No. 11 BYU (2-0, 1-0 Big 12) at Colorado State (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
- Kickoff: Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MDT
- Venue: Canvas Stadium (capacity: 36,500)
- TV: CBS
- Livestream: Paramount+
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM/BYU Radio Sirius XM 143
- Series: BYU leads, 39-27-3
The trends
For BYU: The Cougars are 2-0 for the seventh straight season, coming off a 28-17 win over Arizona in their Big 12 opener.
BYU is scoring 45.5 points per game, allowing 12.0 points per game defensively, and has yet to commit a turnover.
Saturday will be BYU’s first visit to Fort Collins since 2010 — along with the first Cougars’ game to be broadcast on CBS since the 1997 Cotton Bowl.
For Colorado State: The Rams have opened the Jim Mora era with a bang, starting 2-0 for the first time since 2011 with easy. wins over rival Wyoming and Southern Utah.
Colorado State is scoring 46.5 points per game, allowing 18.5 points per game on defense and standing +7 in turnover margin.
The Rams have not faced BYU since 2010 — and haven’t beat the Cougars since 2003.
What to watch for
BYU has yet to play on the road this year, so pay attention for how they initially respond to a non-Provo environment.
After surrendering 17 first-half points to Arizona, the Cougars pitched a second-half shutout to provide the first highlight of Kelly Poppinga’s tenure as defensive coordinator. How BYU appears defensively against the Rams will be rather telling in knowing whether the second half against Arizona was an outlier or the standard.
LJ Martin took a while to get rolling a week ago, only logging four first-half touches before getting the ball 20 times after halftime. When BYU feeds Martin, good things happen. Watch for how involved he is early on and down the stretch.
In a similar vein, both the Rams and Cougars are among the top rushing teams in the country, each averaging more than 220 yards on the ground per game. Whoever has better rushing success Saturday should emerge victorious.
Player to watch
Hauss Hejny, sophomore, quarterback, Colorado State: Through two games as a Ram, Hejny has already established himself as one of the finest quarterbacks in the Group of Six.
The 6-foot dual threat has thrown for 539 yards and nine touchdowns, while rushing for another 124 yards at an average of 10.3 yards per carry.
His passer rating currently sits at 181.3 — for comparison, Bear Bachmeier is a 188.2 passer — and he’s only been sacked once in 2026.
With Hejny leading the charge, Colorado State has enjoyed an especially explosive offense, and the Rams’ upset hopes lie squarely on his shoulders.
BYU arguably has the most talented defense Hejny will face all season. The Cougars just defeated first-team All-Big 12 quarterback Noah Fifita, and they can’t afford to overlook Hejny. How he performs against BYU will be a solid gauge for his 2026 ceiling, and how the Cougars handle him will help to better understand how good of a defense they truly have.
Quotable
“We watched the film on Colorado State’s games, and they’re a dangerous team. Every week, we have to respect our opponents and try to do whatever we can to be at our best. So it’s going to require all three phases functioning at their best.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“I have a ton of regard for Kalani. I’ve known him for a long time, and you know his team is going to be tough. They’re going to play on the edge. They’re going to play with discipline. They’re not going to do things to hurt themselves. They’re going to be sound defensively. They’re going to be physical and run the ball offensively.
“I’ve watched their film, they’re about as complete a team as you’ll find in the country. They’re as good as anyone in the country. They’re a College Football Playoff contender. They’re ranked No. 11 for a reason and they’ve earned it.
“It’s going to be a great challenge and it’s going to be one that we look forward to. Like I said, we will fight like crazy.” — Colorado State coach Jim Mora
Next up
- BYU: bye week, then at TCU on Oct. 3
- Colorado State: vs. Northern Illinois on Saturday
BYU schedule
- Sept. 5 — defeated Utah Tech 63-7
- Sept. 12 — defeated Arizona 28-17
- Oct. 3 — at TCU
- Oct. 9 — Iowa State
- Oct. 17 — Notre Dame
- Oct. 24 — at UCF
- Oct. 31 — Arizona State
- Nov. 7 — at Utah
- Nov. 14 — Baylor
- Nov. 21 — at Kansas
- Nov. 28 — Cincinnati