Texas Tech may be the fashionable answer in the Big 12 title conversation, but the coaches who actually have to prepare for the league’s best teams seem to be leaning another direction.
In Athlon Sports’ annual anonymous coaches survey, BYU drew the kind of praise that stops you in your tracks. Not one, but three separate coaches offered comments that pointed to the Cougars as the program most likely to set the pace in the conference entering the 2026 season.
One coach put it bluntly:
“They’re the best team in our conference. They’re the most physical team.
They have the best coaches, and they have great energy. They play complementary football, offense, defense, special teams.”
That’s not the sort of language coaches throw around lightly, especially when they’re talking about a rival.
The timing makes the compliment even more interesting. Texas Tech has owned plenty of the offseason spotlight after an aggressive run in the transfer portal and a major financial push to reshape its roster.
Arizona State also stays in the mix after its College Football Playoff run last season, and Kansas State and Iowa State continue to draw respect. But inside the league, BYU appears to be earning a different kind of attention.
One coach zeroed in on the Cougars’ physical profile.
“At the line of scrimmage, they look totally different than any other Big 12 team. I think that program is about to skyrocket.”
That fits the way Kalani Sitake’s team has been built. BYU has long leaned into toughness up front, and opposing coaches clearly believe that approach is starting to separate the Cougars from the pack.
Then came the most striking quote of the bunch.
“This is the year that they’ll get over the top. If they don’t this year, I don’t know that they ever will. The reason I say that is because of the influx of money they got with their roster.”
That last part matters in today’s college football landscape. NIL and revenue-sharing have changed how teams put rosters together, and the money flowing into a program can shift the balance quickly. In the eyes of these coaches, BYU is positioned to take advantage.
So while the public conversation keeps circling back to Texas Tech and the rest of the usual contenders, the anonymous feedback from around the conference tells a different story. Behind closed doors, BYU is the team drawing the strongest respect.
Whether that turns into a Big 12 title is still an open question. But if these coaches are any indication, the Cougars are the program the rest of the league may be chasing in 2026.
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