekend.

Navy looks for new QB

Malcolm Perry has left the building, and Navy must now find their new leader on offense. Whoever takes the role has big shoes to fill, as Perry led the team to a program-best 11-2 campaign and gained more than 3,100 total yards and 28 touchdowns. He also accounted for more than half of the team’s rushing yardage.

Senior Dalen Morris has that unenviable task, but he has help with a senior fullback in Jamale Carothers, who found the end zone 14 times last year.

BYU’s defense has plenty of returning talent, led by its powerful linebacker corps and very large defensive line. Those linebackers will be crucial to slowing down Navy’s triple option, but they will not have had as much practice time to prepare for it as they would have liked.

Given how difficult it can be to game-plan for, if Morris can play well and take care of the ball, it might be a long night for the Cougars.

BYU also looks to new faces

The Midshipmen return their five leading tacklers from a defense that ranked 22^nd in total yardage a year ago, but they will be facing a BYU team that lost quite a few important players from last year’s squad.

Zach Wilson will hope to build on a poor season, in which he threw just 11 touchdowns compared to nine interceptions and missed four games due to injury. The Cougars went 7-6 on the season.

He will be on a bit of a short leash, as he was pushed in the offseason for the starting job. Hurting him is the loss of the program’s top three pass catchers from last season, but Matt Bushman is a big target at tight end.

The running backs are also unproven, with junior Lopini Katoa holding the most experience with 85 carries for 358 yards last year.

Expect a low-scoring affair

A lot of people expect there to be plenty of points in this game, but I am leaning the other way. With the number of new faces on offense on both sides, the shorter preparation time will likely lead to some rust and conservative play.

Additionally, with both defenses returning key players, I like a lower-scoring game, especially as seven of BYU’s last nine September games have gone under the total.

That said, Navy will likely want to run the ball and control the clock as much as possible, and the triple option is truly difficult to slow down, even with normal practice time.

It won’t be the Navy of last year without Perry, but Morris should be able to do enough to lead the Midshipmen to an opening week victory.

Score prediction: Navy 27 - BYU 17

Free Picks: Navy moneyline (+105), Under 51 

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Find Week 1 college football odds at BetAmerica!