FORT WORTH, Texas - ESPN’s College Gameday handed BYU a perfect Saturday morning from its weekly “Saturday Selections,” and Caitlin Clark was part of the chorus.
The WNBA superstar served as the celebrity guest picker on Saturday, October 3, 2026, while back on campus in Iowa City as her former Iowa Hawkeyes prepared to face Ohio State in Kinnick Stadium. When the show turned to No. 10 BYU at TCU, every pick landed on the Cougars.
That kind of unanimous call can sometimes feel like trouble for a team, but BYU enters the matchup having won 26 of its last 30 games. The Cougars also come in as a favorite, and they’ve won eight straight games dating back to 2022 as a road favorite.
Clark explained her choice this way: “I’ve got BYU. I think their quarterback hasn’t lost a game to an unranked opponent.”
She also looked ahead to another BYU matchup, saying, “I’m looking forward to the Notre Dame-BYU game in two weeks. I’m kind of a Notre Dame football fan, a little bit, because now I’m in Indiana.”
Kirk Herbstreit pointed to TCU’s recent sloppiness in backing BYU. “Here’s the thing with TCU.
Last week, against UCF, 11 penalties, four turnovers, four sacks, sloppy football. And now you’re gonna take on the discipline of BYU?
I like BYU.”
Nick Saban also leaned Cougars, calling BYU the “dark horse” to win the Big 12 Conference this year. Earlier in the program, Saban broke down Bear Bachmeier and the BYU offense.
The final tally was a clean sweep: Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Caitlin Clark and Herbstreit all picked BYU over TCU.
In Other News...
BYU Won At TCU But A Bigger Concern Just Took Over
BYU left Fort Worth with a win, but the bigger takeaway from the 17-10 victory at TCU was how hard the Cougars had to work for every yard. The offense never really found its rhythm, finishing with just 216 yards while dealing with injuries to key players, and for long stretches it was the defense that kept BYU in control.
Bear Bachmeiers late touchdown run supplied the margin, but the performance also raised a broader question about how close this team is to the level it expected to reach before the season. A road win in the Big 12 is never easy, yet BYU will likely need a cleaner showing on offense if it wants to keep pace with those preseason expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Said What BYU Keeps Doing Is A Real Problem
TCU came away from its 17-10 loss to BYU with plenty to feel good about on defense, but not nearly enough on the scoreboard. The Horned Frogs held the Cougars to 17 points and just 62 passing yards, yet still dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013 because the offense could only manage one touchdown.
Sonny Dykes pointed to the obvious issue afterward: the Horned Frogs have to be better on offense if they want to get out of the early hole. He also gave BYU credit for the way Bear Bachmeier helped move the ball on the ground, another reminder that the Cougars keep finding ways to stress opponents even when the passing game is limited. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Gritty TCU Win Changed The Ceiling Debate
BYUs rain-soaked win at TCU did more than add another road victory to the ledger. It offered a reminder of how much the Cougars can lean on defense and discipline when the conditions get ugly, and it came in Fort Worth, where they had not won since 2006. With several players banged up along the way, BYU still found a way to keep the Horned Frogs from settling in, thanks in part to a defense that made life difficult up front and a game plan that stayed patient even when the offense never looked especially clean.
Bear Bachmeiers passing day was not the sort that changes anyones mind on its own, but BYU did not need fireworks to leave Texas with a result that mattered. The four sacks were a big part of the story, and so was the willingness to stick with a conservative approach in a game where field position and toughness mattered more than style points. For a team that has spent part of the season fighting the ceiling debate, this was the kind of win that forces a more serious conversation about how high the Cougars can climb. [Read more 🡒]