The new season of college football is nearly upon us, and while Arizona State is seeking to repeat as Big 12 champions, the rest of the conference will have something to say about that. In anticipation of the new season, we're breaking down each of the 15 other schools and where they stand heading into the year. You can find previously released breakdowns below.
Today, we look at one of four teams that finished in a tie for first place in the Big 12 last year, the BYU Cougars.
What happened last year
BYU entered the 2024 season with low expectations. They went 5-7 in their debut season in the Big 12, and an uninspiring quarterback competition between journeyman Gerry Bohanon and relative unknown Jake Retzlaff left plenty of reason to doubt the Cougars.
Retzlaff won the job, though, and turned out to be sensational. His play, combined with a stingy defense, led the Cougars to a 9-0 start. That included wins over SMU, Baylor, Kansas State, and Utah. The Cougars rose to No. 6 in the polls before falling to Kansas by just four points. Arizona State beat them by five the next week, registering BYU's only two losses on the year.
As referenced earlier, they finished in a four-way tie for first place, but tiebreakers prevented BYU from competing for a conference championship. Still, they finished ranked 17th in the final College Football Playoff poll, immediately boosting their expectations for 2025.
What's new this year
The newest development for the 2025 Cougars is the quarterback position. Retzlaff was expected to be back, but troubling allegations and an Honor Code violation led to him transferring to Tulane just this week. Retzlaff was on hand for all of spring practice and now, suddenly, he's gone.
Now BYU is looking at a three-man race for the job, with summer training camp offering a very short runway to determine their new starter. The biggest name is true freshman Bear Bachmeier, who was viewed by many as the heir apparent to Retzlaff but now may be forced into early action. Then there's McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, the latter of whom started 10 games for Western Michigan and is the brother of former Arizona State quarterback and current coach Trenton Bourguet.
Quarterback aside, BYU wasn't overly aggressive in the transfer portal, but they did make several targeted additions on defense. Utah defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa, Oklahoma State defensive end Justin Kirkland, and San Diego State safety Tayvion Beasley all come with lofty expectations.
Reasons for optimism
For all of the mania around Retzlaff last year, BYU also had a powerful running game. Leading rusher LJ Martin is back, as is Sione Moa, who averaged five yards a carry on 29 attempts last year as a freshman. With the entire offensive coaching staff returning, expect BYU to lean on Roberts and Moa due to the uncertainty at quarterback.
The defense also figures to be just as good as last year, if not better. In 2024, the Cougars ranked 13th in total yards and 18th in scoring defense. They were great at limiting some explosive offenses on their schedule, and BYU is bringing back a healthy chunk of starters on that side of the ball.
On top of it all, head coach Kalani Sitake has been a steady hand in his nine seasons, with just two losing seasons in his tenure. This season promises to be challenging with the quarterback situation, but Sitake is a proven leader and is no stranger to overcoming obstacles as head coach.
Reasons for skepticism
It's obvious: losing your star quarterback in the middle of the summer is always going to tank your odds. Retzlaff was expected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 this year, which is saying something given all the arm talent this conference has.
Now, BYU has to replace him unexpectedly, with no opportunity to hit up the transfer portal. Bachmeier is oozing with potential, but he's raw, and both Hillstead and Bourguet offer a low ceiling when compared to the superhero act Retzlaff routinely displayed last year.
There's also the potential for general regression from last year, too. BYU has some tough road games at Arizona, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and going to Cincinnati in late November. Those are tough draws even before factoring in the likelihood they'll be starting an inexperienced quarterback in those rowdy environments.
Realistic expectations
Two months ago, BYU was a legitimate contender for the Big 12 crown. Now? Not so much.
That said, the Cougars can't be completely discounted. Their defense should still be really good, and the run game is no joke. Besides, nobody expected Retzlaff to be as good as he was last year, yet he catapulted BYU to the top of the Big 12 food chain.
Even so, reaching a bowl game seems like a high watermark for this team right now. All of their road games are genuinely tough, and hosting both Utah and TCU is hardly an ideal matchup. It would be shocking to see this team bottom out completely, but BYU is no longer a serious contender in the conference.