BYU vs. Wyoming prediction, Poinsettia Bowl pick, odds, line, watch live stream
How to watch the Poinsettia bowl: Game storylines, spread, time, date, TV channel
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2 min read
BYU is in the postseason for the 12th straight season, but the Poinsettia Bowl experience will be the first for the Cougars under first-year head coach Kalani Sitake. Wyoming, on the other hand, is in the postseason for the first time since 2011 after winning the Mountain West Mountain division and going 8-5 in its third-year with former North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl on the sideline.
Viewing information
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Qualcomm Stadium -- San Diego, California
TV: ESPN
Live streams: WatchESPN / WatchESPN apps
Storylines
BYU: Taysom Hill has been the quarterback for the Cougars for approximately 12 years, and in most of his tenure, he's been battling injury. The good news for BYU is that even if he can't go against Wyoming there's a proven option in Tanner Mangum to back him up. Hill has been a fighter and a tremendous talent to watch during his career, so it would be great to see him play and finish his career with a bowl win, but Mangum still has a bright future ahead and this Wyoming defense is very friendly to opposing offenses.
Wyoming: The 2016 season was a breakout for Bohl's tenure, topping its win total from the previous two years combined and snatching a victory from San Diego State in thrilling fashion during the regular season. Bohl earned Mountain West Coach of the Year honors for the season, and now this is a chance to get the program's first bowl victory since 2009. As the Mountain West continues to evolve in this post-realignment era, Wyoming has a chance to become one of the league's annual contenders.
Players to watch
Jamaal Williams: Williams provides the stability in the backfield that has allowed BYU's quarterbacks to thrive and earlier this season he became the school's all-time leading rusher. The senior back was banged up a bit this season -- which led to the emergence of linebacker/edge rusher Harvey Langi as a rushing threat out of necessity -- and missed all or parts of five games, but still finished the regular season with 1,165 rushing yards. It's his final game in a BYU uniform, and with NFL eyes on the bowl games expect him to be a talking point when he eventually breaks loose for a long touchdown run.
Brian Hill: Hill has powered the Wyoming offense, turning in back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and currently ranking fourth nationally in rushing yards (1,767) and touchdowns (21). BYU's defense presents a step up in competition than what Hill faced on the average Saturday in the Mountain West, and if Wyoming is going to beat BYU for the first time since 2003 (they've lost of 10 of their last 11 against the Cougars) Hill will need to be a superstar.
Prediction
BYU has a talent advantage here and finished the season with nothing but against-the-spread wins (and one push) since the start of October. So why, then, would anyone pick Wyoming to cover this spread? Well, interested reader, because while Wyoming was erratic at times this season and turned in a few head-scratching performances as a favorite the Cowboys played well as an underdog, covering the spread 86 percent of the time. Pick: Cowboys +8.5
