It’s no secret BYU President Shane Reese is a big nerd about football statistics. He literally worked as an analytics consultant for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

This fall, the Cougars piqued his enchantment with numbers over and over again, he said Tuesday during the opening campus devotional of the winter semester.

The team was the underdog in four of its first eight games but won them all. “BYU became only the second college football team to defy such steep odds since 1990, a year that is well before most of you were born,” he said.

In two of those games, they trailed with less than a minute to go. Statistical models for win probability gave them less than a 0.5% chance to pull out a victory. “In fact, in one of those games,” Reese said, “very, very late in the game, the chance that BYU would lose was 99.9%.”

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See the 2025 winter semester devotional speakers for BYU, BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii, Ensign College

Reese then referenced a famous quip by a character in the movie “Dumb and Dumber”: “Watching those last-minute victories from the sidelines, I felt like quoting Lloyd Christmas: ‘So you’re telling me there’s a chance!’”

His devotional message was that the Lord loves the impossible, and he wasn’t talking about football.

“God’s grace goes beyond improbable victories. God wins impossible ones,” Reese said before an audience of 8,673 students, staff and faculty at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

Three BYU presidents and their wives were scheduled to deliver talks on their campuses today in Utah, Idaho and Hawaii. Each put the devotion in devotional.

BYU President Shane Reese

Reese noted that he was speaking at the start of the New Year that marks the 150th anniversary of BYU’s launch. He told stories about moments when the school teetered on the brink of closure, like when its only building burned down and when the stock market collapsed in the Great Depression.

BYU students listen to President Shane Reese and Sister Wendy Reese at the first devotional of the winter semester at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Jan. 14, 2025.
BYU students listen to President Shane Reese and Sister Wendy Reese at the first devotional of the winter semester at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Jan. 14, 2025. | Rebeca Fuentes, BYU

“Our institutional challenges look different today, but the solution will be the same — an unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in his church and chosen servants,” he said. “It is through this faith that we will become the Christ-centered, prophetically directed university of prophecy.”

He also used his own example as a student trying to get into the Texas A&M graduate program for statistics. He knew he’d done well on the math portion of the GRE, but was less certain about the verbal section. Then the school’s graduate coordinator called to ask whether English was his native language, because he’d scored lower than all the foreign applicants.

“The school thankfully admitted me, despite my English score, and my ability to stand here today and string together coherent sentences is evidence that the Lord strengthens even the weakest,” he said to laughter.

Reese issued a call to action.

“I plead with you to take time today, during this devotional, or later tonight as you pray, or perhaps in the House of the Lord, to think of specific ways you will be a miracle to someone around you this semester,” he said.

He counseled the members of the campus community to think beyond themselves when things don’t seem to be going their way.

“Futures were saved (last) semester by fellow students, peer mentors, staff and faculty who went out of their way to help someone struggling,” he said.

He suggested taking inspiration from Jesus Christ.

“Born to humble circumstances in an obscure town, He held no property, no governmental title and no scholarly distinction. He wrote no books and produced no art,” Reese said. “And yet today, people around the globe reverence his birthplace and houses of worship the world over bear his name. Governments mark their calendars by his life. No other person has been the subject of more books, more art and more scholarship. Why? Because Jesus Christ chose to be the single greatest miracle in each of our lives. May we go and do likewise in our own small sphere.”

BYU-Idaho President Alvin Meredith

President Meredith devoted his entire talk to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and called it, like other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “the single-most important event in the history of the world.”

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ lies at the very heart of all that we believe, it is foundational to everything that we hold true as members of the (church),” said Elder Meredith, who is also a General Authority Seventy of the church.

“I am deeply grateful for the peace and purity that comes, in this life, from being cleansed and made whole through Christ,” he said at the I Center on the campus in Rexburg, Idaho. “If there are any here today who feel that they have strayed too far or slipped too many times, I testify to you that the Atonement of Christ is infinite in both its reach and power.”

