A quarter of the teams on BYU football’s 2022 schedule are starting the season ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Three of those teams are in the top 15 — Notre Dame at No. 5, Baylor at No. 11, and Oregon at No. 11 — while Arkansas sits just inside the top 20 at No. 19.
It sets up the Cougars for a couple of things: 1) the potential to have a breakout season in their final year of independence, and 2) the chance to play spoiler for other teams’ playoff hopes.
That’s why 247 Sports’ Brad Crawford identified BYU as one of nine teams who could cause chaos in the national title race this season.
“This is quite a home schedule for the Cougars, who welcome nationally ranked Baylor and Arkansas to Provo, and should be double-digit favorites in their other four contests at LaVell Edwards Stadium,” Crawford wrote.
BYU’s home opener is Sept. 10 against Baylor, followed by a road trip to Oregon the next weekend.
The Cougars then go back-to-back with Notre Dame (Oct. 8 in Las Vegas) and Arkansas (Oct. 15 in Provo) later in the year.
Crawford isn’t the only national writer who believes BYU could impact the national title chase — CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli also wrote about that earlier this month.
Crawford, like Fornelli, also believes the Cougars’ chances of turning their difficult schedule into a spot in a prestigious postseason spot are a long shot.
“BYU has a clear-cut path to the playoff, but getting there will be treacherous and would take a Heisman-caliber season out of quarterback Jaren Hall. It’s not impossible, but unlikely given the quality of competition,” Crawford wrote.
Arkansas is also on Crawford’s list as a potential spoiler this season.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 9-4 season capped by a New Year’s Day bowl win, and they had a handful of close losses against the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss last year. Plus, quarterback KJ Jefferson returns after a breakout season.
“Beating the drum for Arkansas as a possible title contender in the SEC wasn’t en vogue coming out of spring, but it feels like any chance the Razorbacks had of flying under the radar entering the 2022 season is now over,” Crawford wrote.
“... If quarterback KJ Jefferson takes his game to an even higher level, Arkansas could be a factor in the playoff race coming down the stretch or will at least go down swinging.”
Particularly if Notre Dame and Arkansas go into October with no losses — or even just one loss on their resume — it could open the door for BYU to spoil their championship aspirations.
“BYU could cause chaos for one of these contenders, especially Notre Dame should the Fighting Irish come into the Oct. 8 matchup with a loss to Ohio State already,” Crawford wrote.