ESPN college football analyst breaks down BYU projection for 2026 season
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The BYU Cougars are expected to be in the College Football Playoff conversation for a third straight year. What's hard to nail down is how the regular season will play out.
Kalani Sitake's team has lost only four games in the past two seasons, with Texas Tech beating them twice last year. ESPN College Football analyst Trevor Matich believes BYU ending the season at 10-2 is realistic. But will this push the Cougars ahead towards being a Playoff team?
"I think 10-2 in the regular season would be a fantastic year," Matich said on ESPN the Fan in Utah. "You've got that Notre Dame game that looms, but there's also a whole bunch of tricky, difficult games against good teams in weird places that go beyond Notre Dame."
There's no bearing on BYU as a Big 12 frontrunner if they drop the game against Notre Dame. However, what is the conference game the Cougars are at risk of losing this season?
They don't face Texas Tech in the regular season this year, and it will likely turn into a postseason meeting in the conference championship game. The games to keep an eye on for BYU will be TCU and Arizona, which come early in the season. Don't sleep on UCF either. The Big 12's biggest dark horse will sneak up on one of the better teams this year.
The Holy War comes on Nov. 7, which could carry a number of factors, including late-season injuries. Utah is rebuilding on the offensive line and some other positions after Kyle Whittingham left for Michigan. Morgan Scalley faces BYU for the first time as head coach of the Utes with one of the best QB rooms in the country. The rivalry is always unpredictable, but even more so this year.
BYU will likely notch another double-digit winning season in 2026. Going 10-2, like Matich says is the best case scenario, would be great under the right circumstances. If 11-1 or 12-0 happened, that would be historic to say the least. You'd have to consider that would be an outstanding season. Any of those outcomes could happen for BYU. They could be undefeated in Big 12 play and lose to Notre Dame. They could also beat the Irish and fall into a trap game in the Big 12.
What Sitake and BYU can't afford is a two-loss season with both defeats in Big 12 play. This would be counterproductive to the Cougars' playoff hopes, and could keep them out of the conference title game.
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