BYU is just 1-3 straight up and 0-4 against the spread over its last four bowl games, but Western Michigan isn't any better, going just 1-4 both SU and ATS over its last five bowl appearances.

So it's two teams searching for bowl success hooking up in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Friday afternoon in Boise.

College football point spread: The Cougars opened as 12.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 29.8-27.6 Cougars (College football picks on every game)

Why the Western Michigan Broncos can cover the spread

The Broncos started 0-2 this season with losses to Syracuse and Michigan, and they then won six games in a row.

WMU then lost its starting quarterback for the season to injury and lost three straight but ended its regular season on a high note, a 28-21 upset of MAC West champion Northern Illinois, to finish 5-3 in MAC play.

So the Broncos are back in a bowl after missing out last season.

Western Michigan outgained the Huskies in that season finale 379-262, winning outright as 6.5-point dogs. So the Broncos outgained eight of their last 10 opponents and outrushed six of their last 10 foes.

Western Michigan is 1-3 since freshman Kaleb Eleby took over for injured starter Jon Wassink at quarterback, but he's actually performed admirably, completing 65 percent of his throws with four touchdowns against two interceptions, plus two touchdowns rushing.

Why the BYU Cougars can cover the spread

The Cougars started 3-1 this season, with wins at Power 5 opponents Arizona and Wisconsin. BYU then struggled through a 1-4 stretch but regained balance with back-to-back wins, before finishing with a tough 35-27 loss at rival Utah.

Nonetheless, the Cougars are also back in a bowl after missing out last season.

Brigham Young actually led the Utes in that season finale 27-7 in the third quarter but gave up the last 28 points of the game to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Cougars outgained each of their last six opponents and outrushed four of their last six foes, going 5-1 ATS in the process. BYU is also 3-3 SU and 5-1 ATS since inserting freshman Zach Wilson as the starter at quarterback.

Smart betting pick

The Broncos struggled after losing their starting quarterback, especially—for whatever reasons—on defense.

The Cougars, meanwhile, own the better stop unit, and that goes a long way toward winning and covering these bowl matchups. However, the spread on this game seems inflated.

BYU should still win this bowl outright, but smart money takes Western Michigan and the points.

College football betting trends

The total has gone under in four of BYU's last five games.

BYU is 15-0 SU in its last 15 games as a double-digit favorite.

BYU is 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS in its last four games in the playoffs.

All college football odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.