Will No. 6 BYU get rolled at home?

BYU can relate to Iowa State, a team that was boat raced by a rapidly improving Kansas offense last week. The No. 6 Cougars will host these Jayhawks in LaVell Edwards Stadium late Saturday night.

Why?

A year ago, BYU lost five straight games to end the season for many of the same reasons Iowa State failed last week against Kansas: injuries on defense. Plays third and fourth string. Putting young players on the field who struggle to maintain the integrity of the position.

Kansas beat BYU last year 38-27 and just physically beat them.

Kansas beat Iowa State last week 45-36 with Jalon Daniels throwing for 295 yards and two TDs, Devin Neal rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and receiver Quentin Skinner gaining 135 yards and a TD on just four catches. It was a beatdown.

If there’s one glaring difference between the BYU-Kansas game this year compared to last year, it’s that BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill has nearly all of his defensive players healthy, oriented, experienced and playing at a high level, thus a win at nine game streak.

Kansas will be a real handful for the Cougars defense. No doubt Daniels’ ability to pass and run will be a challenge for Hill and Company as they have struggled all season with mobile QBs. Covering Neal and having gap control and edge integrity is imperative and keeping the ball off Skinner is a battle of its own.

A key for BYU is to do what it did on offense at UCF – keep Kansas’ offense at bay by allowing Aaron Roderick’s offense to maintain possession with long drives and punts.

“They’re really fit,” Roderick told reports last week. “They’re really good at what they do. A year ago they got after us really well. Their secondary is really good. They execute their stuff. They seem to have a new wrinkle every week for someone you’re not ready for. We’ll to see something on Saturday that we haven’t seen this year.”

Kansas coach Lance Leipold said every year the Big 12 has a team that seemingly comes out of nowhere and BYU is that team. “It’s like TCU did, Baylor, we had our moments and Iowa State and Colorado have too, but this year BYU is that story.”

Leipold said that after his team beat BYU last year, BYU’s staff obviously looked into what they needed to do to be better in the Big 12 and they addressed it with more physicality. He said it’s clear BYU is much more physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Saturday’s game will be decided by the defense — whichever one can make stops and get turnovers. Kansas gets more kicks, BYU leads the league in interceptions and special teams plays.

In Boulder, Colo., look for Utah to field a defense that will give Deion Sanders some trouble and you expect the Utes to hold down the Buffs’ short passing game. But with a struggling offense and a mountain of injuries to the quarterback corps, Utah will be hard-pressed to put up enough points to win this game.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham has had a draining week dating back to the emotional one-point loss at home to BYU and the loss of QB Brandon Rose and tight end Brant Kuithe.

“It’s tough and it’s a challenge for us, no doubt,” Whittingham said. “We poured everything we had into that game, obviously like we do every week. But that game takes a little bit more of an emotional toll. We’ve got to come back just like we do every Monday – win or lose – you come back and get ready for the next guys, you have to move on and put things behind you – win or lose.

“That’s our challenge right now is to regroup as a coaching staff, regroup as a football team and be ready to play the last three games. That’s just the nature of the game.”

This week’s predictions

• Texas 35, Arkansas 21
• Clemson 28, Pittsburgh 21
• Illinois 31, Michigan State 27
• California 28, Syracuse 24
• Hawaii 34, Utah State 28
• Penn State 38, Purdue 17
• Notre Dame 42, Virginia 31
• SMU 38, Boston College 28
• Louisville 37, Stanford 21
• LSU 34, Florida 31
• Oregon State 28, Air Force 21
• USC 27, Nebraska 24
• Colorado 21, Utah 14
• West Virginia 27, Baylor 24
• Kansas State 31, Arizona State 28
• Iowa State 34, Cincinnati 28
• Oregon 42, Wisconsin 24
• Georgia 28, Tennessee 24
• BYU 31, Kansas 27

Last week 12-6; overall 141-50 (.738)