After two weeks, college football’s loudest storylines have mostly gone to the teams that made the biggest early splashes. LSU’s 51-10 rout of Clemson in Week 1 and Texas’ 24-23 comeback over No. 1 Ohio State last week grabbed the headlines, and both results figure to matter when the College Football Playoff picture starts tightening up.
But not every team gets the spotlight right away. Brian Kelly thinks Alabama is one of the programs still being underestimated.
The former head coach and CBS college football analyst pointed to the Crimson Tide’s win over Kentucky as a clear sign of what this team is built on.
"They played great in the second half," Kelly said. "The physicality wore out in that game, although Kentucky has some energy and I certainly think Will Stein's going to do a great job there. Alabama kind of showed me something with their physicality on both sides of the ball."
That’s not usually the kind of label attached to a team that opened the year ranked No. 13 in the preseason AP poll. Even so, Alabama still has the feel of a team whose real identity hasn’t fully settled into the national conversation.
There are still real questions on offense. Beyond quarterback, the unit came into the season with uncertainty, especially after an unusually unproductive ground game in 2025 and a wide receiver room that didn’t have many proven answers outside Ryan Coleman-Williams.
The defense, though, has looked every bit the part through the first two weeks. Alabama has brought steady pressure, held opponents to an average of 185 yards per game and found the end zone twice on defense in wins over East Carolina and Kentucky.
The Kentucky game also showed why the Tide may not be getting quite enough attention yet. Even with a 45-17 final, Alabama didn’t take control until late in the third quarter. The running game was stalled early, and Keelon Russell’s two first-half interceptions helped put Alabama in holes before the Tide finally settled in.
Alabama isn’t the only high-profile team still waiting for the broader college football conversation to catch up. Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami have all started hot, but because they haven’t yet faced strong competition, they’ve been mentioned a bit less than their records might suggest.
BYU fits that same under-the-radar category, though for a different reason. While much of the Big 12 preseason talk centered on Texas Tech and its chances to stay at the top of the league, BYU quietly built a strong roster in the offseason. The Cougars then backed that up with a win over Arizona last week, a result with major consequences in the Big 12 championship race.
In Other News...
BYU Fans Just Earned Praise Cougar Supporters Will Love
BYUs home crowd picked up some unexpected praise after the recent game at LaVell Edwards Stadium, this time from Les Fifita, the father of Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita. After the Wildcats visit to Provo, he publicly thanked BYU fans for the kindness and hospitality his family experienced, describing a game-day atmosphere that went well beyond the usual back-and-forth of a high-profile college football matchup.
Fifita said BYU supporters welcomed his family, offered food and drinks, and treated them with respect throughout the event. He also tied the experience to something bigger than one Saturday afternoon, saying it shaped how he thinks about running a youth football league, a reminder that the reputation of a fan base can travel well beyond the stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Bear Bachmeier Is Putting BYU In Rare Quarterback Company
Bear Bachmeiers start at BYU has already put him in rare company, with his 14-2 record through 16 starts matching the mark former quarterback Brandon Doman posted at the same point in his own college career. The comparison is more than a curiosity, too, because Doman sees the same steady traits in Bachmeier that helped define his own run in Provo, pointing to his leadership, composure and consistency as signs of a quarterback who has settled into the offense with confidence.
The broader conversation around Bachmeier also has a familiar BYU feel because of the way he has paired with LJ Martin to give the Cougars a productive offensive tandem. It is the kind of quarterback-run game combination that invites memories of Domans era with Luke Staley, and it is part of why Bachmeiers place in program history is beginning to draw attention even with plenty of season still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Earned A New Place In The Big 12 Race
Week two of the Big 12 schedule brought a clearer picture of where the leagues early contenders may be taking shape, and BYU emerged from the weekend with its standing in the race looking a little stronger. The Cougars were grouped with Oklahoma State and Utah among the teams that impressed, a useful sign this early in conference play as the league starts sorting itself out.
The bigger takeaway is that BYU is no longer just part of the conversation by default. With UCF and Kansas having a rougher weekend and Texas Tech staying in place despite some defensive concerns, the margins in the Big 12 already look tight, and performances like BYUs can matter quickly. The next few weeks will go a long way toward showing whether this was a strong early statement or just the first step in a longer climb. [Read more 🡒]