2015 Bowl Games: Picking all 41 college bowls and championship game against the spread

Oct 3, 2014; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Bronco Mendenhall enters the field prior to the game against the Utah State Aggies at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Utah State won 35-20. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs. Utah
Las Vegas | Sam Boyd Stadium
Dec. 19, 3:30 p.m. on ABC

This game between in-state rivals could end up being one of the better bowl games this year. There’s no love lost between the two schools, and the idea of some of these nice, clean-cut kids being exposed to Vegas for a weekend adds to the intrigue.

Halfway through the season it looked like Utah might be able to run away with the Pac-12, but injuries and some suspect line play caught up with them. BYU was once again robbed of seeing starting QB Taysom Hill do some real damage in the meat of the schedule thanks to another season-ending injury. Now with losing head coach Bronco Mendenhall makes this a very important bowl game for the Cougars.

Both the Utes and Cougars finished 31st in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 21.8 points per game. Offensively, a slight edge goes to BYU who put up 34.2 points per game against Utah’s 30.3 points. Either way, this is about as evenly matched a bowl game as you’ll find.

Line: Utah, -2.5

With Mendenhall staying on to coach the Cougars in the bowl game, it will be an emotional one for BYU. They’ll win this by at least three points. Take BYU in the upset.

Next: Camellia Bowl