BYU has landed in a rare spot heading into the 2026 college football season: a quarterback with real Heisman buzz, a roster built to win, and a schedule that gives the Cougars a clear runway early.
That quarterback is Bear Bachmeier, and the case for him starts with timing. For the first time since 2020, when Zach Wilson finished 8th in the voting, BYU has a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate under center. At the same time, the Cougars have a legitimate path to the Big 12 Championship Game, with Texas Tech not expected to be as much of a threat this season.
That combination matters because BYU has never quite pulled off the full package - a College Football Playoff team with a Heisman contender at quarterback. In 2020, the Cougars were 9-0 by Thanksgiving and ranked No. 8 before a loss to Coastal Carolina ended the dream. Back in 1990, when Ty Detmer won the award, BYU was 10-1 and No. 4 in the country before a late loss to Hawaii knocked out its national title hopes.
This year, the setup looks different in a way that could finally break that pattern. BYU is coming off back-to-back seasons of 11 or more wins, and the confidence in Provo is obvious. The school’s decision to keep Kalani Sitake and most of his staff in place also signaled a new willingness to invest in coaching talent, not just players, in the current era.
The roster has enough around Bachmeier to keep the momentum going. LJ Martin is back at running back, and even though the receiver group was rebuilt, there is still plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.
The schedule helps, too. With no Texas Tech on the early slate, BYU has a realistic shot at getting to 6-0 before a CFP watch game against Notre Dame in Provo in October.
If the Cougars handle that one convincingly, a Top 10 ranking should be within reach. Then comes the game at rival Utah a few weeks later, which stands as the last major hurdle on the schedule.
Bachmeier’s own progression is part of why the outlook is so strong. A year ago, he was still learning the offense on the fly after arriving after spring ball. Now he has a full year in the system, a better grasp of the playbook, and a lot more confidence.
For BYU, the moment is right. For Bachmeier, the stage is there. And with college football turning over faster than ever because of NIL and the transfer portal, this may be the best chance the Cougars get to turn all of it into something special.
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For BYU, the bigger story is the size of the climb. The Cougars posted the Big 12s largest year-over-year gain, rising from $306 million to $500 million, a jump that underscores how quickly the programs brand has strengthened in its new conference home. With several league programs moving in different directions, BYUs valuation surge adds another sign that the Cougars are being viewed as a major piece of the Big 12s future. [Read more 🡒]