Josh Pate’s latest College Football Playoff projection has a Big 12 twist, and it comes with a heavyweight draw for BYU.
In Pate’s bracket, No. 7 BYU would open the playoff at home against No.
10 LSU at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, with the winner advancing to face No. 2 Ohio State in the quarterfinals.
If that matchup ever becomes real, it would be the first time the Cougars and Tigers have met since 2017, when Ed Orgeron’s LSU team rolled off 27 straight points against BYU in New Orleans.
Pate leaned all the way into the spectacle on social media, posting: “If LSU at BYU happens we’ve gotta send troops in https://t.co/QnPLj7t0qE”
For BYU, the setup would put the Cougars in the spotlight as the lone Big 12 team in Pate’s playoff field. It would also hand them a massive test after a season that ended with a 12-2 record, a Pop Tarts Bowl win over Georgia Tech, and a second straight playoff miss. The Cougars’ path came up short again when they lost the league championship game to Texas Tech.
That frustration wasn’t new. In 2024, BYU started 9-0 and picked up a 22-21 win at Utah in the Holy War, only to stumble the next week with a home loss to Kansas. Even so, the program recently locked in Kalani Sitake with a long-term extension worth around $9 million per year.
The bigger conference picture hasn’t changed much. The Big 12 is 1-8 in the CFP since the format began, with TCU responsible for the league’s lone win - a 2023 upset of Michigan that sent the Horned Frogs into the national title game against Georgia. Last season, Texas Tech earned a first-round bye after beating BYU 34-7 in the 2025 Big 12 title game, and the Red Raiders did it with a roster that produced a record nine NFL draft picks this summer.
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Cosmo Just Earned A BYU Honor Fans Will Love
Cosmo the Cougar has long been one of BYUs most recognizable and enduring public faces, so this latest honor fits neatly with the way fans have embraced the mascot beyond the usual game-day role. The Mascot Hall of Fame announced its 2026 class, and Cosmo was selected through a mix of public voting and a decision from the halls executive committee, placing BYUs famous sideline staple alongside some of the sports most familiar characters.
The class also includes Cocky, Miles, Goldy Gopher and Mrs. Met, with Mrs. Met becoming the first female mascot inducted. For BYU fans, Cosmos selection is a reminder that the mascots reach has gone well beyond the Marriott Center and LaVell Edwards Stadium, and now the only thing left is to see how this honor is celebrated once the induction becomes official. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Camp Puts These Returning Starters Under Real Pressure
BYU opened Fall Camp with a familiar kind of expectation hanging over several returning starters, the sort that comes with having enough pieces back to believe the 2026 season can look different. Among the names drawing the most attention are defensive end Bodie Schoonover, quarterback Bear Bachmeier and wide receiver Jojo Phillips, each of them carrying a clear role and a clear set of things the Cougars need to see sharpened before camp ends. Schoonover is working to become more disruptive as a pass rusher while also cleaning up his tackling, and that kind of growth matters on a defense that will lean on its returning experience.
Bachmeier enters camp with more visibility than most because the offense will go as far as his decision-making and downfield passing can take it, while Phillips is trying to reassert himself after a stretch that tested his confidence. BYU does not need every returning starter to become a star, but it does need the group to turn veteran status into dependable production, especially from players whose past seasons showed both promise and unfinished business. Camp now becomes the proving ground, and for these Cougars, the pressure is already real. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Put Itself In The Middle Of A Crucial QB Battle
BYU has put itself squarely in the mix for one of the more intriguing quarterback recruits in the 2028 class, with Jamar Howard emerging as a name to watch in Fresno, California. The Cougars have been aggressive in their early quarterback board for that cycle, and Howard stands among the group of passers BYU is pursuing alongside Hunter Fujikawa, AJ Tuivaiave and Preston Beck.
Howards recruitment is already tightening, which is where BYUs timing matters. The Cougars are working to stay in the conversation with a fall game visit and an official trip next summer, part of a push that shows just how seriously they are treating the position three years out. For a program always trying to line up its future quarterback pipeline, this is the kind of battle that can quietly shape a recruiting class long before signing day arrives. [Read more 🡒]