BYU Football is less than three months away. Let’s take an early look at the season.
BYU Football had a great year in 2024. The Cougars finished with an 11-2 record (7-2 Big 12) and had a dominant home record of 5-1. BYU upset Kansas State 38-9 and dominated the Valero Alamo Bowl against the Colorado Buffaloes. Kicker Will Ferrin was a huge part of the wins, making key field goals, including one against rival Utah. BYU was a strong force in the Big 12, and after being expected to win 4.5 games, they won 11.
The Cougars are outside of the top 25 in ESPN’s SP+ rankings, but are expected to win 8-10 games. The Cougars are always ready, and the expectations are higher this year. The fans will want a win against Utah, no doubt. BYU has a steady pre-conference schedule, with Portland State and Stanford coming to Provo before the Cougars head to East Carolina.
The Cougars then open up Big 12 play on September 27th at Colorado. BYU dominated the Buffaloes in last year’s Alamo Bowl, despite being heavy underdogs. The Cougars welcome the West Virginia Mountaineers to Provo for the Big 12 home opener. The Cougars will then play at Arizona, at home against Utah, and then go on a two-game road trip to Iowa State and Texas Tech. The Cougs will host TCU, travel to Cincinnati, and end the season at home against UCF.
BYU has a good balance of easy and hard games. Of course, no result is guaranteed, but BYU has some strong pieces in all three phases. Returning running back LJ Martin is a key piece to the Cougars’ offense, especially as they try to establish the running game. On defense, Jack Kelly and Harrison Taggart are key pieces to the squad. Special teams has a couple of key pieces returning, with punter Sam Van der Hall and kicker Will Ferrin.
The biggest BYU games I am looking at are Utah and Iowa State. Utah is BYU’s biggest rival, and Iowa State finished above BYU in the tie-breakers last season. Both games will be close, and BYU needs to stay alert and not get lazy or overconfident. BYU has a long season ahead, and it will be exciting to see where it goes.
I see BYU winning 9-11 games this year. BYU can win and should have a fun season. The Cougars are ready to go, and it will be fun to see. The Cougars have potential and can only go up from here.
