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2009 BYU College Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

BYU 63009 While a 10-win season would have most programs throwing a parade, the BYU Cougars were unsatisfied with their 10-3 2008 campaign as they had their sights set on a Mountain West title and a BCS Bowl. Instead, in-state rival Utah did all that. Find out if it will be BYU’s turn in this 2009 NCAA football betting preview. BYU is listed at +20,000 to win the 2009 BCS Championship.

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Offense – The BYU Cougars offense is in good hands with quarterback Max Hall, who is 21-5 in two seasons as a starter. He passed for 3,957 yards and 35 touchdowns to help the Cougars rank No. 1 in the conference in yards per game with 444.8 (16th nationally). Their 310.4 yards per game through the air were good for sixth in the nation. The offense should be able to pile up yards and points again in 2009, but we could see a slight decline with four offensive lineman lost to graduation and without star wide receiver Austin Collie.

Left tackle Matt Reynolds returns to anchor the line and the coaches have a lot of confidence in the rest of the crew, but depth does appear to be an issue. Hall will still have a top notch target in tight end Dennis Pitta, who caught 83 passes for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns last season. The return of McKay Jacobson could give the Cougars a boost as well. He’s back from a church mission after hauling in 28 receptions as a freshman. The running back spot is in good hands with Harvey Unga back. He rushed for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Defense - The Cougars will boast a solid front seven once again, led by senior defensive end Jan Jorgensen and his 24 career sacks. While the linebacker unit loses David Nixon, it remains a force to be reckoned with. Matt Bauman leads the charge at middle linebacker following a 108 tackle season. Most fingers have been pointed at the secondary for BYU’s three losses last season as it appeared the defensive backfield lacked the speed to lock down the passing attacks of TCU, Utah and Arizona. It looks like defensive coordinator Jaime Hill will go to battle with corners Brandon Howard and Brandon Bradley and safeties Andrew Rich and Scott Johnson and hope for improvement.

Prediction: 3rd Mountain West Conference – Less is expected of BYU than it was last season and that should be to their benefit. But reaching the 10-win mark for a fourth straight season could be too much to ask with a stiffer schedule that includes matchups with Oklahoma and Florida State in the first three weeks of the season. The Cougars could give it a go though if they can pay back either TCU or Utah. Bet MWC Football at BetUS and get up to 145% in sign up bonuses!

Check out Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks daily this season!

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