2026 BYU Football Preview
Jake Wimberly
Abby Boyd Contributing-
What’s to like:
BYU has established itself as one of the more competitive programs in the Big 12, and that experience should continue to benefit the Cougars. The program has adjusted well to the conference and has shown that it can compete with some of the league's better teams. That familiarity gives BYU a solid foundation heading into another season.
The Cougars also have enough talent at the skill positions to create problems for opposing defenses. BYU has players who can make plays in space and give the offense some explosiveness, which will be important in a conference where games can quickly turn into shootouts. If those players are able to consistently produce, BYU should remain competitive throughout the season.
What’s not to like:
BYU needs to find more explosive plays on offense. The Cougars have been able to move the football, but creating bigger gains would make the offense more difficult to defend and help them score more efficiently against better opponents.
Depth is another concern. BYU has a competitive starting lineup, but injuries at important positions could expose some weaknesses on the roster. Maintaining that depth throughout the season will be especially important against a Big 12 schedule that can be difficult from week to week.
What does the Hourglass say?
BYU- Big 12 (3-9)
Power ranking 27.93.
2026 BYU Analytics
National recruiting rating (three year metric): #60- outside the boundary of a National Championship Roster.
National Coaching Ranking:
Kalani Sitake- 57th in Power 5 and 13th in the Big 12.
2026 coaching value= 9.9 (average 2026 Power 5 coaching value=21.93) Kalani Sitake is ranked lower of the pack for coaches in the Power 5.
Quarterback Play: Bear Bachmeier- ranked 50th in the Power 4, 13th in the Big 12; 2026 QB value= 24 (Power 4 average- 26.43).
Impact Ball Catcher Metric: BYU has an Impact Ball Catcher Metric of . This puts the Cougars at the lower tier for the Big 12 in this metric.
Final Thoughts:
BYU has already shown that it can compete in the Big 12, and that experience should help the Cougars heading into another season. The skill-position talent gives the offense some options, but BYU needs to create more explosive plays and avoid depth issues. If the roster stays healthy, the Cougars should remain a difficult matchup throughout the conference.
2026 Schedule analysis:
Projected Hourglass W/L record: Games in red denote games that could be a one possession game or even a different outcome than projection.
9/5/26 Utah Tech- Win
9/12/26 Arizona- Loss
9/19/26 At Colorado State- Win
10/3/26 At TCU- Loss
10/9/26 Iowa State- Loss
10/17/26 Notre Dame- Loss
10/24/26 At UCF- Loss
10/31/26 Arizona State- Loss
11/7/26 At Utah- Loss
11/14/26 Baylor- Loss
11/21/26 At Kansas- Loss
11/28/26 Cincinnati- Win
