Stanford (0-1, 0-0 ACC) at BYU (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MDT
- Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium (capacity: 62,073)
- TV: ESPN
- Livestream: ESPN.com/watch
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.
- Series: Stanford leads, 2-1
The trends
For BYU: The Cougars are coming off a dominant 69-0 victory over Portland State in last week’s season opener, having rushed for 468 yards against the Vikings and allowed just 53 yards defensively.
BYU landed in the first spot outside of the AP top-25 poll earlier this week, and a decisive win over Stanford could be enough to jump the Cougars into the rankings.
For Stanford: The Cardinal opened their season with a 23-20 road loss at Hawaii two weeks ago, falling in the final seconds thanks to a game-winning Rainbow Warriors field goal.
Stanford struggled offensively against Hawaii, with quarterback Dylan Gulbranson throwing for no touchdowns with an interception, completing just 50% of his passes and averaging 3.6 yards per pass.
Expectations for the Cardinal are low in 2025, as they were picked to finish last out of 17 teams in the ACC preseason media poll.
What to watch for
BYU freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier was impressive in his first taste of collegiate action last week, scoring five touchdowns in the first half against Portland State before being pulled with his fellow starters at halftime.
Stanford will offer Bachmeier his first opportunity to face an FBS opponent, let alone Power Four competition. The matchup is especially notable considering Bachmeier was originally committed to the Cardinal and spent spring ball with the program earlier this year before transferring to Provo.
Making Bachmeier’s night difficult is a must for Stanford in order to pull off an upset, so look for how the young QB handles and reacts to constant blitzing and pressure from the Cardinal defense. And after attempting only 11 passes last week, watch for how much more Cougar coaches are willing to unleash Bachmeier in the passing game.
Additionally, BYU’s rushing attack was outstanding against a porous Portland State defense, so Stanford will serve as a true litmus test for the unit. The performances of LJ Martin, Sione Moa, Enoch Nawahine and other Cougar backs against the Cardinal will be telling for the offense’s ultimate potential on the ground.
Key player
Chase Roberts, senior, wide receiver, BYU:
Roberts scored a touchdown against Portland State, but it was his only catch of the game. He’ll undoubtedly be more active against Stanford.
With the Cardinal expected to blitz and pressure Bachmeier like crazy, BYU will likely utilize maximum protections to keep him upright in passing situations, requiring backs and tight ends to pitch in on the blocking effort.
This will make the Cougar receivers all the more crucial, and as the most senior and proven member of the pass-catching corps, Roberts will need to lead the charge by getting open and making plays to keep Bachmeier out of trouble.
Stanford allowed Hawaii’s top pair of receivers to go for a combined 15 catches for 128 yards and two scores, and there’s no reason why Roberts, Parker Kingston, Jojo Phillips and Tiger Bachmeier can’t do similar damage.
Quotable
“Those guys know how to how to get a team ready, and then there’s good talent on that team. We respect them. We recruited a bunch of those guys, too. … We have to make sure that we’re on top of our game when it comes to getting ready for this one.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“This is a very well-coached team, you can see that. They’re a good football team. Their schemes are very sound defensively. I feel like I’m watching an NFL defense with everything they do.
“... This is a good football program, I think they do it right. They do a good job, recruiting the players that they have that fit their schemes. So we have a lot of respect for them.” — Stanford coach Frank Reich
Next up
- BYU: at East Carolina on Sept. 20
- Portland State: vs. Boston College on Saturday
BYU schedule
- Aug. 30 — defeated Portland State, 69-0
- Sept. 6 — Stanford
- Sept. 20 — at East Carolina
- Sept. 27 — at Colorado
- Oct. 3 — West Virginia
- Oct. 11 — at Arizona
- Oct. 18 — Utah
- Oct. 25 — at Iowa State
- Nov. 8 — at Texas Tech
- Nov. 15 — TCU
- Nov. 22 — at Cincinnati
- Nov. 29 — UCF