Vegas Play of the Day: BYU at Central Florida

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014 | 2 a.m.

My slide in the South Point-lined Play of the Day is about to cross a milestone.

A couple more losses and I’ll fall back below our starting bankroll of $10,000. That can’t happen.

BYU plus-3 at UCF: $330 to win $300

The Cougars lost their quarterback and their undefeated record last week. With a season-ending ankle injury to Taysom Hill and a 35-20 home loss to in-state rival Utah State, even some of BYU’s own fans are writing off the season.

I’m not so sure. BYU has failed to cover three games in a row, but that’s mainly because the attention devoted to the Cougars as a potential “bracket buster” inflated their value.

That pressure is off now, as no one is expecting much of anything with senior quarterback Christian Stewart taking over the reins. And it’s not like Hill, a darkhorse Heisman candidate before getting hurt, was the only reason excitement was building in Provo, Utah.

The defense also looked formidable and still has allowed only a respectable 4.9 yards per play on the season, despite last week’s fiasco against Utah State.

In 10 seasons under coach Bronco Mendenhall, BYU has only endured one stretch of not covering four games in a row. Central Florida is no easy task.

The Knights have a defense that can keep them in games and an offense that’s developing quickly. George O’Leary is one of the nation’s most underrated coaches.

But his team this year isn’t the type that you feel comfortable giving points against a strong opponent, regardless of where the game is played. BYU should recover and salvage a season some have declared lost.

Standings: Standings: Bern (47-42-1, $11,091), Keefer (44-47, $10,431), Brewer (41-48-3, $5,305)

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.