Arizona isn’t hiding how it feels about the trip to Provo.
At Big 12 Media Days, Wildcats quarterback Noah Fifita made it clear that BYU is sitting there on the schedule with a big mark next to it. Fifita told the Deseret News that “[the BYU] game has been circled.”
“You can't look too forward to it because we got a game that we do gotta take care of business before that," Fifita said. "I would be lying if I didn't say that that game has been circled.
It's been circled because you get to go back to Provo, you know that stadium is going to be on fire. You know that team is going to be physical.
You know that team is going to be great."
He also pointed straight back to last season’s double-overtime loss in Tucson.
"We're looking forward to that one. We gotta get our get-back from last year, so definitely excited for that one."
That 33-27 BYU win was a wild one, and the rain delay changed everything. BYU came out fast and built a 14-0 lead, then Arizona answered with a touchdown to make it 14-7. Right after that, the game was halted because of weather.
When play finally resumed, the momentum had flipped hard. Arizona ripped off 17 unanswered points after the delay and pushed ahead 24-14 in the fourth quarter. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier then led two scoring drives late to force overtime, and the Cougars finished it in double overtime when their defense got the stop that sealed a 6-0 start.
Arizona’s finish to the 2025 season put it near the top of the Big 12 standings, and that BYU loss loomed large. Without it, the Wildcats would have been in the mix for a Big 12 championship game berth.
Now the rematch arrives early. The teams are set to meet in Week 2, and both are expected to be among the Big 12’s better groups in 2026.
Each should be 1-0 when they line up, and both have a shot to be ranked. BYU could open in the top 15, while Arizona could work its way into the top 25.
Arizona coach Brent Brennan didn’t shy away from the spotlight either. In Texas, he called the matchup one of "the best games of the first month of college football."
"Kalani would probably tell you the same thing, we hate it that early," Brennan said on the timing of the game. "Obviously it's going to be a big-time football game, especially we're coming off an incredible double overtime game with them a year ago.
We have respect for Kalani and that staff and what they've done at BYU....everyone in America should watch that game. It's going to be one of the best games of the whole weekend and best games of the first month of college football, so we can't wait."
For BYU, the Arizona game carries real weight in the race back to Arlington in 2026. A loss would make that path much steeper. A win would put the Cougars at 3-0 and give them a strong early launch in the Big 12 standings.
Arizona, meanwhile, is chasing a second straight shot at BYU after dropping the last two meetings. The Wildcats have made it plain: this one has been on the calendar for a while.
In Other News...
BYU Finally Lands A Big Man Fans Have Been Waiting On
BYUs frontcourt got a needed boost with the commitment of Jakub Urbaniak, a 23-year-old Polish forward-center who spent last season with WKS Slask Wroclaw in the countrys top league. The 6-foot-9 big man averaged 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds, and the Cougars are banking on his athleticism and shooting touch to give their rotation a more versatile look inside.
For a program still sorting out its post presence, Urbaniak arrives as a real piece rather than a stopgap, with a chance to compete for minutes as BYU reshapes the rotation around the new season. There is still room on the roster to keep adding, and the next move could tell just how aggressively the Cougars want to keep fortifying the front line. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces One Pressure Point That Could Decide Close Games
Fall practice is set to open in the first week of August, and one of BYUs quieter but most important jobs will be under the microscope right away. The Cougars head into the 2026 season needing stability in the kicking game after Will Ferrins departure, and the early focus is on Matthias Dunn, a redshirt senior who has been in position to take over the role.
Freshman Ian Sanches gives the competition a little more intrigue, even if Dunn brings the experience edge into camp. Special teams is often where close games get decided, and BYU knows how much value there is in having a kicker it can trust when the margin gets tight. The next few weeks should give the staff a clearer picture of how that battle is unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Sent Another Strong NFL Message With 11 Names
BYUs NFL pipeline got another boost this week when 11 upperclassmen landed on the 2027 Shriners Childrens 1,000 Watch List, a preseason nod that puts them on the radar for the 2026 college football season. The list is one of the early markers scouts and evaluators use to sort through draft-eligible talent, and for a program that has spent years trying to prove it can develop pros, getting this many names recognized at once says plenty about the rosters depth.
The watch list also matters because it feeds into the East-West Shrine Bowl process, with the annual all-star game set for Feb. 4, 2027, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. BYU has long had a real connection to that stage, with 72 former players appearing in the game and a couple more joining the mix last January, so the next question is whether this latest wave of Cougars can turn preseason attention into an actual invitation when the selection process tightens. [Read more 🡒]