Big 12 coaches are not exactly sending a mystery message about where they see BYU and Utah entering the 2026-27 season.
In the conference’s annual preseason poll released Thursday, BYU landed sixth, while Utah was picked to finish last in the Big 12. Arizona, the defending conference champion, was voted No. 1, with Houston, Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech filling out the top five.
The early computer numbers tell a similar story, though with a little more separation. KenPom’s preseason ratings have BYU at No. 33 and Utah at No.
- Even so, the Runnin’ Utes are still slotted above Colorado and Kansas State.
BYU’s case starts with continuity at the top. Rob Wright III, the returning point guard and preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection, anchors a projected starting group that also includes transfers Collin Chandler, Tyler Betsey and Jaxon Kohler, plus five-star freshman forward Bruce Branch III.
Utah’s outlook is built almost entirely from scratch in Alex Jensen’s second season. The Runnin’ Utes have added veteran Group of Five transfers Jackson Holcombe, Trey Campbell and Babacar Faye, who are expected to play major roles. Jensen and his staff also leaned hard into international recruiting, bringing in players from Australia, Spain, France, Germany and Finland.
The goals on each sideline are clear enough. BYU is chasing a fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth and its third under Kevin Young. Utah, meanwhile, is trying to climb back into the tournament picture and reach the Big Dance for the first time since 2016.
Young and Jensen, along with some of their players, are set to talk more about the season at Big 12 media days in Kansas City next week.
In Other News...
BYU Is Asking Bear Bachmeier To Do Too Much Right Now
LJ Martins injury has changed the shape of BYUs offense in a hurry, and it has left Bear Bachmeier carrying far more than a normal quarterback workload. With Martin expected to miss four to six weeks, the Cougars have leaned harder on Bachmeier as both a passer and runner, and that was clear in the 24-10 win over Iowa State, when he produced the bulk of the offense and helped steady the game from start to finish.
Bear Bachmeier has already shown he can keep BYU moving when the load falls on his shoulders, but the question now is whether that formula can hold up for long. Relying so heavily on one player is always a dangerous way to live, and the concern gets sharper with Notre Dame looming, because the Cougars may need more than a single high-level quarterback effort to keep the offense functioning at the same level. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Heads Into Rivalry Week With One Big QB Question
Week 6 in the Big 12 delivered another reminder of how quickly the quarterback conversation can change, with Bear Bachmeier putting together a strong outing for BYU and Noah Fifita throwing for 300 yards in Arizonas latest game. The leagues most important position has been driving the story every week, and the latest review of individual performances only sharpens the focus as the conference heads into another slate packed with ranked matchups and quarterback duels.
For BYU, Bachmeiers performance keeps the Cougars in the mix when the leagues best passers are being stacked up heading into Week 7. The updated ranking of the top eight Big 12 quarterbacks reflects recent form more than preseason expectations, and with several marquee games on deck, every throw now carries a little more weight as the race for position in the conference race tightens. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Finally Gets The Notre Dame Showdown Provo Waited Years For
BYU finally gets the Notre Dame showdown it has been waiting years to stage in Provo, with the Fighting Irish set to visit LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since 2004. It is the kind of matchup that has long carried extra weight for the Cougars, not just because Notre Dame remains one of the sports biggest brands, but because the two programs have spent years trying to get a game on the calendar that actually stuck.
Scheduling friction has been part of the backdrop all along, from Notre Dame previously backing out of a planned trip to Provo to the schools working through a neutral-site meeting in Las Vegas in 2022. Recently, Notre Dame reached out about a two-game series, a move tied in part to the Irish needing a game that could help strengthen their playoff resume after USC backed out of their rivalry, giving BYU another high-profile opening in a series that has not always been easy to pin down. [Read more 🡒]