BYU quarterback Jaren Hall (3) looks to pass against Boise State in an NCAA football game, Nov. 5, 2022, in Boise, Idaho.
BYU quarterback Jaren Hall (3) looks to throw the ball against Boise State in the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. BYU won 31-28, a victory that elevated the Cougars’ bowl hopes by snapping a four-game losing streak. Steve Conner, Associated Press
Brandon Judd
By Brandon Judd

Since BYU’s independence era began in 2011, the Cougars have only faced a Power Five opponent twice in a bowl.

Both of those P5 matchups, both losses, came against Pac-12 teams: against Utah in the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl, and Washington in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl.

After BYU’s surprising win over Boise State last week, the Cougars moved to .500 on the season and within one victory of bowl eligibility, with FCS opponent Utah Tech next on the schedule after a bye this week. 

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Could BYU face a Power Five program this year in the postseason in the Cougars’ final year before joining the Big 12 Conference?

The latest bowl projections after Week 10 open that possibility, as three national experts voted for BYU to take on a P5 team.

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy and USA Today’s Erick Smith both predicted that BYU will play future Big 12 compatriot Iowa State in a bowl.

The destination, though, is different — McMurphy predicted their matchup in the Birmingham Bowl, while Smith has them meeting in the First Responder Bowl.

The Cyclones are 4-5 on the season, including 1-5 in conference play. Iowa State snapped a five-game losing streak with a win over West Virginia last week, and the Cyclones still have games against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and TCU on their schedule.

Perhaps a more interesting projected matchup for BYU came from College Football News, which has the Cougars playing Florida State in the Gasparilla Bowl — this comes one week after CFN had BYU outside the bowl picture.

The Seminoles are 6-3 this season, 4-3 in ACC play and are coming off a dominant win over Miami. 

All three of Florida State’s losses came against Top 25 teams — two were one-score losses — and the Seminoles beat LSU, which just beat Alabama.

Here’s a look at where several national publications predict Utah, BYU and Utah State will play in the postseason following the season’s Week 10.

*-indicates same projection as last week.

Bowl projections for Utah football after Week 10

Utah (7-2) kept marching along last week with its third straight win, easily beating Arizona.

With games against sub-.500 Stanford and Colorado still on the schedule, the Utes have a good chance of winning double-digit games this year.

The Utes’ bowl destination and chance to defend their Pac-12 championship will come down to Utah’s game at league-leading Oregon on Nov. 19.

Win, and the Utes’ conference title hopes and bowl prospects increase exponentially.

Lose, and Utah is likely headed to the Holiday Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl.

For now, the majority of Utah’s bowl projections revolve around the Holiday Bowl, with Notre Dame a popular opponent choice. 

Bowl projections for BYU football after Week 10

BYU’s much-needed victory over Boise State stopped a four-game losing streak and now has the Cougars (5-5) in strong position to become bowl eligible in the home finale against Utah Tech on Nov. 19.

That will be followed by BYU’s game at Stanford, the last-place team in the Pac-12 Conference standings, and gives the Cougars the chance to build some momentum heading into bowl season.

ESPN will determine where BYU goes bowling this year with one of its tie-ins, which leaves determining where the Cougars are headed a bit of a crapshoot right now.

Even so, there are some possible destinations and foes emerging: this week, the New Mexico Bowl (against a Mountain West opponent) was a popular choice. 

Two of those projections featured BYU facing Air Force — the two teams haven’t played since they were old MWC foes before the Cougars left for independence.

Bowl projections for Utah State football after Week 10

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When Utah State started the year 1-4, becoming bowl eligible appeared unlikely.

Now the Aggies (4-5) have won three of their past four, including beating New Mexico last week, and USU has given itself a chance to become bowl eligible.

The next task is facing 2-8 Hawaii, a program that’s lost five of six. 

If the Aggies come out of that game with a .500 record, it will come down to whether Utah State can beat either San Jose State (at home) or Boise State (on the road), two of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference this season.

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