“I also want to emphasize,” he added, “that the Atonement of Christ blesses us not only when we falter, but it also enables and strengthens us in our times of need.”

BYU-Hawaii President John Kauwe

President Kauwe spoke about the ways BYU-Hawaii students and employees consecrated their lives to Jesus Christ and how they benefit from consecration practiced by other Latter-day Saints worldwide. Today, consecration means committing to make God the priority in one’s life.

“When we choose to attend or work at BYU–Hawaii, we make additional commitments, commitments to consecrate our actions here to fully exemplify the Honor Code and its principles and strive to fulfill the mission of the university. These commitments protect us individually and collectively, prepare us for a successful future and strengthen the university in meaningful ways,” said Elder Kauwe, who also serves as an Area Seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Elder Kauwe also talked about the resources students enjoy at the school because of others’ efforts. The church provides $1 billion each year to help finance the operations of the three BYUs and Ensign College.

Brigham Young University–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III, center, interacts with students after a campus devotional on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Brigham Young University–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III, center, interacts with students after a campus devotional on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. | Brigham Young University–Hawaii

“Each day that I have the blessing to spend on this campus I am in awe of the resources the Lord provides for his work here,” he said at the Cannon Center in Laie, Hawaii. “BYU–Hawaii is an amazing university, with incredible resources to support our students financially, spiritually, academically and socially.

“All of this is possible because Latter-day Saints are making and keeping covenants with God, practicing consecration today. So many of you show your gratitude to God and your fellow Latter-day Saints with your dedication to your covenants and commitments, and to your spiritual and academic growth. You know that living this way brings you great joy and success.”

Sister Wendy Reese

Sister Reese spoke about connections and said that creating a strong bond with Jesus Christ will strengthen a person’s connections to others.

She counseled students to find ways to connect with others that work naturally for them.

Sister Wendy Reese speaks during the first BYU campus devotional of winter semester at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Jan. 14, 2025.
Sister Wendy Reese speaks during the first BYU campus devotional of winter semester at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Jan. 14, 2025. | Rebeca Fuentes, BYU

“It might look like sharing your favorite BYU ice cream with your roommates, asking a professor about job opportunities, going to a devotional with your Univ 101 class, hiking the Y with your roommates, asking someone on a date, showing someone you love them by serving them, being a better listener, showing respect, opening a door for someone, being civil, calling people by name, smiling, waving, inviting, including, welcoming, encouraging, giving people the benefit of the doubt, saying please and thank you, forgiving, finding common ground, having others’ best interest at heart and finding joy in others’ accomplishments,” she said.

Sister Jennifer Meredith

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Sister Meredith asked BYU-Idaho students to rededicate their lives to Jesus Christ, one of the invitations President Russell M. Nelson issued in his talk at the October general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. President Nelson became the church’s president and prophet seven years ago today.

“Please, prayerfully and intentionally consider what you might do to accept this prophetic invitation,” Sister Meredith said. “Setting one goal that helps you rededicate yourself to Jesus Christ may be the most important goal you set for yourself this year. What will the Spirit prompt you to do?”

Sister Monica Kauwe

Sister Kauwe asked BYU-Hawaii students to focus on what matters most. She does this by asking herself, “Does this help me become a better disciple of Jesus Christ?”

Sister Monica Kauwe, wife of Brigham Young University–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III, speaks at a campus devotional on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Sister Monica Kauwe, wife of Brigham Young University–Hawaii President John S.K. Kauwe III, speaks at a campus devotional on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. | Brigham Young University–Hawaii

“It’s about identifying what aligns with the Savior’s teachings and brings me closer to him,” she said. “When deciding how to spend my time, I ask: Will this help me grow in faith, serve others or develop Christlike qualities? Evaluating choices through this lens brings peace, and when I’m stretched too thin, focusing on Christ’s priorities — loving God and loving others — helps me know what to prioritize.”

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