If you live long enough you will see a lot of things, but not even the oldest BYU fan has seen anything like this. The Cougars embark on the first full week of November with a sports feast of Thanksgiving-like proportions.
The menu features meaningful servings of footballs, basketballs, soccer balls and volleyballs — all there for the eyeballs to watch. Understandably, for some, the onslaught can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, past holiday feasts have provided a blueprint — the best way to consume all that’s on the table is by taking it one bite at a time.
Tuesday — CFP and basketball
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday night (5 p.m., ESPN). This is the poll that trumps all the others and will be the deciding factor on the 12 teams who eventually make next month’s playoffs. The unbeaten Cougars (8-0) are No. 9 in this week’s AP Top 25 and are expected to be firmly planted in the CFP poll, but where?
After the most unusual offseason in program history, BYU basketball tips off the Kevin Young era Tuesday night at the Marriott Center against Central Arkansas (7 p.m., ESPN+). Young succeeds Mark Pope who left the Cougars for the Kentucky job. Young set aside an NBA head coaching future to take on the challenge of getting BYU to its first Final Four.
Young’s roster building has been impressive. Unprecedented in Provo, he and his staff added two freshman headliners who are projected to be 2025 first-round NBA draft picks, if not lottery picks, in Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings.
Wednesday — soccer and basketball
No. 4 seed BYU (9-5-5) takes on No. 1 seed TCU (15-2-2) on Wednesday afternoon in the semifinals of the Big 12 soccer tournament in Kansas City (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). The Cougars advanced out of the quarterfinals with a dominating 5-0 victory against Oklahoma State.
Jen Rockwood’s program has reached the College Cup in two of the last three seasons, but with only two starters returning, she knew 2024 would be a work in progress. Rockwood amassed a challenging schedule with the goal of having the team ready for the postseason.
BYU struggled to a 1-2-2 start, but it finished the regular season on a roll, including a 2-1 victory at No. 14 Texas Tech last week. The Cougars march into the TCU match riding a season-best, six-game unbeaten streak and is a strong candidate for the NCAA Tournament.
Women’s basketball tips off its season opener Wednesday night at the Marriott Center against Idaho (7 p.m., ESPN+). Amber Whiting’s new-look Cougars, featuring returner Amari Whiting and former Canadian prep star Delaney Gibb, beat Westminster 105-37 in last week’s exhibition game. Whiting scored 22. Gibb added 18.
Friday — basketball and volleyball
Men’s basketball hosts UC Riverside on Friday (7 p.m., ESPN+). This is one of five games designed to prepare the Cougars for a Thanksgiving showdown against Ole Miss in San Diego and either Purdue or NC State the following day.
In women’s volleyball, No. 20 BYU plays at No. 22 Utah on Friday night in women’s volleyball (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Cougars beat the Utes in a 3-2 thriller in Provo on Oct. 19. Both teams are 7-4 and in fifth place in a very competitive Big 12.
Saturday — basketball and football
On Saturday, women’s basketball stages a matinee against Wyoming at the Marriott Center (2 p.m., ESPN+).
When the sun goes down, the week’s main event will begin as BYU and Utah collide in football for the 96th time (8:15 p.m., ESPN). The ninth-ranked Cougars (8-0, 5-0) are alone in first place in the Big 12 and Utah (4-4, 1-4) is near the bottom.
In conference games, BYU is No. 1 in scoring (37.8) and No. 5 in scoring defense (23). Utah is No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring defense (19.8) but No. 15 in scoring offense (14.4).
The emotional game will bring an end to a week of sports stimuli that BYU has never seen before. In addition, the Cougars No. 1-ranked men’s and women’s cross-country teams, who just swept the Big 12 championships, will be running through the streets of Provo preparing for next week’s NCAA Mountain Regionals and the NCAA championships that follow on Nov. 23.
Yes, an early Thanksgiving-like feast is here. The menu is spectacular. Pace yourself. It’s going to be quite a week.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.