![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
sjmerc_local_feedThe season is already one month old. Every team in the Big 12 — well, every team but one — has experienced a matchup that either resonated nationally or played out during a standalone TV time slot to remind fans of its existence. Some have had two such experiences.
Iowa State, for example, played the Ireland game against Kansas State and had a Week 2 showdown with Iowa. TCU took on the fightin’ Belichicks of North Carolina on a Monday night. UCF did the same, except on a Saturday. Arizona State played a thriller at Mississippi State and another at Baylor. Baylor also played Auburn. Utah and Texas Tech received the ‘Big Noon’ treatment last weekend. Even Houston grabbed some of the spotlight, courtesy of a Friday night date with Colorado.
The only Big 12 team that has been completely off the radar — not gone but partially forgotten — is about to have its chance.
Brigham Young is entering the chat, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to 2025, Cougars.
We say that with a morsel of sarcasm because the Cougars are, after all, undefeated. But their journey to 3-0 has unfolded entirely in the shadows, courtesy of a pillowy soft non-conference schedule, cluttered TV windows, a Week 3 bye and no conference games.
To be clear, the situation isn’t entirely BYU’s fault. The Cougars had no idea Stanford would be one of the worst teams in the Power Four (and led by an interim coach) when the schools tweaked their contract and moved a matchup to this fall from its original date in 2031.
But the reality is this: We have no idea if the Cougars are decent, above-average or elite because they have faced three substandard opponents in Stanford, East Carolina and Portland State.
All of which makes Saturday’s date with Colorado doubly intriguing. It’s effectively BYU’s season opener, the first time the Cougars will face an opponent with remotely comparable talent.
Granted, the Buffaloes aren’t nearly what they were with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but they present a next-level challenge for the Cougars compared to the cupcakes on their platter in previous weeks.
And the college football world will be watching.
Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. (Pacific) on ESPN. It’s the so-called #AfterDark window that has limited competition for eyeballs and typically draws more than 1 million viewers. With Colorado involved, the audience could approach 2 million.
This is a perfect bridge game for the Cougars, more challenging than their three prior assignments but not nearly as daunting as what comes later in the season. Colorado already has two losses, to Georgia Tech (home) and Houston (road) and is, per usual, flawed on the lines of scrimmage.
Las Vegas likes the Cougars. Oddsmakers installed them as 4-point favorites, and the line has subsequently climbed for 6.5 points. If Colorado wins, it would be considered an upset.
The Hotline’s interest is less about the particulars of Saturday night and more about the long game: how the Cougars perform relative to the standard required to compete for the conference championship.
Because this is one step — one tiny step — on the road to AT&T Stadium. BYU discovered first-hand in 2024 just how many things must break right over multiple months.
With that in mind, we wonder:
— Freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier is plenty capable of making the big plays, with his arm and feet, that BYU needs to navigate the Big 12 gauntlet. But will he avoid the big mistakes that turn apparent victories into gut-punch losses?
To this point, opponents have limited film on Bachmeier and BYU’s offense. But as the weeks pass, tendencies will surface, and opposing defensive coordinators will craft their game plans to make Bachmeier as uncomfortable as possible.
How will he adjust to the adjustments? October and November have swallowed whole many a promising young quarterback.
— The Cougars are tied with Ohio State for the fewest points allowed in the FBS (5.3 per game). They are second in fewest rushing yards allowed (44.3 per game), and they top the nation in fewest yards-per-play allowed (3.5), which is perhaps the best indicator of dominance.
But again, they haven’t faced an opponent comparable to even an average offense in the Big 12.
Is coordinator Jay Hill’s unit as stout as it was last year?
The conference is stocked with veteran quarterbacks who can deliver the ball accurately from the pocket. BYU’s pass defense was superb in 2024, allowing a meager 6.1 yards per attempt. That level of proficiency is required once again.
— The connective tissue that defined BYU’s success last season? Fortune.
Some of it was earned through opportunism and preparation. Some of it was heaped upon the Cougars by the football gods. But week after week, they were on the right side of the bounces.
Like injuries, luck tends to revert to the mean in college football. Will the Cougars have the moxie to make their own fortune when the opportunities arise? Will they benefit from fourth-quarter plot twists beyond their control?
In a conference as stocked with parity as the Big 12, the difference between 10-2 and 6-6 is a handful of plays that unfold on the margins.
Far tougher tests await next month. The Cougars face Arizona, Utah and No. 14 Iowa State on consecutive Saturdays, then must deal with No. 12 Texas Tech and No. 24 TCU in back-to-back fashion in the first half of November.
But the answers will begin to reveal themselves this week against an opponent BYU must beat in order to contend for the conference title.
Finally, the Cougars are joining the fray.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline
