BYU opens the part of its schedule that can tell the whole story, and it does so with a bigger question hanging over the program than any opponent on the field: how long can it keep Kalani Sitake?
Saturday’s matchup with Arizona arrives as the Cougars’ first real showdown of the season, the kind of game that can shape everything that follows. BYU asked fans to show up in blue and white for a Stripe Out, and the timing fits. Arizona took the Cougars to overtime 11 months ago, returns elite quarterback Noah Fifita, and brings back enough key pieces from a nine-win team to make this one matter.
A win would give BYU breathing room before the rest of the road gets tougher. Notre Dame, Arizona State and Utah still wait. A loss would make the path much tighter.
But the football is only part of the picture. The other part is the one hovering around the program’s edges: Sitake’s future.
If BYU reaches the level it is chasing - a Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff - Sitake will be one of the hottest names in the coaching market again. And after what has unfolded over the past 10 months in Provo, his inner circle will be ready for the calls.
That tension is why BYU’s season feels like a win-lose puzzle. The better the Cougars perform, the more likely they are to lose their coach.
The worse they perform, the more likely they are to keep him. Either way, his status is never far from view.
The situation traces back to Sitake’s frustration with the school’s commitment to football. In early August, he made that public in comments to Cougar Sports Media: "We've been given the challenge of doing the most with the least ...
If we can get an even playing field with that stuff (resources), I should be able to do more ... The fact that we're this close to making the playoffs, let's not make the same mistakes that we've made in the past."
That was Sitake’s way of saying the promises made when he was close to taking the Penn State job last fall had not been met to his satisfaction.
Two weeks later, BYU responded by announcing that athletic director Brian Santiago would be removed from the football chain-of-command, with Sitake now reporting directly to vice president Keith Vorkink.
Whether that is enough to keep him if the Cougars win the way they hope to win remains an open question. Even if BYU falls short of the CFP but still puts together a strong season, Sitake would still land near the front of the coaching carousel once it starts spinning later this fall.
The broader backdrop makes the whole thing even sharper. College athletics is headed toward major change, with the SEC presidents weighing whether to expel LSU, the College Football Playoff in a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN about a possible expansion to 24 teams, the Power Four dealing with lawsuits, eligibility issues and rising player-compensation costs, and the U.S. Senate expected to return from recess next week to vote on the Protect College Sports Act.
All signs point to a major restructuring in the 2028-32 window, and football success will sort out the schools that come out ahead.
BYU has the kind of basketball tradition and donor support that can make people comfortable spending in the wrong places. The article’s point is blunt: money sent to basketball instead of football is money wasted if the goal is to stay relevant in the next era. Arizona, too, is in danger of making that same mistake, as are other Big 12 schools that value basketball heavily.
In the end, the roadmap is simple. If BYU wants to position itself for whatever a future super league looks like, it has to win Big 12 titles and make the College Football Playoff.
To do that, it has to keep Sitake. And to keep Sitake, the school has to put its resources behind football and give him what he needs to beat Texas Tech and the rest of the Big 12’s better-funded programs.
So far, BYU has not fully done that. Sitake is frustrated, his attention is drifting, and the more the Cougars win, the more attractive he becomes to other programs.
That’s the double-edged sword BYU created for itself.
In Other News...
BYU's Arizona Rotations Suddenly Come With Two Big Concerns
BYUs snap counts against the Trailblazers offered a pretty clear look at how the Cougars are trying to manage their personnel as they head into Arizona. The offense leaned heavily on tight ends, using two of them as much as its top wide receivers, while the defensive side kept rotating up front in search of fresh legs and a steady pass rush. It was the kind of game that showed both the depth chart and the game plan, especially with certain players being asked to do a little more in key spots.
Legend Glasker appears headed for a bigger role, but the more immediate concern is how BYU covers for the losses and limitations that showed up in that game. Sione Moa left early because of injury, and Nusi Taumoepeau was on a limited snap count, which only adds to the pressure on the Cougars rotation at a time when they need dependable bodies on both sides of the ball. On defense, the challenge is especially clear: BYU needs enough push from the line to bother the quarterback without having to lean too hard on blitzing. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Fans Will Love Who's Behind Saturday's Pregame Flyover
A familiar show of pageantry is coming to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, and this one carries a personal connection for Jimmy Winegardner. The BYU graduate and KC-135 pilot is set to handle the pregame flyover before the national anthem at the BYU-Arizona game, with kickoff slated for 1:30 p.m. MDT, adding a little extra buzz to a matchup already carrying plenty of interest.
For Winegardner, the moment has been years in the making, a chance to combine his military role with a place that still matters to him. The KC-135 crew will spend time on training flights around Utah Valley before approaching the stadium from the south, and for BYU fans, it should be a memorable arrival even before the first snap. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Different Arizona Team Than Last Season
BYU and Arizona are set to meet for the 28th time on the football field, and this one carries a different feel than the matchup the Cougars saw a year ago. It is only the third meeting as Big 12 rivals, but Arizona arrives with a roster that has been shaped by more than just another offseason, giving the game a fresh layer of intrigue for a BYU program that has now had time to settle into its conference footing.
Arizona Desert Swarms recent look at the Wildcats pointed to a team whose identity is tightening in a few key spots, from defensive pressure and run stopping to the continued development of quarterback Noah Fifita. The Wildcats also have a new piece in Malcolm Hartzog Jr. helping define what they can do on defense, and the way Arizona fans view BYU inside the Big 12 adds a little extra edge to a matchup that already feels like it has more to it than a typical early-season rematch. [Read more 🡒]