The great debate: What is BYU’s biggest Big 12 win so far?

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BYU’s 23-4 record over the last two seasons is the program’s best back-to-back combo since 1984-85 when the Cougars went 24-3, dominated the WAC and won the national championship.

A big difference between then and now is Kalani Sitake’s squads are winning in the Big 12 and consistently on national television. His Cougars are 16-4 against conference foes over the last two years and BYU is expected to contend for the Big 12 title again this fall.

If the Cougars are truly at or near the top of the hill, which of those 16 wins stands alone as the defining one that got them here?

Here are the candidates:

• BYU 38, No. 13 Kansas State 9 (Sept. 21, 2024): The Cougars exploded for 31 unanswered points during the last 2:10 of the second quarter and the first 4:15 of the third quarter to stun the Wildcats in Provo 38-9. The win catapulted BYU (4-0) into the AP Top 25 at No. 22.
• BYU 22, Utah 21 (Nov. 9, 2024): Will Ferrin kicked a 44-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lead No. 9 BYU past Utah 22-21 in Salt Lake City. Ferrin’s kick capped an 11-play, 65-yard drive that included a defensive holding call against Utah to extend the Cougars game-winning drive.
• BYU 36, No. 23 Colorado 14 (Dec. 26, 2024): LJ Martin rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns and BYU’s defense stifled Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Helped by the hype of Buffalos coach Deion Sanders, an Alamo Bowl record 8 million people watched on ABC as the No. 17 Cougars (11-2) rolled 36-14.
• BYU 33, Arizona 27, 2 OT (Oct. 11, 2025): BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 19 seconds remaining to force overtime in Tucson, Arizona. In the second OT, Bachmeier ran for a 7-yard touchdown and No. 18 BYU’s defense stopped the Wildcats on downs to win 33-27 to remain undefeated (6-0).

• BYU 24, No. 23 Utah 21(Oct. 18, 2025): Martin rushed for 122 yards and Bachmeier bulldozed 22 yards through the Utah defense for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the No. 15 Cougars a 24-14 lead and seal their third straight victory over the No. 23 Utes in Provo.
• BYU 41, Iowa State 27 (Oct. 25, 2025): Junior receiver Parker Kingston caught seven passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns as No. 11 BYU rallied from a 24-10 deficit to stun the Cyclones 41-27 in Ames, Iowa. Sophomore safety Faletau Satuala sealed the win with a 40-yard Pick-Six in the fourth quarter to keep the Cougars (8-0) unbeaten and push them into the top 10.
• BYU 25, No. 22 Georgia Tech 21 (Dec. 27, 2025): Beating the Yellow Jackets in the Pop-Tarts Bowl wasn’t a Big 12 matchup, but it showed the country that even undermanned, the Cougars could still hold their own against a top-25 team from the ACC. With Bachmeier slowed by a sprained ankle and Martin sidelined after shoulder surgery, No. 12 BYU rallied to beat Georgia Tech 25-21. Junior cornerback Evan Johnson ended the game with an interception in the end zone with :06 remaining to give the Cougars (12-2) another win.

Among those conquests, is there a win that did the most to legitimize BYU as a powerhouse in the Big 12?

“That’s a good question. I’ve got to go back to beating Utah last year,” Deseret News sports writer Jay Drew told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “That game turned out to be huge. Utah only lost two games all season — to BYU and Texas Tech. I hope that’s not recency bias, but that game stands out as absolutely huge.”

There is also a case to be made for BYU’s 2024 win over Colorado in primetime on network television as a major turning point.

“It was. Especially with all the publicity on Deion (Sanders) and his team,” Drew said. “I think sometimes we tend to forget bowl games because there are always excuses: ‘Well they weren’t motivated or didn’t want to be there’ and so on. There were a lot of eyeballs watching that game.”

Drew also suggested BYU’s win at Iowa State in 2025 as a game that shaped the Cougars’ identity.

“That was a big one, too,” he said. “I don’t know if you have ever been to Ames and how difficult it is to win in that stadium and just how rabid that fan base is. That was really an impressive win for BYU.”

Determining the biggest win remains in the eyes of the beholder, but combined, the 16 victories against Big 12 foes over the last two seasons has the Cougars, in just three years, contending for more than titles, but also as the top brand in the conference.

“I think BYU deserves to be in the conversation. There is a lot that goes into it. I think you have to put BYU at or near the top,” Drew said. “Texas Tech may beg to differ. They did win the conference championship last year in football and they are as good as BYU in basketball, or they have been, which are the two marquee sports. I would say it’s either Texas Tech or BYU. I think you could make a case for either. As far as TV ratings go, I think BYU is probably No. 1 in that way.”

Jay Drew’s preseason Big 12 top 5

1. Texas Tech: “I think Joey McGuire is a good coach. From everything we saw from Will Hammond last year, especially against Utah, he’s a good quarterback. I was never on the Brendan Sorsby bandwagon after watching him play for Cincinnati against BYU and Utah last year.  I think Texas Tech is going to be fine whoever they put in at quarterback.”
2. BYU: “Texas Tech beat them handily both times last year. You can make a case that Bear got hurt in that second game. But until BYU proves — and they won’t get a chance this year unless it’s in the conference championship game — until BYU proves they can beat Texas Tech I have to put them at No. 2.”
3. Utah: “I like (Devon) Dampier. I think he’s a good quarterback. You listen to Morgan Scalley talk, that guy is a motivator. I don’t think there is going to be much of a drop-off at all. I know they have questions with the new offensive coordinator, and they are replacing some key linemen. I really like Wayshawn Parker at running back.”
4. Arizona: “Brent Brennan is a good coach. They have a good quarterback (Noah Fifita) coming back. I think they have some weapons around Fifita.”
5. Houston: “They are on the rise. They have a ton of weapons. I think Willie Fritz is a really good coach.”

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com

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