The 2018 Idaho Potato Bowl will feature two programs that are expected to start freshman quarterbacks in their final game of the season. At BYU, Zach Wilson will likely start after leading the Cougars to a 3-3 finish after taking over for senior Tanner Mangum. Meanwhile, Western Michigan will turn to Kaleb Eleby to lead the Broncos in their fourth bowl game in the past five years. Kickoff from Albertsons Stadium is set for 4 p.m. ET on Friday. BYU opened as an 11-point favorite, but the line has risen to 12. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas expects to be scored, has climbed to 51.5 in the latest BYU vs. Western Michigan odds after opening at 48. Before you make any BYU vs. Western Michigan picks for the 2018 Idaho Potato Bowl, you'll want to check out what SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh has to say. 

The renowned co-founder of AccuScore enters bowl season on an impressive 16-9 run on his college football picks, and he has had an especially keen eye for the tendencies of BYU. In fact, he's on an impressive 6-1 run on college football against-the-spread picks involving the Cougars. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now he has evaluated the latest 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl odds and crunched the numbers for every possible scenario for Western Michigan vs. BYU. You can only see his Idaho Potato Bowl picks over at SportsLine.

Oh knows Western Michigan features an explosive offense that can rack up yards and points in a hurry. The Broncos ranked third in the MAC in total yards per game (447.2) and finished the season averaging over 200 rushing yards per contest.

The Broncos are led by All-MAC First-Team running back LeVante Bellamy, who ran the ball 190 times this season for 1,172 yards and seven total touchdowns. Bellamy and the Broncos will be eager to face a BYU defense that was gashed for 162 rushing yards and three touchdowns in its last outing against Utah. 

And Western Michigan has been able to keep pace with high-powered teams all season. The Broncos have only lost by more than 12 three times this season, staying within a point of Ball State and a touchdown of Syracuse in their other losses.

But just because Western Michigan features an explosive offense doesn't mean it can stay within the Potato Bowl spread.

BYU knows what it takes to be successful in a bowl game. The Cougars have appeared in postseason play 13 times in the last 14 years and are 5-3 in their last eight bowl games. And they enter the Idaho Potato Bowl 2018 with one of the nation's stingiest defenses. In fact, the Cougars have held opponents to 21 points or fewer in four of their last five games.

The defense is led senior linebacker Sione Takitaki, who has recorded 99 total tackles this season, which includes double-digit takedowns in four of his last five outings. Brigham Young has covered four straight, beating the spread against Utah, New Mexico State, Massachusetts, and Boise State. They're 7-4 against the spread versus FBS teams this season.

Oh has analyzed this matchup from every possible angle and while we can tell you he's leaning over, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.

So, who wins BYU vs. Western Michigan? And what crucial x-factor causes one side of the spread to hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump all over at the 2018 Idaho Potato Bowl, all from the data scientist who has nailed six of his past seven picks involving the Cougars, and find out.