“Leave no doubt.”
That’s the standard for No. 11 BYU heading into Saturday night’s trip to Colorado State, and it fits the moment. The Cougars are back in Fort Collins for the first time in 16 years, carrying their highest ranking on September’s third Saturday in 36 seasons and trying to make sure nobody watching walks away with questions.
BYU and Colorado State know each other well enough already. Their series stretches back to 1922 and includes 69 previous meetings, with the Cougars holding a 39-27 edge and three ties.
Saturday will be the 70th matchup, and for BYU it arrives with more attention than usual: a road game, a national TV stage on CBS at 5:30 p.m. MDT, and plenty at stake in how voters and the College Football Playoff committee view the Cougars going forward.
Even as a three-touchdown favorite, BYU has something to prove. The Cougars moved ahead of No.
13 Texas Tech and No. 12 USC in this week’s AP Top 25, and a strong performance would help reinforce that rise.
It would also matter when the playoff committee releases its first rankings on Nov. 3.
A road win is one thing. Looking like one of the best teams in the country while doing it is the part BYU has to keep showing.
The biggest early key is simple: score first.
Kalani Sitake’s teams are 14-0 when they get a touchdown on the opening drive and 14-1 when they score first. That matters because BYU has made a habit lately of playing from behind in big games.
In its last four FBS contests against Arizona, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech and UCF, the Cougars either trailed by double digits after the first quarter or entered halftime behind. They still won three of those four, but that kind of rope won’t always be available.
When BYU really got rolling early, the results were loud. On Nov. 15 of last year against TCU, the Cougars scored on their first four possessions and rolled to a 44-13 win.
That night included two rushing touchdowns, a passing touchdown and a field goal. It was the kind of start that settles a game before it can breathe.
The ground game should be front and center again, especially with LJ Martin in the mix. Martin rushed 236 times for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and his workload against Arizona showed how much more dangerous BYU gets when it leans on him.
He touched the ball only six times in the first half, then became much more of a feature after halftime. He opened the third quarter with three straight runs and added a 23-yard reception on a scoring drive.
By the end, he had 125 yards of total offense, including 98 rushing and 27 receiving, plus a 16-yard run that helped BYU drain the clock.
Even without finding the end zone, Martin’s performance against one of the Big 12’s better defenses made the point. The Cougars can - and should - feed him more, especially in a road game where controlling pace matters.
Then there’s the defensive piece, which Kelly Poppinga wants in the form of “six seconds of havoc” on every play. That kind of pressure has already paid off. Since the start of the 2024 season, BYU leads the nation with 43 interceptions, including one on a wild blitz against Arizona that set up a Cougars touchdown.
Colorado State has done its part to protect the ball early this season. The Rams are 2-0 after wins over Wyoming, 35-13, and Southern Utah, 58-24, and their defense has forced eight turnovers across those two games. Quarterback Hauss Hejny has been sharp, too, with nine touchdown passes and only one interception.
That sets up the challenge for BYU: make the Rams uncomfortable, speed them up, and turn the game into something chaotic. The Cougars have already shown they can do that when locked in, and they left no doubt against Arizona in the second half.
Saturday night also lands in a crowded TV window, with LSU-Ole Miss on ABC and Michigan State-Notre Dame on NBC. BYU won’t be alone on the stage, but it has a chance to make the kind of impression that lingers. If the Cougars start fast, lean on Martin and stir up enough chaos defensively, they can make sure the people watching remember exactly what they saw.
That’s the assignment. Leave no doubt.
In Other News...
BYU Is No Longer Crashing The National Conversation
BYUs rise into the national conversation no longer feels like a one-week novelty. The Cougars are sitting 11th in the current college football rankings, with Utah right behind at 17th, a reminder that two programs long treated as regional afterthoughts have become regular fixtures in the Top 25.
For decades, both schools were more likely to be overlooked than discussed on the sports biggest stages, but recent changes have altered that script. Coaching stability and conference affiliation have helped push both programs into a more consistent spotlight, and what once looked like a breakthrough now looks a lot more like the new normal. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Is Taking A Scheduling Risk The Committee Could Notice
BYUs 2026 trip to Colorado State adds another piece to a scheduling pattern that has already become hard to ignore. It will be the third straight season the Cougars are slated to play a road game against a Group of Six opponent, a quirk that sets them apart from the rest of the Power Four crowd and leaves them carrying a little more travel-related baggage than most of their peers.
Since 2021, nine Power Four programs have taken three straight road games against Group of Six teams, but BYU is the only one still waiting to finish that stretch. The Cougars have already started adjusting the shape of future slates, moving a game against Oregon State to a neutral site, and the current long-range picture shows only one other true road date against a Group of Six team, at Northern Illinois in 2030. [Read more 🡒]
BYU's Fast Start Just Created A Week 3 Betting Debate
BYUs unbeaten start has made the first month of the season feel a little more serious than usual, and the Cougars have already given themselves something to build on. After opening with two straight wins, including a 28-17 victory over Arizona, they head into a matchup with Colorado State carrying the kind of early momentum that tends to sharpen every conversation around a program, from the standings to the betting board.
Colorado State arrives with the same 2-0 record, which is why this one has started to draw attention beyond the usual early-season chatter. Bear Bachmeiers play has become part of the conversation as well, adding another layer to a game that looks more evenly matched than the records might suggest. The question now is whether BYUs start is enough to make the Cougars the more trustworthy side, or whether the Rams own unbeaten run will keep this debate alive right up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]