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Who knows how long undefeated and ranked will last, but for No. 17 BYU at 5-0, the story has been a shocking display of impressive football for head coach Kalani Sitake, his staff and players heading into a bye week.
The Cougars were once given a 1% chance of getting a 5-0 record and oddsmakers predicted that BYU would have 4.7 wins this season. Now Super West Sports gives BYU a 99.9% chance of making a bowl game, and national pundit Clay Travis has BYU listed in his College Playoff Top 12 with Alabama No. 1, Ohio State No. 2, Miami No. 3 and BYU No. 4, ahead of No. 5 Texas.
ESPN’s strength of record ranks Alabama No. 1 and BYU No. 2 ahead of Georgia and Tennessee.
This is light years from where many folks projected BYU to be this season. Big 12 media members had the Cougars finishing 13th, just ahead of Cincinnati, Houston and ASU. I had BYU winning six games and making it to a bowl. A more accurate look (KFord Ratings) now has the Cougars with eight wins with a possibility of winning nine.
Cougar Insider predictions
Question of the week: Heading into a bye week, ranked No. 17 and perched atop the Big 12 standings, predict where BYU should finish the rest of the season with a 5-0 start that has taken experts by surprise. Where can the Cougars find improvement before the Arizona game in Provo?
Jay Drew: Based on what the Cougars have shown us so far, I think a reasonable expectation is that they win three of their next seven games and finish with an 8-4 record, 5-4 in the Big 12. There are just too many question marks still to proclaim them a Big 12 championship game contender. Most notably, they are too inconsistent on offense, and still haven’t established a reliable rushing attack. Yes, their running backs group is still banged up, and LJ Martin’s return will give them a big boost. But now the issues are along the offensive line, after Connor Pay left the Baylor game on a stretcher and was later seen using crutches on the sidelines.
My thinking is that the Cougars win at home against Houston and Kansas. The other five games are toss-ups, like almost every Big 12 game is.
Where can they find improvement during the bye week? It’s tough to nitpick a 5-0 team, so most of the work should revolve around the fundamentals — blocking, tackling, etc. And they also need to get healthy. The depth has been outstanding so far, but the next four games are arguably the toughest four on BYU’s 2024 schedule.
Dick Harmon: So far, we have surprisingly learned three things about Kalani Sitake’s 2024 football team. First, they have been able to absolutely stun and took the fight out of SMU, K-State and Baylor in the opening minutes of games — totally opposite trend from a year ago. Second, while lacking in many areas, including a run game, QB Jake Retzlaff has found ways to make defenses respect him with quick-strike TD passes, capitalizing on short fields and timely runs. Third, BYU’s defense, while giving up QB runs at times and allowing Baylor three TD passes, has also been elite at the right moments, providing enough disruption for the Cougars to get and maintain momentum for five wins.
I’d add another element to those three: This team has remarkable chemistry and resilience, a key cultural fuel for any team in any sport. As mentioned, BYU was given a 1% chance of starting 5-0, yet they’ve found a way to play and lift one another. Injuries will be a key in the next six games and depth will be tested.
I think BYU can beat Houston, Kansas and Oklahoma State. The UCF, Utah and Arizona games are tough to predict when the run game is so unpredictable. Retzlaff will need to keep running to help in that regard. Back in August, I had the Cougars winning six games and making a bowl. I’d have considered that a successful season. Now, it appears they’ll definitely get seven wins and the way this squad is trending, eight or nine is not out of the question. That would be a landmark Big 12 accomplishment for this team that won only two league games last year and finished on a five-game losing streak.
Cougar Tales
Here is our coverage of BYU’s win over Baylor:
- BYU’s win was rooted in a trip to Baylor years ago (Jay Drew)
- Obvious flop almost upended the Cougars (Jay Drew)
- Cougars win keyed by defensive effort (Jay Drew)
- How Jay Hill’s defense upended Baylor (Dick Harmon)
- Social media reaction to BYU’s win (Jackson Payne)
Head football coach Kalani Sitake updated a report on injuries Monday and gently chided those who believe his team went conservative in the second half of the win over Baylor last Saturday.
In this piece by Dave McCann, BYU’s fan impact in Waco at the Baylor game turned a lot of heads in the Texas community.
From the archives
From the X-verse
- Retzlaff game ranked (@PFF_College)
- BYU QB one of only five in run/pass yards (@gregwrubell)
- National voice loves BYU (@WestCoastCFB)
Listen to past and most recent Y’s Guys podcasts here.
Extra points
- How Aaron Roderick explained Baylor win (Coordinators’ Corner, BYUtv)
- Trevor Matich talks Baylor win (CougarNation, BYUtv)
- NFL clips BYU fans shouldn’t miss (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Hey, nice win! I tend to run a bit negative in my analysis of the Cougs. Call it 55 years of battle scars! But I saw so many positive things happen this week that I’m feeling like it’s 1973 again (BYU’s break out year) For example, 1) traditionally BYU has struggled mightily to get quickly of the gate, so big kudos to players and coaches for being ready to play given the early start, 2) also, given the intensity of the win last week it was great to see the Cougs maintain that intensity again this week, 3) Cougs were not ready last year depth-wise to complete a Big 12 season w/o tanking at the end. There seems to be marked difference in the depth level this year, which is the only way we’ll survive the full gauntlet of the season. Our QB is steadily improving and turning into a winner right before eyes … one game at a time.
Hey blue fans, things are looking up in many ways. Next up, the AZ Cats and their big-time QB. He’s a problem that we need to be ready for!
— Knowtholegang
Listening to Kalani postgame, he was relieved to get the win. He noted they need to work on many things to be ready for Arizona. You would have thought they lost the game the way he was talking. If the players feel the same way as their coach, they should stay humble and hungry. I like the leadership on this team. They are keeping the players grounded. I also like the coaching staff. They are doing a fantastic job across the board. Poppinga is doing a masterful job with ST.
BYU will need first half Jake Retzlaff to beat Arizona. I’m glad they get two weeks to prepare for that team. They ran on Utah. Utah is supposed to have a top-five DLine. The Cougars have their work cut out for them.
— Befair
Up next
- Oct. 2 | 7 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Arizona | @ Tucson, Arizona
- Oct. 3 | TBA | Women’s tennis | @ California
- Oct. 4 | TBA | Men’s tennis | Idaho State | @ Pocatello, Idaho
- Oct. 4 | 8:30 a.m. | Women’s cross-country | Notre Dame | @ Notre Dame, Indiana
- Oct. 4 | 4 p.m. | Swimming and diving | Intermountain Shootout | @ Grand Junction, Colorado
