Wyoming vs Arizona State Betting Predictions: Can the Cowboys Upset the Sun Devils?

Wyoming Cowboys (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS)

The Wyoming Cowboys come to Tempe for a season-opening showdown with the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday. Both teams enter 2024, with “change” being the operative word. For longtime Pac-12 inhabitants ASU, they now join the Big Ten, as their season is about to look very different than what they’re used to doing, both in opponent and locale. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are still in the Mountain West but now make a go of it without their longtime coach Craig Bohl, as Jay Sawvel comes in as head coach. Which team can get 2024 off to a fast start?

Opposite Trajectories

Say what you will about these teams traditionally, but over the last two seasons, it’s been Wyoming putting the better product on the field. Bohl will be missed, with some of his better seasons coming at the end of his tenure, including last season’s nine wins and a win in the Arizona Bowl, showing they can win in this state. They’ve been a better program overall, scoring some big wins in the MWC and generally being pretty respectable.

Arizona State, however, has hit some hard times. Starting early in 2022 with the departure of Herm Edwards, they have now put forth consecutive 3-9 seasons. Head coach Kenny Dillingham is back for his second season, and they’re hoping for better while not being put in the cushiest of spots, even this non-conference home-opener being a demanding contest for the sagging Sun Devils.

Tough Spot for ASU?

Any team with two straight 3-9 seasons is going to be in a slew of “tough” spots. But Wyoming can be a particularly untidy opponent to face in week one. The Cowboys are very physical, and when watching them, it’s fair to say that they “play ugly.” They’re very physical. On defense, they have a lot of strange plays with extravagant blitz packages that have a way of quelling offenses you may have thought were superior. We saw this all season in ’23 and even against an offensive juggernaut like Texas, where the Cowboys had that passing-game in knots all day. And we generally see them travel very well, with two straight Arizona Bowl appearances speaking to their familiarity with this region.

If you liked what Wyoming has been the last few seasons, the retirement of their longtime coach could be a cause for some concern. But they made their defensive coordinator the head coach, Bohl’s son was named new DC. They have a new offensive coordinator and maybe that leads to some new wrinkles on offense, but even when they had Josh Allen, high-wire offense is never the name of the game in Laramie. Also adding to the continuity that exists despite Bohl retiring is the return of a large number of former starters and top contributors from last year’s squad.

What ASU Will Try to Do

Again, this comes down to whether Wyoming can succeed in making this ugly. Arizona State needs to counter with superior talent. Offensively, they have options. That offensive line might have been dogmeat last season in terms of pass protection, but they were quite adept at springing the run, something they should be building upon this season. Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt, who comes over from Michigan State, will have some talent with which to work with, and it doesn’t hurt that the Wyoming secondary is the one area of the team without a lot of returning studs. And just from an urgency standpoint, I’d expect Dillingham and Leavitt to push hard to get this season off to a fast start, as a home loss to Wyoming would just resonate badly for a team moving into a new conference schedule in the Big Ten.

It’s just a very tough entrance exam for this 2024 ASU team and Sam Leavitt also. Wyoming just doesn’t allow big passing games on any kind of regular basis, far more often being able to quell vital opposing aerial attacks. ASU fans will be using this as a first peek for Leavitt, and it might not be the fairest time to do an assessment against this Wyoming defense.

X-Factors

I’d expect a supportive ASU crowd in week one, pumped up to get behind their team. The Sun Devils can sometimes wield a homefield advantage early in the season when heat is still a factor and it looks like it most certainly will be with temperatures expected to be well over 100 through the week in Tempe. ASU players are more-acclimated to the scorching heat that has been baking Tempe all summer. Could we see a situation where Wyoming gets a little too depleted to properly execute its draining and taxing strategy of using physicality to make the game ugly? And as we get into game-week, we see ASU dealing with some injuries up-front on defense, meaning they might not cope with this good Wyoming O-line like they’d need to in order to feel great about them in this role.

Take the Points

One has to have a little faith that Wyoming can keep moving forward now without their longtime leader. I just think enough continuity exists overall for the Cowboys to enough of an extent to make them a decent replica of last year’s squad. Arizona State has talent edges across certain areas that could manifest. They might just have too much talent for Wyoming, but maybe Leavitt and Billingham can find a way to let that rise to the top. I just sense that this is going to be a grind either way, where having a nice chunk of points will feel good at the end of the game. I’m taking Wyoming.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:

I’m betting on the Wyoming Cowboys plus 6.5 points.

Bet your Week 1 NCAA football predictions for FREE by scoring a massive 100% real cash bonus on your first deposit of $75 to $300 when you use bonus code PREDICT100 at MyBookie Sportsbook!