Bear Bachmeier is only three games into his true sophomore season, but the early numbers already show why he’s standing out in the Big 12.
The headline stat is the simplest one: Bachmeier is 15-2 as a starter. That record has been backed up by the advanced metrics, too, which are beginning to give a clearer picture of what he brings to BYU’s offense.
One of the biggest separators for Bachmeier has been explosive plays. He has been the best quarterback in the Big 12 at generating them, and he ranks fifth nationally in explosive play rate.
That figure blends explosive runs of 10 yards or more with explosive passes of 15 yards or more. It’s a big reason BYU has been one of the most explosive offenses in college football.
Bachmeier is also grading well in the accuracy categories that matter most. He’s a top 25 quarterback nationally in on-target percentage, which measures how often a quarterback hits a wide receiver in stride. He’s also in the top 25 in catchable percentage, and inside the top five among Big 12 quarterbacks in both metrics.
Because he has played only one full game so far this season, total passing yards don’t tell the whole story. So at this stage, yards per attempt is a better way to measure his production.
Bachmeier ranks third in the Big 12 and 17th nationally in that category. WVU’s Michael Hawkins Jr. leads college football in yards per attempt, and while the Mountaineers are probably not a Big 12 title contender this year, they still have the potential to linger around in the race.
The latest data also adds expected points added per dropback, where Bachmeier ranks fourth in the league.
And after throwing his first turnover of the season at Colorado State, Bachmeier still sits near the top of the conference in overall efficiency. Before that interception, he ranked first in the league in total touchdown to total turnover ratio. Even after it, he remains fourth in the Big 12 with a total TD/turnover ratio of 8:1.
In Other News...
BYU's Hot Start Just Got Overshadowed By A Very Strange Bear Bachmeier Story
BYUs undefeated start has been one of the early college football stories worth watching, with sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier helping keep the Cougars on track after a successful previous season. The attention should have stayed on the field during Week 2 against Arizona, where Bachmeier continued to be part of the reason BYU has opened so strongly and now heads into a Week 4 matchup with TCU still unbeaten.
Instead, a very odd off-field story followed him out of that game and into the national conversation. During the Fox Sports broadcast, Robert Griffin III referenced a bizarre family anecdote involving Bachmeier that reportedly came from the quarterback himself before kickoff, and the comment quickly became the kind of unexpected detour that can overshadow even a hot start. For BYU, the football matters most, but this is the sort of strange footnote that lingers until the Cougars get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Ceiling Just Got A Lot Bigger Than Fans Expected
Several media outlets are starting to treat BYU as more than just a feel-good story in the playoff picture. Based on current performance and season-long analysis, projections have begun placing the Cougars in the College Football Playoff conversation, with some brackets even putting them in position to host a first-round game.
The range of possible matchups says plenty about how high the ceiling suddenly looks. Depending on the projection, BYU could be lined up against LSU, Alabama or Penn State at home, or sent on the road to face Indiana or Ohio State, a reminder that the path from being in the bracket to actually advancing would still be a brutal one. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Holy War Dream Could Rise Or Fall On One Early Test
BYUs 2026 Holy War is already drawing plenty of attention, but the path to that November matchup being truly special is a narrow one. For both BYU and Utah to arrive unbeaten and ranked among the nations best, each team would have to clear a difficult opening stretch, and the numbers suggest the Utes are much more likely to get there than the Cougars. Utahs odds of sitting at 8-0 before the meeting are estimated at about 32.5 percent, while BYUs are closer to 6 percent.
For BYU, the biggest early hurdle may be the Notre Dame game, which stands out as both a major threat to an undefeated start and an important piece of any College Football Playoff resume. Put those chances together, and the dream of a November 7 showdown with both rivals unbeaten shrinks to roughly 2 percent, which is why the seasons first big tests could end up shaping the stakes of the Holy War long before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]