BYU Cougars 2016 NCAA Football Preview

BYU COUGARS

Independent

2015 Record – 9-4

ATS – 8-5

2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank

Independent #2

2015 Recap

That was a pretty crazy ride. BYU lost starting QB Taysom Hill in week one and freshman Tanner Mangum took over and led them to a 9-win season. The first three games were very exciting to say the least with a late miracle win vs Nebraska, followed by a win vs Boise St and a one point loss to UCLA. For the most part they played really good football the rest of the way, of course with one exception, the inexplicable comedy of errors in the Las Vegas Bowl which put them down 35-0 before people got comfy in their seats. Full marks for getting back to 35-28. Long-time HC Bronco Mendenhall left for Virginia so now it is up to Kalani Sitake to carry on the tradition of winning football games.

OFFENSE

QB Taysom Hill is one of our favorite players to watch. A really talented dual-threat QB who can do everything on the field. Of course, the problem is that he has had trouble staying healthy. If he can do that this season we expect big numbers. The good news is that BYU has a star in the making in sophomore QB Tanner Mangum to provide depth. Wow. This should be a fun competition during August camp. It sounds like both guys get along really well and that there is nothing set in stone in terms of who the starter will be come September 3rd. The odds are it will be Hill.

Ty Detmer is the new OC and he promises to slow the tempo down and introduce more of a traditional pro style attack. The offensive line needs to be a lot better this season and things are looking up. They return 4 starters to the unit and they have some nice size. We cannot just assume great things since they only rushed for 128 yards per game last season and gave up 34 sacks, but we are definitely optimistic they will be more balanced on offense. Jamaal Williams and Algernon Brown provide a nice 1-2 punch in the backfield.

BYU loses their top two receivers from 2015 including the reliable Mitch Matthews. Senior WR Nick Kurtz is back but hopefully the Cougars can find a really dangerous deep threat to keep the defense honest.

DEFENSE

The Cougars’ defense was pretty good last season. BYU did most of the good work against the weaker teams on the schedule, but the numbers do not lie, as they ranked 23rd in total defense, 34th against the run while piling up 40 (!) sacks. The sack total placed them 6th in the FBS.

BYU loses star Bronson Kaufusi to the NFL (injured in Ravens camp – OFY) and he accounted for 11 sacks all by himself last season. Thankfully, eight starters return this year on defense and we really like the talent on board. They are moving to a 4-3 alignment and need to do a bit better against the run but they are not going to give up yards easily. Overall, we expect a similar defensive performance to the 2015 unit but do not expect them to tally 40 sacks.

SPECIAL TEAMS

We are not crazy about this group on paper. Punter Jonny Linehan did a decent job last season but the Cougars will be going with a freshman PK this season and need to do better in the return game.

MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 8.0

MEGALOCKS says:

This is a good refresher of what we are trying to communicate with the ATS Value Rating. Yes, the schedule is very difficult, particularly the first eight games, but we are interested in how a team is perceived and if we can find value against the point spread. We see a team loaded at QB with an improved running game and very good defense.

Overall, we give the COUGARS an 8.0 ATS Value Rating (Very Good) this season. We feel that BYU may be overlooked. They have the talent to beat any team on their schedule. The concern is that those first eight games in totality may at some point wear them down because there is really no breather until the October 29th off week. Maybe the Toledo game is an easy one, but other than that, it is definitely going to be a tough docket to navigate. We like the direction the offense is going and it will hopefully keep Taysom Hill in one piece. Do not be afraid of backing this squad ATS as they look to be a tough out every week.

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Website

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Forum

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News

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu/

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